Overview
Funded from a philanthropic donation via the University of Sunderland’s Development and Alumni 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' 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.
EU students with a UK Settled Status at the time of application are eligible.
International students are not eligible.
You must be a first-year student applying to start your studies in autumn 2026.
2. You must apply for and meet the conditions of your offer, then successfully enrol on and study an eligible course
You must successfully enrol on one of the following eligible full-time courses in autumn 2026:
- 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 below
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 who live in a low participation neighbourhood (POLAR4 Quintile 1)
- 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 2026. The deadline for applications is Monday, 31 August 2026. Once the deadline has passed, we are not permitted to accept any further applications.
You can apply via your myApplication account.
Your username is your student number, which can be found on all correspondence you have received from the University. If you are unsure of your student number, please contact Student Administration at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk.
Please note that applying does not guarantee you will be awarded this scholarship.
All applications that meet the criteria will be shortlisted for consideration by the Awarding Committee.
When and how will you receive your award?
Once scholarships have been allocated, you will be notified via email of your provisional award.
You will receive one payment of £1,000 cash on Friday, 5 February 2027.
The scholarship payment will be paid via bank transfer into your UK bank account via the University’s Development Trust.
Additional information
If you have 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, the Development and Alumni team will contact you via registered contact details. If you do not respond or do not supply us with the required information by February 2027, 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 will not be eligible for this scholarship.
The award is conditional on you maintaining satisfactory engagement and making academic progress on your course in the reasonable opinion of the Programme Team.
The University agrees to pay you, the student, all awards and payments that are due to you whilst you are on your course of study.
If you repeat year one of the same course, the award will not be paid in the repeated year.
If you withdraw or transfer to a non-eligible course in the same academic year after receiving your scholarship payment, you will be required to return the funding to the donor.
If you are in debt to the University to the value of £50 or more, you will not receive payment until the debt has been cleared.
All payments will be made into your UK bank account. It is 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 are 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 the information below to determine what evidence will be required as proof of priority group.
You are the first person in your family to enter higher education (first-generation)
During the enrolment process, the University will verify ‘first generation’ evidence.
You have an annual household income of less than £30,000
If you are 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 on the OfS website.
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.
Published: 18 June 2025