Scholarships and bursaries guidance notes

Overview

The University of Sunderland Bursary provides financial support to students who are underrepresented in higher education and who may face additional financial challenges. Eligible students may receive between £500 and £2,000 in cash per academic year to help with essential costs, enabling them to focus on their studies and university experience. Bursary awards will be allocated according to the following criteria:

Tier 1: bursary award £500 cash per year

• Students with an annual household income of £30,000 or less and live in a low participation neighbourhood (POLAR4 Quantile 1) (see appendix for details)

or,

• Students who don't live on the mainland and have a home address within Northern Island, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands or Islands of Scotland.

Tier 2: bursary award £750 cash per year

• Students with caring responsibilities, those eligible for free school meals in secondary school (Year 7-11), refugees, Gypsies, Travellers, Roma, Showmen and Boaters (GTRSB).

Tier 3: bursary award £2,000 cash per year

• Care-experienced students, or students who are estranged from both parents or carers and aged under 25 on the first day of the academic year (1 September).

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Isle of Man and the Channel Islands students are eligible.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course are eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

You're not eligible for these bursaries if you've been funded by the Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS).

You're not eligible for these bursaries if you're in receipt of a Troops to Teaching bursary.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be applying to start an eligible full-time undergraduate course in autumn 2027 based at City Campus, the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, or the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME).

Applicants who have previously studied or completed a higher education qualification remain eligible for the University of Sunderland Bursary, subject to meeting all other eligibility criteria.

The following courses aren't eligible for the University of Sunderland Bursary for those in tier 1 and tier 2:

• Midwifery Practice
• Occupational Therapy
• Occupational Therapy Accelerated
• Physiotherapy
• Paramedic Science and Out of Hospital Care
• Social Work
• Adult Nursing Practice
• Mental Health Nursing Practice
• Children’s and Young People’s Nursing Practice
• Nursing Practice (Top-up)
• Dental Hygiene
• Dental Therapy
• Mathematics Education with QTS.

Students who meet the criteria for tier 3 are exempt from these course exclusions and may still be eligible for the bursary if studying one of the above courses.

How to apply

The University of Sunderland Bursary is automatically awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

When and how you'll receive your award

Bursaries will be awarded based on one of the underrepresented groups (see appendix for details).

You'll be notified of your provisional award shortly after you receive a course offer from us. Following enrolment onto an eligible course and confirmation of suitable evidence, bursary awards will be confirmed.

Please note, if we need to verify your household income as part of your bursary application, you must have undertaken a means-tested Student Loans Company (SLC) assessment. You must also agree to share your data with the University via the SLC. The University will liaise with the SLC to verify household income.

Bursary payments will be made on the fifth working day of the relevant payment month in each year of continuous study, as follows:

• Tier 1: £250 in November and April
• Tier 2: £375 in November and April
• Tier 3: £500 in November, January, April, and July.

Payment dates may be subject to change where the fifth working day falls during a University closure period or due to exceptional circumstances.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Appendix

Use this information to determine what evidence will be required as proof of priority group.

You're a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment.

You're a refugee

Your refugee status can be verified using Home Office documents.

You were eligible for free school meals in secondary school (Year 7-11)

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment. For mature applicants, a letter from your school could be used as evidence to verify you were in receipt of free school meals in secondary school.

You have caring responsibilities

This can be verified by one of the following:

• By a teacher, adviser, or GP that you're a carer who has caring responsibilities for an average of 15 hours per week
• You can provide proof of your average of 15 hours per week caring responsibilities
• You're in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.

You reside in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4: Quantiles 1)

This refers to geographic areas where the number of 18 and 19-year-olds participating in higher education is less than two-thirds of the UK average rate. Check your eligibility by postcode.

During the enrolment process, the University will verify this based on your postcode. This will be based on your address at the time of applying to the University.

You have an annual household income of less than £30,000

If you're a ‘Home’ student who has applied for means-tested loans and grants from the Student Loans Company (SLC), the University will liaise with the SLC to verify your household income.

You're care-experienced

We use the broader definition of ‘care-experienced’ as this term is inclusive of the range of care settings someone may have experienced.

Our definition of care-experienced is someone who, at any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care in the UK, for example looked after by the local authority.

This includes the following:

• Spent time in the care of the local authority (for example, foster care or children’s homes)
• Privately fostered
• ‘Looked after at home’ under a supervision order
• In kinship care (where a friend or family member becomes the foster carer). Kinship care can be through a formal agreement, recognised by the local authority, and could be prior to a Special Guardianship Order.

For further information please contact the We Care Team on 0191 515 2216 or email care.contact@sunderland.ac.uk.

You're an estranged student

• You've had no contact at all with your parents/carers for at least 12 months and this is unlikely to change

or,

• You can demonstrate on other grounds that you're irreconcilably estranged from both of your parents/carers (for example, exceptional circumstances)

or,

• You're assessed as independent by Student Finance England because you're estranged from both parents/carers.

For estrangement cases that cannot be confirmed by Student Finance England (SFE), proof of evidence of ‘genuine estrangement’ would need to be supplied to the University. All applications of estrangement are assessed on an individual basis.

You won't be considered estranged on the basis that you:

• Live separately from your parents/carers
• Have recently fallen out with your parents/carers
• Your parents/carers are unwilling to complete income assessment forms or contribute towards your student finance.

You don't live on the mainland

You have a home address within Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands, or Islands of Scotland.

Eligible postcodes

Northern Ireland

BT1, BT2, BT3, BT4, BT5, BT6, BT7, BT8, BT9, BT10, BT11, BT12, BT13, BT14, BT15, BT16, BT17, BT18, BT19, BT20, BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24, BT25, BT26, BT27, BT28, BT29, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, BT34, BT35, BT36, BT37, BT38, BT39, BT40, BT41, BT42, BT43, BT44, BT45, BT46, BT47, BT48, BT49, BT51, BT52, BT53, BT54, BT55, BT56, BT57, BT58, BT60, BT61, BT62, BT63, BT64, BT65, BT66, BT67, BT68, BT69, BT70, BT71, BT74, BT75, BT76, BT77, BT78, BT79, BT80, BT81, BT82, BT92, BT93, BT94.

Channel Islands

GY1, GY2, GY3, GY4, GY5, GY6, GY7, GY8, GY9, GY10, JE1, JE2, JE3, JE4, JE5.

Isle of Man

IM1, IM2, IM3, IM4, IM5, IM6, IM7, IM8, IM9, IM86, IM87, IM99.

Isle of Wight

PO30, PO41, PO31, PO32, PO33, PO34, PO35, PO36, PO38, PO39, PO40, PO41.

Isle of Scilly

TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25.

Scottish Islands (Outer Hebrides)

HS1, HS2, HS3, HS4, HS5, HS6, HS7, HS8, HS9.

Scottish Islands (Inner Hebrides)

IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV55, IV56, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA66, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PH42, PH43, PH44.

Scottish Islands (Islands of the Clyde)

KA27, KA28, PA20.

Scottish Islands (Orkney Islands)

KW15, KW16, KW17.

Scottish Islands (Shetland Islands)

ZE1, ZE2, ZE3.

Overview

The University of Sunderland Bursary provides financial support to students who are underrepresented in higher education and who may face additional financial challenges. Eligible students may receive between £500 and £2,000 in cash each academic year to help with essential costs, enabling you to focus on your studies and university experience.

Medicine students in receipt of the bursary will also receive £1,000 cash in their first year to purchase essential equipment and study materials to support your studies and help you settle into university life.

In addition, Medicine students who are awarded the bursary will receive an extra £1,000 in their fifth year to support their final year of study.

Bursary awards will be allocated according to the following criteria:

Tier 1: bursary award £500 cash per year

• Students with an annual household income of £30,000 or less and live in a low participation neighbourhood (POLAR4 Quantile 1) (see appendix for details)

or,

• Students who don't live on the mainland and have a home address within Northern Island, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands or Islands of Scotland.

Tier 2: bursary award £750 cash per year

• Students with caring responsibilities, those eligible for free school meals in secondary school (Year 7-11), refugees, Gypsies, Travellers, Roma, Showmen and Boaters (GTRSB).

Tier 3: bursary award £2,000 cash per year

• Care-experienced students, or students who are estranged from both parents or carers and aged under 25 on the first day of the academic year (1 September).

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Isle of Man and the Channel Islands students are eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

You're not eligible for these bursaries if you've been funded by the Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS).

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study MBChB Medicine

You must successfully enrol onto level one and study MBChB Medicine in academic year 2027/28.

Applicants who have previously studied or completed a higher education qualification remain eligible for the University of Sunderland Bursary, subject to meeting all other eligibility criteria.

How to apply

The University of Sunderland Bursary is automatically awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

When and how you'll receive your award

Bursaries will be awarded based on one of the underrepresented groups (see appendix for details).

You'll be notified of your provisional award shortly after you receive a course offer from us. Following enrolment onto our MBChB Medicine course and confirmation of suitable evidence, bursary awards will be confirmed.

Please note, if we need to verify your household income as part of your bursary application, you must have undertaken a means-tested Student Loans Company (SLC) assessment. You must also agree to share your data with the University via the SLC. The University will liaise with the SLC to verify household income.

Bursary payments will be made on the fifth working day of the relevant payment month in each year of continuous study, as follows:

• Tier 1: £250 in November and April
• Tier 2: £375 in November and April
• Tier 3: £500 in November, January, April, and July.

MBChB Medicine students who are eligible for the University of Sunderland Bursary will also receive:

• An additional cash award of £1,000 in Year 1
• An additional cash award of £1,000 in Year 5.

Each additional award will be paid in two equal instalments on the fifth working day of November and April during the relevant year of study.

Payment dates may be subject to change where the fifth working day falls during a University closure period or due to exceptional circumstances.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Appendix

Use this information to determine what evidence will be required as proof of priority group.

You're a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment.

You're a refugee

Your refugee status can be verified using Home Office documents.

You were eligible for free school meals in secondary school (Year 7-11)

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment. For mature applicants, a letter from your school could be used as evidence to verify you were in receipt of free school meals in secondary school.

You have caring responsibilities

This can be verified by one of the following:

• By a teacher, adviser, or GP that you're a carer who has caring responsibilities for an average of 15 hours per week
• You can provide proof of your average of 15 hours per week caring responsibilities
• You're in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.

You reside in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4: Quantiles 1)

This refers to geographic areas where the number of 18 and 19-year-olds participating in higher education is less than two-thirds of the UK average rate. Check your eligibility by postcode(opens in new tab).

During the enrolment process, the University will verify this based on your postcode. This will be based on your address at the time of applying to the University.

You have an annual household income of less than £30,000

If you're a ‘Home’ student who has applied for means-tested loans and grants from the Student Loans Company (SLC), the University will liaise with the SLC to verify your household income.

You're care-experienced

We use the broader definition of ‘care-experienced’ as this term is inclusive of the range of care settings someone may have experienced.

Our definition of care-experienced is someone who, at any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care in the UK, for example looked after by the local authority.

This includes the following:

• Spent time in the care of the local authority (for example, foster care or children’s homes)
• Privately fostered
• ‘Looked after at home’ under a supervision order
• In kinship care (where a friend or family member becomes the foster carer). Kinship care can be through a formal agreement, recognised by the local authority, and could be prior to a Special Guardianship Order.

For further information please contact the We Care Team on 0191 515 2216(opens in new tab) or email care.contact@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

You're an estranged student

• You've had no contact at all with your parents/carers for at least 12 months and this is unlikely to change

or,

• You can demonstrate on other grounds that you're irreconcilably estranged from both of your parents/carers (for example, exceptional circumstances)

or,

• You're assessed as independent by Student Finance England because you're estranged from both parents/carers.

For estrangement cases that cannot be confirmed by Student Finance England (SFE), proof of evidence of ‘genuine estrangement’ would need to be supplied to the University. All applications of estrangement are assessed on an individual basis.

You won't be considered estranged on the basis that you:

• Live separately from your parents/carers
• Have recently fallen out with your parents/carers
• Your parents/carers are unwilling to complete income assessment forms or contribute towards your student finance.

You don't live on the mainland

You have a home address within Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands, or Islands of Scotland.

Eligible postcodes

Northern Ireland

BT1, BT2, BT3, BT4, BT5, BT6, BT7, BT8, BT9, BT10, BT11, BT12, BT13, BT14, BT15, BT16, BT17, BT18, BT19, BT20, BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24, BT25, BT26, BT27, BT28, BT29, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, BT34, BT35, BT36, BT37, BT38, BT39, BT40, BT41, BT42, BT43, BT44, BT45, BT46, BT47, BT48, BT49, BT51, BT52, BT53, BT54, BT55, BT56, BT57, BT58, BT60, BT61, BT62, BT63, BT64, BT65, BT66, BT67, BT68, BT69, BT70, BT71, BT74, BT75, BT76, BT77, BT78, BT79, BT80, BT81, BT82, BT92, BT93, BT94.

Channel Islands

GY1, GY2, GY3, GY4, GY5, GY6, GY7, GY8, GY9, GY10, JE1, JE2, JE3, JE4, JE5.

Isle of Man

IM1, IM2, IM3, IM4, IM5, IM6, IM7, IM8, IM9, IM86, IM87, IM99.

Isle of Wight

PO30, PO41, PO31, PO32, PO33, PO34, PO35, PO36, PO38, PO39, PO40, PO41.

Isle of Scilly

TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25.

Scottish Islands (Outer Hebrides)

HS1, HS2, HS3, HS4, HS5, HS6, HS7, HS8, HS9.

Scottish Islands (Inner Hebrides)

IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV55, IV56, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA66, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PH42, PH43, PH44.

Scottish Islands (Islands of the Clyde)

KA27, KA28, PA20.

Scottish Islands (Orkney Islands)

KW15, KW16, KW17.

Scottish Islands (Shetland Islands)

ZE1, ZE2, ZE3.

Overview

The Impact Scholarship offers £1,000 cash during the first year of study, helping to create new opportunities and enhance your university experience. Through the University of Sunderland Impact Scholarship, we aim to reward students who embody our core values:

• Inspiring
• Excellent
• Inclusive
• Collaborative
• Innovative.

We’re proud to support students who are passionate, driven and ready to make a difference. By recognising those who show that hard work matters, believe in building a better future, and understand that we are stronger together, we’re investing in individuals who are truly powering the future for themselves, their communities and beyond.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Isle of Man and the Channel Islands students are eligible.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course are eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must successfully enrol onto an eligible full-time undergraduate course starting in autumn 2027. You must study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

To be considered for the award, you must also:

• Apply to the University by 13 January 2027
• Make the University of Sunderland your firm choice by the reply deadline shown on your UCAS application (5 May 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 31 March 2027 or 2 June 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 12 May 2027)
• Enrol on your course by 6 October 2027.

How to apply

There is no application process. Students will be selected based on their ability to demonstrate alignment with our values, as evidenced in their UCAS personal statement. The University of Sunderland Impact Scholarship will be awarded to students following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

UCAS personal statements will be reviewed to identify applicants who best demonstrate alignment with our core values (Inspiring, Excellent, Inclusive, Collaborative and Innovative).

To ensure a consistent and efficient initial review, an AI-supported tool will assess all personal statements. The use of this technology will be carefully managed and reviewed to ensure fairness and accuracy.

As the number of scholarship awards is limited, a final decision on scholarship recipients will be made by a selection panel. This panel will carry out an assessment of the shortlisted personal statements to determine which students will receive an award.

This two-stage process is designed to ensure that every eligible applicant has a fair opportunity to be considered.

When and how you'll receive your award

If you’re provisionally selected, you’ll be notified by email no later than February 2027.

Following enrolment onto an eligible course and confirmation of satisfactory evidence, scholarship awards will be confirmed.

You'll receive payment in two instalments:

• £500 on Friday 5 November 2027
• £500 on Monday 7 February 2028.

If you're eligible for and provisionally awarded more than one University of Sunderland Scholarship, you'll only receive the award of the highest value.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Overview

Our Sunderland College Award provides £1,750 in each year of continuous study to support you financially throughout your time at university.

This award is designed to support students transitioning from further education into higher education and to enhance the overall student experience. The funding can be used flexibly to support essential study-related expenses such as course materials, academic resources, equipment, learning tools, or other costs that help you engage fully with your course and university life.

This award forms part of the University’s commitment to supporting local students as they move into higher education and succeed in their studies.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course are eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be applying to start an eligible full-time undergraduate course in autumn 2027 based at City Campus, the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, or the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME).

You must study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

3. You must successfully progress from Sunderland College

To be considered for the award, you must:

• Progress directly to a course at the University of Sunderland after studying at Sunderland College in 2026/27 and successfully complete either a Level 3 qualification or an eligible Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND)
• Apply to the University of Sunderland by 13 January 2027
• Make the University of Sunderland your firm choice by the reply deadline shown on your UCAS application (5 May 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 31 March 2027 or 2 June 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 12 May 2027)
• Enrol on your course by 6 October 2027.

How to apply

The Sunderland College Award is automatically awarded to eligible students following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

When and how you'll receive your award

Successful applicants will be notified via email to inform them of their provisional award.

You'll receive one cash payment on the fifth working day of November in each year of study.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Overview

Our Tees Valley Travel Award provides £1,500 cash in each year of continuous study to assist with travel expenses. This award has been established to support with the cost of travel to and from university, including public transport and fuel costs, ensuring you can focus on making the most of your university experience. The travel award can also be used as a contribution towards an annual rail ticket from the Tees Valley area to Sunderland.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course are eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be applying to start an eligible full-time undergraduate course in autumn 2027 based at City Campus, the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, or the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME).

You must successfully enrol onto an eligible course by 6 October 2027, and study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

3. You must successfully progress from an eligible school or college in Tees Valley

To be considered for the travel award, you must:

• Progress directly to a course at the University of Sunderland after studying at one of the following institutions in 2026/27: Hartlepool College of Further Education, Hartlepool Sixth Form College, Middlesbrough College, and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College
• Successfully complete either a Level 3 qualification or an eligible Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND)
• Apply to the University of Sunderland by 13 January 2027
• Make the University of Sunderland your firm choice by the reply deadline shown on your UCAS application (5 May 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 31 March 2027 or 2 June 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 12 May 2027)
• Enrol on your course by 6 October 2027.

How to apply

The Tees Valley Travel Award is automatically awarded to eligible students following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

When and how you'll receive your award

Successful applicants will be notified via email to inform them of their provisional award in February 2027.

The Tees Valley Travel Award provides eligible students with £1,500 in cash for each year of continuous study (based on academic progression).

You'll receive one cash payment of £1,500 on the fifth working day of November in each year of study.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made.

If you're eligible for and provisionally awarded more than one University of Sunderland Travel Award, you'll only receive the award of the highest value.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Overview

Our East Durham College Partnership Award provides £1,500 in each year of continuous study to support you financially throughout your time at university.

This award is designed to help with the costs associated with studying at university, enabling you to focus on your academic success and make the most of your university experience. The funding can be used flexibly to support essential study-related expenses such as course materials, academic resources, travel to and from campus, equipment, or other costs that help you engage fully with your course.

East Durham College is the University of Sunderland’s partner college, and this award forms part of the University’s ongoing commitment to supporting progression from partner institutions into higher education and helping students succeed once they arrive.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course are eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be applying to start an eligible full-time undergraduate course in autumn 2027 based at City Campus, the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, or the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME).

You must study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

3. You must successfully progress from East Durham College

To be considered for the award, you must:

• Progress directly to a course at the University of Sunderland after studying at East Durham College in 2026/27 and successfully complete either a Level 3 qualification or an eligible Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND)
• Apply to the University of Sunderland by 13 January 2027
• Make the University of Sunderland your firm choice by the reply deadline shown on your UCAS application (5 May 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 31 March 2027 or 2 June 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 12 May 2027)
• Enrol on your course by 6 October 2027.

How to apply

The East Durham College Partnership Award is automatically awarded to eligible students following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

When and how you'll receive your award

Successful applicants will be notified via email to inform them of their provisional award.

The East Durham College Partnership Award provides eligible students with £1,500 in cash for each year of continuous study (based on academic progression).

You'll receive one cash payment of £1,500 on the fifth working day of November in each year of study.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Overview

The First Choice Travel Award is £500 in cash and is available exclusively to students who successfully complete our First Choice Progression Scheme. This recognises commitment to engaging with the University and preparing for higher education. This travel award is intended to help with travel costs and associated expenses, ensuring you can focus on making the most of your university experience.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must successfully complete our First Choice Progression Scheme

You must successfully complete our First Choice Progression Scheme in July 2026 to be considered for the First Choice Travel Award. Students must attend:

• The welcome session
• The compulsory workshop
• The summer school.

To be considered for the award, you must also:

• Apply to the University of Sunderland by 13 January 2027
• Make the University of Sunderland your firm choice by the reply deadline shown on your UCAS application (5 May 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 31 March 2027 or 2 June 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 12 May 2027)
• Enrol on your course by 6 October 2027.

3. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto an eligible course

You must be applying to start a three-year or four-year full-time undergraduate course in autumn 2027 based at City Campus, Sir Tom Cowie at St Peter’s Campus, or the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME).

You must enrol on an eligible course by Wednesday 6 October 2027 and study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

How to apply

The First Choice Travel Award is automatically awarded following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

When and how you'll receive your award

Successful applicants will be notified via email to inform them of their provisional award in February 2027.

The First Choice Travel Award awards eligible students with £500 in cash. You'll receive payment on Friday 5 November 2027.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made.

If you're eligible for and provisionally awarded more than one University of Sunderland Travel Award, you'll only receive the award of the highest value.

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Overview

The First Choice Scholarship is a £1,000 cash award in the first year of study. It is for students who complete our First Choice Progression Scheme. Ten scholarships are available and this is a financial award to support dedicated students to take the next step in their academic journey. Designed to reward commitment and support progression into higher education, the scholarship recognises those who fully engage with the scheme.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must successfully complete our First Choice Progression Scheme

You must successfully complete our First Choice Progression Scheme in July 2026 to be considered for the First Choice Travel Award. Students must attend:

• The welcome session
• The compulsory workshop
• The summer school.

To be considered for the award, you must also:

• Apply to the University of Sunderland by 13 January 2027
• Make the University of Sunderland your firm choice by the reply deadline shown on your UCAS application (5 May 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 31 March 2027 or 2 June 2027 if you receive all your university decisions by 12 May 2027)
• Enrol on your course by 6 October 2027.

3. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto an eligible course

You must be applying to start a three-year or four-year full-time undergraduate course in autumn 2027 based at City Campus, Sir Tom Cowie at St Peter’s Campus, or the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME).

You must enrol on an eligible course by Wednesday 6 October 2027 and study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

How to apply

The First Choice Scholarship will be automatically awarded to ten eligible students following a randomised draw.

When and how you'll receive your award

Successful applicants will be notified via email to inform them of their provisional award in February 2027.

The First Choice Scholarship will be awarded following a checking and verification process after enrolment.

The First Choice Scholarship awards eligible students with £1,000 cash. You'll receive the following payments:

• A £500 cash award on Friday 5 November 2027
• A £500 cash award on Monday 7 February 2028.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made.

Due to the limited number of scholarships available, recipients will be chosen at random using a digital generator. All students who successfully complete the First Choice Progression Scheme will be entered into the draw. This process will select ten students to be provisionally awarded the scholarship, along with a further ten students who will be placed on a reserve list, in the order they are drawn.

Once the draw has taken place, we'll contact each student individually to confirm whether they have been provisionally awarded the scholarship. A recording of the draw will be kept for one year following confirmation of awards. This is to ensure a fair and consistent approach should we require to refer to the reserve list following enrolment.

General administration of the scholarship will be retained for six years in line with the University’s Records Retention Schedule (login required).

Additional information

Recipients of a scholarship or bursary will be expected to participate in surveys, feedback requests, and other market research activities to help the University evaluate and improve its scholarship and bursary provision. This may include sharing insights on your student experience and the impact of financial support.

If you haven't registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship or bursary will be withdrawn.

If you don't supply us with the required information by Friday 10 December 2027, the scholarship or bursary provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship or bursary payment, the award will be withdrawn. If you withdraw after a payment is made, the University may seek reimbursement, however you won't receive any further instalments.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards, and payments that are due to you while you're on your course of study.

If you transfer to another course, or you repeat a year of the same course, the award will not be made in the repeated year. Any payments due to you will continue once you progress onto the following level(s) of study on the course.

If you're on a placement year or studying for a year and not paying full fees, the award will not be paid during that year.

If you take a leave of absence (LOAB), your payments will stop until you return and progress academically.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared. Awards will only be payable if all tuition fee payments are up to date and there are no monies owed to the University.

All cash payments will be made into your bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details onto your myApplication(opens in new tab) account to enable these payments to be made. If you fail to enter your bank details to enable payments to be made to you before your course end date (or the date of leaving your course if earlier), all scholarships, bursaries and payments will be withdrawn.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Overview

Funded from a philanthropic donation via the University of Sunderland’s Philanthropy team, the Robson Art and Design Scholarship awards £1,000 in cash for undergraduate students who study an eligible course and meet at least one of the widening participation priority criteria detailed in section four.

The Scholarship will support eligible undergraduate students who show passion and promise in their artistic field.

There are five scholarships available.

By applying for this scholarship, you agree to participate in PR and marketing activities if awarded.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Isle of Man and the Channel Islands students are eligible.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course aren't eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be a first-year student applying to start your studies in autumn 2027, or, entering level one in academic year 2027/28 having completed an eligible Integrated Foundation Year course.

You must enrol on an eligible course and study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

You must successfully enrol onto one of the following eligible full-time courses:

• BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art
• BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Promotion
• BA (Hons) Fine Art
• BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• BA (Hons) Illustration and Design
• BA (Hons) Photography, Video and Digital Imaging.

Alternatively, you must be entering level one having completed one of the following Integrated Foundation Year courses:

• BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art with Integrated Foundation Year
• BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Promotion with Integrated Foundation Year
• BA (Hons) Fine Art with Integrated Foundation Year
• BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Integrated Foundation Year
• BA (Hons) Illustration and Design with Integrated Foundation Year
• BA (Hons) Photography, Video and Digital Imaging with Integrated Foundation Year.

3. You must demonstrate passion and promise in your artistic field

As part of the application process, you must submit:

• A statement of up to 250 words outlining your reasons for choosing your course, your passion for your subject, and your aspirations for the future
• Up to five images of your work submitted on Microsoft PowerPoint. Send to: philanthropy@sunderland.ac.uk.

Your submissions will be assessed by the Awarding Committee and selection will be based upon the following criteria:

• Demonstrated passion, commitment and an enthusiasm to learn
• Evidence of creative skills and promise within your chosen field.

4. You must meet at least one of the widening participation priority awarding criteria

When awarding this scholarship, priority will be given to applicants form the following groups:

• Care-experienced student
• Estranged student aged under 25 at the start of the course
• Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater
• Refugee
• Student with caring responsibilities
• Low household income (equal to or below £30,000 per annum)
• Live in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4 Quintile 1 (check your eligibility by postcode(opens in new tab))).
• Previously eligible for free school meals
• Students who don't live on the mainland and have a home address within Northern Island, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands or Islands of Scotland.

Please note, if we need to verify your household income as part of your bursary application, you must have undertaken a means-tested Student Loans Company (SLC) assessment. You must also agree to share your data with the University via the SLC. The University will liaise with the SLC to verify household income.

How to apply

Applications open in February 2027. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 31 August 2027. Once the deadline has passed, we're not permitted to accept any further applications.

You can apply via your myApplication(opens in new tab) account.

Your username is your student number, which can be found on all correspondence you have received from the University.

Please note that applying doesn't guarantee you'll be awarded this scholarship.

All applications that meet the criteria will be shortlisted for consideration by the Awarding Committee.

When and how you'll receive your award

Once scholarships have been allocated, you'll be notified via email of your provisional award.

You'll receive one payment of £1,000 on Monday 7 February 2028. The scholarship payment will be paid via bank transfer into your UK bank account via the University’s Development Trust.

You'll be expected to produce an illustrated report upon successful completion of your course for publicity and stewardship purposes.

Additional information

If you've not registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date, or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship will be withdrawn and offered to another eligible student.

Once provisional awards are made, we'll contact you via registered contact details. If you don't respond or don't supply us with the required information by February 2028, the scholarship provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship payment, the award will be withdrawn.

If you transfer to a course not listed above, you won't be eligible for this scholarship.

If you repeat year one of the same course, the award will not be paid in the repeated year.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

If you withdraw or transfer to a non-eligible course in the same academic year after receiving your scholarship payment, you'll be required to return the funding to the University’s Development Trust.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared.

All payments will be made into your UK bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details and ensure these are kept up to date.

Income assessed applications will be based on the Student Loans Company’s definition and assessment of household income. Your declared household income will be checked and verified.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Funding is provided by the University’s Development Trust, registered charity 1041658.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Appendix

Use this information to determine what evidence will be required as proof of priority group.

You're a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment.

You're a refugee

Your refugee status can be verified using Home Office documents.

You were eligible for free school meals in secondary school (Year 7-11)

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment. For mature applicants, a letter from your school could be used as evidence to verify you were in receipt of free school meals in secondary school.

You have caring responsibilities

This can be verified by one of the following:

• By a teacher, adviser, or GP that you're a carer who has caring responsibilities for an average of 15 hours per week
• You can provide proof of your average of 15 hours per week caring responsibilities
• You're in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.

You reside in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4: Quantiles 1)

This refers to geographic areas where the number of 18 and 19-year-olds participating in higher education is less than two-thirds of the UK average rate. Check your eligibility by postcode.

During the enrolment process, the University will verify this based on your postcode. This will be based on your address at the time of applying to the University.

You have an annual household income of less than £30,000

If you're a ‘Home’ student who has applied for means-tested loans and grants from the Student Loans Company (SLC), the University will liaise with the SLC to verify your household income.

You're care-experienced

We use the broader definition of ‘care-experienced’ as this term is inclusive of the range of care settings someone may have experienced.

Our definition of care-experienced is someone who, at any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care in the UK, for example looked after by the local authority.

This includes the following:

• Spent time in the care of the local authority (for example, foster care or children’s homes)
• Privately fostered
• ‘Looked after at home’ under a supervision order
• In kinship care (where a friend or family member becomes the foster carer). Kinship care can be through a formal agreement, recognised by the local authority, and could be prior to a Special Guardianship Order.

For further information please contact the We Care Team on 0191 515 2216 or email care.contact@sunderland.ac.uk.

You're an estranged student

• You've had no contact at all with your parents/carers for at least 12 months and this is unlikely to change

or,

• You can demonstrate on other grounds that you're irreconcilably estranged from both of your parents/carers (for example, exceptional circumstances)

or,

• You're assessed as independent by Student Finance England because you're estranged from both parents/carers.

For estrangement cases that cannot be confirmed by Student Finance England (SFE), proof of evidence of ‘genuine estrangement’ would need to be supplied to the University. All applications of estrangement are assessed on an individual basis.

You won't be considered estranged on the basis that you:

• Live separately from your parents/carers
• Have recently fallen out with your parents/carers
• Your parents/carers are unwilling to complete income assessment forms or contribute towards your student finance.

You don't live on the mainland

You have a home address within Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands, or Islands of Scotland.

Eligible postcodes

Northern Ireland

BT1, BT2, BT3, BT4, BT5, BT6, BT7, BT8, BT9, BT10, BT11, BT12, BT13, BT14, BT15, BT16, BT17, BT18, BT19, BT20, BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24, BT25, BT26, BT27, BT28, BT29, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, BT34, BT35, BT36, BT37, BT38, BT39, BT40, BT41, BT42, BT43, BT44, BT45, BT46, BT47, BT48, BT49, BT51, BT52, BT53, BT54, BT55, BT56, BT57, BT58, BT60, BT61, BT62, BT63, BT64, BT65, BT66, BT67, BT68, BT69, BT70, BT71, BT74, BT75, BT76, BT77, BT78, BT79, BT80, BT81, BT82, BT92, BT93, BT94.

Channel Islands

GY1, GY2, GY3, GY4, GY5, GY6, GY7, GY8, GY9, GY10, JE1, JE2, JE3, JE4, JE5.

Isle of Man

IM1, IM2, IM3, IM4, IM5, IM6, IM7, IM8, IM9, IM86, IM87, IM99.

Isle of Wight

PO30, PO41, PO31, PO32, PO33, PO34, PO35, PO36, PO38, PO39, PO40, PO41.

Isle of Scilly

TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25.

Scottish Islands (Outer Hebrides)

HS1, HS2, HS3, HS4, HS5, HS6, HS7, HS8, HS9.

Scottish Islands (Inner Hebrides)

IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV55, IV56, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA66, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PH42, PH43, PH44.

Scottish Islands (Islands of the Clyde)

KA27, KA28, PA20.

Scottish Islands (Orkney Islands)

KW15, KW16, KW17.

Scottish Islands (Shetland Islands)

ZE1, ZE2, ZE3.

Overview

Funded from a philanthropic donation via the University of Sunderland’s Philanthropy team, the Helen McArdle Scholarship aims to support undergraduate students studying an eligible nursing course. Each scholarship offers £1,200 in cash for each year of continuous study.

There are five scholarships available.

By applying for this scholarship, you agree to participate in PR/marketing activities if awarded.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Isle of Man and the Channel Islands students are eligible.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course aren't eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be a first-year student applying to commence your studies in autumn 2027.

You must enrol on an eligible course and study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

You must successfully enrol onto one of the following eligible full-time nursing courses:

• BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing Practice
• BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing Practice
• BSc (Hons) Children’s and Young People’s Nursing Practice.

Some University of Sunderland Nursing courses aren't eligible. These include:

• BSc (Hons) Nursing (Top-Up)
• BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing (Blended)
• FdSc Registered Nursing Associate.

3. Priority will be given to applicants who, or whose family members, have previously been employed by Helen McArdle Care

The Helen McArdle Nursing Scholarship Trustees will verify applicants’ or their family members’ previous employment with Helen McArdle Care.

4. Secondary awarding priority will be given to students who are the first in their family to enter higher education (first-generation) or are mature students with family commitments

During the enrolment process, we'll verify ‘first generation’ evidence.

Mature students (aged 21+) with family commitments will be verified via an application for the NHS Learning Support Fund. For the scholarship, we define family commitments as having parental responsibility for a child who is under 15 years of age at the start of the academic year, or under 17 years of age if the child is registered with special educational needs.

5. Tertiary awarding priority will be given to students who meet any of the widening participation criteria

When awarding this scholarship, priority will be given to applicants form the following groups:

• Care-experienced student
• Estranged student aged under 25 at the start of the course
• Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater
• Refugee
• Student with caring responsibilities
• Low household income (equal to or below £30,000 per annum)
• Live in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4 Quintile 1 (check your eligibility by postcode(opens in new tab)).
• Previously eligible for free school meals
• Students who don't live on the mainland and have a home address within Northern Island, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands or Islands of Scotland.

Please note, if we need to verify your household income as part of your bursary application, you must have undertaken a means-tested Student Loans Company (SLC) assessment. You must also agree to share your data with the University via the SLC. The University will liaise with the SLC to verify household income.

How to apply

Applications open in February 2027. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 31 August 2027. Once the deadline has passed, we're not permitted to accept any further applications.

You can apply via your myApplication(opens in new tab) account.

Your username is your student number, which can be found on all correspondence you have received from the University.

Please note that applying doesn't guarantee you'll be awarded this scholarship.

All applications that meet the criteria will be shortlisted for consideration by the Awarding Committee.

When and how you'll receive your award

The Helen McArdle Nursing Scholarship will be awarded following an application and ranking process based on the priority awarding criteria.

Once scholarships have been allocated, you'll be notified via email of your provisional award.

You'll receive a cash payment of £1,200 on the fifth working day of February in each year of continuous study.

The scholarship cash payments will be paid via bank transfer into your UK bank account via the University’s Development Trust.

Additional information

If you've not registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date, or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship will be withdrawn and offered to another eligible student.

Once provisional awards are made, we'll contact you via registered contact details. If you don't respond or don't supply us with the required information by February 2028, the scholarship provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship payment, the award will be withdrawn.

If you transfer to a course not listed above, you won't be eligible for this scholarship.

If you repeat year one of the same course, the award will not be paid in the repeated year.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

If you withdraw or transfer to a non-eligible course in the same academic year after receiving your scholarship payment, you'll be required to return the funding to the University’s Development Trust.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared.

All payments will be made into your UK bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details and ensure these are kept up to date.

Income assessed applications will be based on the Student Loans Company’s definition and assessment of household income. Your declared household income will be checked and verified.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Funding is provided by the University’s Development Trust, registered charity 1041658.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Appendix

Use this information to determine what evidence will be required as proof of priority group.

You're a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment.

You're a refugee

Your refugee status can be verified using Home Office documents.

You were eligible for free school meals in secondary school (Year 7-11)

Your student record will evidence this following your application and enrolment. For mature applicants, a letter from your school could be used as evidence to verify you were in receipt of free school meals in secondary school.

You have caring responsibilities

This can be verified by one of the following:

• By a teacher, adviser, or GP that you're a carer who has caring responsibilities for an average of 15 hours per week
• You can provide proof of your average of 15 hours per week caring responsibilities
• You're in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.

You reside in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4: Quantiles 1)

This refers to geographic areas where the number of 18 and 19-year-olds participating in higher education is less than two-thirds of the UK average rate. Check your eligibility by postcode.

During the enrolment process, the University will verify this based on your postcode. This will be based on your address at the time of applying to the University.

You have an annual household income of less than £30,000

If you're a ‘Home’ student who has applied for means-tested loans and grants from the Student Loans Company (SLC), the University will liaise with the SLC to verify your household income.

You're care-experienced

We use the broader definition of ‘care-experienced’ as this term is inclusive of the range of care settings someone may have experienced.

Our definition of care-experienced is someone who, at any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care in the UK, for example looked after by the local authority.

This includes the following:

• Spent time in the care of the local authority (for example, foster care or children’s homes)
• Privately fostered
• ‘Looked after at home’ under a supervision order
• In kinship care (where a friend or family member becomes the foster carer). Kinship care can be through a formal agreement, recognised by the local authority, and could be prior to a Special Guardianship Order.

For further information please contact the We Care Team on 0191 515 2216 or email care.contact@sunderland.ac.uk.

You're an estranged student

• You've had no contact at all with your parents/carers for at least 12 months and this is unlikely to change

or,

• You can demonstrate on other grounds that you're irreconcilably estranged from both of your parents/carers (for example, exceptional circumstances)

or,

• You're assessed as independent by Student Finance England because you're estranged from both parents/carers.

For estrangement cases that cannot be confirmed by Student Finance England (SFE), proof of evidence of ‘genuine estrangement’ would need to be supplied to the University. All applications of estrangement are assessed on an individual basis.

You won't be considered estranged on the basis that you:

• Live separately from your parents/carers
• Have recently fallen out with your parents/carers
• Your parents/carers are unwilling to complete income assessment forms or contribute towards your student finance.

You don't live on the mainland

You have a home address within Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands, or Islands of Scotland.

Eligible postcodes

Northern Ireland

BT1, BT2, BT3, BT4, BT5, BT6, BT7, BT8, BT9, BT10, BT11, BT12, BT13, BT14, BT15, BT16, BT17, BT18, BT19, BT20, BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24, BT25, BT26, BT27, BT28, BT29, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, BT34, BT35, BT36, BT37, BT38, BT39, BT40, BT41, BT42, BT43, BT44, BT45, BT46, BT47, BT48, BT49, BT51, BT52, BT53, BT54, BT55, BT56, BT57, BT58, BT60, BT61, BT62, BT63, BT64, BT65, BT66, BT67, BT68, BT69, BT70, BT71, BT74, BT75, BT76, BT77, BT78, BT79, BT80, BT81, BT82, BT92, BT93, BT94.

Channel Islands

GY1, GY2, GY3, GY4, GY5, GY6, GY7, GY8, GY9, GY10, JE1, JE2, JE3, JE4, JE5.

Isle of Man

IM1, IM2, IM3, IM4, IM5, IM6, IM7, IM8, IM9, IM86, IM87, IM99.

Isle of Wight

PO30, PO41, PO31, PO32, PO33, PO34, PO35, PO36, PO38, PO39, PO40, PO41.

Isle of Scilly

TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25.

Scottish Islands (Outer Hebrides)

HS1, HS2, HS3, HS4, HS5, HS6, HS7, HS8, HS9.

Scottish Islands (Inner Hebrides)

IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV55, IV56, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA66, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PH42, PH43, PH44.

Scottish Islands (Islands of the Clyde)

KA27, KA28, PA20.

Scottish Islands (Orkney Islands)

KW15, KW16, KW17.

Scottish Islands (Shetland Islands)

ZE1, ZE2, ZE3.

Overview

Funded from a philanthropic donation via the University of Sunderland’s Philanthropy team, the Sir Bob Murray Health Scholarship awards £1,000 in cash to support first-year undergraduate psychology students who meet at least one of the widening participation priority awarding criteria outlined in section three.

There are five scholarships available.

By applying for this scholarship, you agree to participate in PR/marketing activities if awarded.

Who is eligible?

1. You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay, and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive.

Isle of Man and the Channel Islands students are eligible.

Students applying for an eligible top-up course aren't eligible.

International students aren't eligible.

2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol onto and study an eligible course

You must be a first-year student applying to commence your studies in autumn 2027.

You must enrol on an eligible course and study 120 credits in each academic year, which is equivalent to full-time study.

You must successfully enrol onto one of the following eligible full-time courses:

• BSc (Hons) Psychology
• BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling
• BSc (Hons) Clinical Psychology
• BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology.

3. You must meet at least one of the widening participation priority awarding criteria

When awarding this scholarship, priority will be given to applicants from the following groups:

• Students with an annual household income of £30,000 or less and live in a low participation neighbourhood (POLAR4 Quintile 1 (check your eligibility by postcode(opens in new tab))
• First person in your family to enter higher education (first-generation).

Please note, if we need to verify your household income as part of your bursary application, you must have undertaken a means-tested Student Loans Company (SLC) assessment. You must also agree to share your data with the University via the SLC. The University will liaise with the SLC to verify household income.

How to apply

Applications open in February 2027. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 31 August 2027. Once the deadline has passed, we're not permitted to accept any further applications.

You can apply via your myApplication(opens in new tab) account.

Your username is your student number, which can be found on all correspondence you have received from the University.

Please note that applying doesn't guarantee you'll be awarded this scholarship.

All applications that meet the criteria will be shortlisted for consideration by the Awarding Committee.

When and how you'll receive your award

Once scholarships have been allocated, you'll be notified via email of your provisional award.

You'll receive one cash payment of £1,000 on Monday 7 February 2028.

The scholarship payment will be paid via bank transfer into your UK bank account via the University’s Development Trust.

Additional information

If you've not registered on your course within three weeks of the course start date, or provided sufficient evidence of eligibility, the scholarship will be withdrawn and offered to another eligible student.

Once provisional awards are made, we'll contact you via registered contact details. If you don't respond or don't supply us with the required information by February 2028, the scholarship provisional award will be withdrawn.

If you withdraw from your course before receiving a scholarship payment, the award will be withdrawn.

If you transfer to a course not listed above, you won't be eligible for this scholarship.

If you repeat year one of the same course, the award will not be paid in the repeated year.

The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the course team.

If you withdraw or transfer to a non-eligible course in the same academic year after receiving your scholarship payment, you'll be required to return the funding to the University’s Development Trust.

If you're in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you won't receive payment until the debt has been cleared.

All payments will be made into your UK bank account. It's your responsibility to enter your bank details and ensure these are kept up to date.

Income assessed applications will be based on the Student Loans Company’s definition and assessment of household income. Your declared household income will be checked and verified.

As part of the admissions process, the University will verify various aspects of a UCAS or direct application to determine that you should be classed as ‘Home’. The following criteria will be verified:

• Declared nationality
• Country of birth
• Area of permanent residence
• Date of entry into the UK (if applicable)
• Location of previous education provider.

Funding is provided by the University’s Development Trust, registered charity 1041658.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these guidance notes are correct at the time of writing. They're intended to act as an information source only, and in no way should they be considered legally binding or guarantee an award.

The University will not be deemed to be in breach of any legal or contractual obligations due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond the reasonable control of the University. It should therefore be noted that these guidance notes are regularly reviewed and are naturally subject to change, sometimes without notice. The University’s decision is final.

Appendix

Use this information to determine what evidence will be required as proof of priority group.

You're the first person in your family to enter higher education

During the enrolment process, the University will verify ‘first generation’ evidence.

You have an annual household income of less than £30,000

If you're a ‘Home’ student who has applied for means-tested loans and grants from the Student Loans Company (SLC), the University will liaise with the SLC to verify your household income.

You reside in a low-participation neighbourhood (POLAR4: Quantiles 1)

This refers to geographic areas where the number of 18 and 19-year-olds participating in higher education is less than two-thirds of the UK average rate. Check your eligibility by postcode(opens in new tab).

During the enrolment process, the University will verify this based on your postcode. This will be based on your address at the time of applying to the University.