Winning Students - Winning Students Scholarship

What you get

You will receive up to £3,000 per year (about 3,450 EUR), which is awarded for 12 months and is reviewed annually. You can use it to cover the actual costs incurred through combining sport and study: student accommodation, entry fees, sports equipment and other support. If you come from one of Scotland’s most deprived areas (as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation), additional funding is available. You will also be offered academic flexibility, enabling you to balance your training with your studies. This is Scotland’s national sports scholarship for talented student athletes, coordinated by the University of Stirling. Up to 100 scholarships are awarded each year.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You hold a British passport.
• Where you study: You study at a Scottish college or university in the Winning Students 100 network.
• Your course: You are on a recognised, credit-rated course (HND, undergraduate or postgraduate). University students need at least 60 credits per year (postgraduates at least half of a full-time programme). College students need at least 7 hours of teaching per week. Full-time and part-time both count.
• Age: You are 16 or older.
• Your sport: You are taking part in an Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth sport that is on the programme for the 2026 Winter Olympic/Paralympic Games, the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow or the 2028 Summer Olympic/Paralympic Games.
• Your level: You take part in high-level competitions, for example as a competitor at the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games or the Commonwealth Games, as a participant in the ‘GB World Class Programme’, or as a member of the senior or junior national team. You must also undertake to take part in the high-performance programme for your sport during the funding year.
• Field of study: All subjects are open.

How to apply

You register and fill in your application on the Winning Students 100 online portal. Your college or university and your sport's governing body confirm you meet the criteria. A committee then reviews all applications before results are sent out. Applications for the 2025 cycle close on 19 September. The following cycle closes on 11 September, with awards announced in October.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding is aimed exclusively at elite student athletes. They must hold a British passport, be studying at a higher education institution belonging to the Scottish network, and compete at national or international level in an eligible sport, meaning that the pool of eligible candidates is small. Up to 100 scholarships are awarded each year, although there is an upper limit of 6 per sport (up to 20 for priority sports). Your chances therefore depend on your ranking within your own sport. If you do compete at international level and are supported by your governing body, your chances are good.