Building on our commitment to fair access we are pleased to announce the launch of three new support offers within our scholarship programme.
These will bring new support to mature students, young parents and students studying for degrees in college. This will extend our current support beyond young, full-time university students.
Since July 2024, our Scholarship Development Team, working in collaboration with our Scholarship Delivery Team, has led a comprehensive process of engagement and research to develop these new offers and ensure they are targeted effectively to help the Trust meet its mission to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland. This process has involved close work with university and college partners, government policy teams, third sector organisations, and current and prospective Higher Education students.
Our new offers
We are now pleased to announce the establishment of the following support for 2025:
- Articulation Support: For students aged 16 to 30 studying undergraduate degrees via colleges in Scotland or enrolled in HNC/HND programmes as part of 1+3 or 2+2 degree pathways affiliated with Scottish universities.
- Mature Student Support: For students aged 26 to 45 starting university programmes, with eligibility criteria related to residency, SAAS support, and priority group membership.
- Parent Support: For parents aged 16 to 45 enrolled in undergraduate study, with a particular focus on child poverty priority family groups, including lone parents, parents with three or more children, parents with a child under one year old, or parents under 25 years old.
These will be worth up to £4250 per year and will come with wrap-around non-financial support too. They will sit alongside existing undergraduate support, broadening the scope of support available to students most at risk of future poverty, in line with the aims of our wider organisational strategy.
Informing bursary design
The Scholarship Development Team’s work has been underpinned by extensive stakeholder consultations and three commissioned external research reports, ensuring that the bursaries respond to the real challenges students face, while carefully considering potential financial implications:
- Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG): Provided insight into how bursaries interact with the benefits system, helping to mitigate unintended impacts on students’ wider financial support. Download here.
- One Parent Families Scotland: Explored barriers faced by lone parents accessing Higher Education, informing the design of the Parent Support. Download here.
- Scottish Wider Access Partnership East (SWAP East): Investigated challenges mature students experience in accessing and engaging with Higher Education, shaping the Mature Student Bursary. Download here.
These reports have been instrumental in guiding criteria and support mechanisms to better meet student needs.
What’s Next?
The Trust aims to support approximately 30 students through the Articulation Bursary and 25 students through the Mature and Parent support offers beginning in the 2025 academic year. Applications will be accepted by nomination only, with a nominations process being developed with partner organisations.
Looking ahead, plans include integrating these new offers alongside the 2025/2026 undergraduate offer, exploring additional opportunities in the coming years, and establishing a Scholar Advisory Board to ensure that student voices continue to shape the future of the Scholarship programme.
The expansion of our Scholarship programme marks an important step in reaching more students who face genuine challenges in accessing and succeeding in Higher Education. To stay updated on the development of our scholarship and other initiatives supporting students, we invite you to join our mailing list or connect with us on LinkedIn.
