WP Financial Support for Students

Access Bursary

Students must:

• have a residual family household income, as assessed by Student Finance NI or the Student Finance Services European Team, not greater than £19,203;
• be permanently resident in NI or the EU (excluding England, Scotland and Wales);
• be registered on a full-time undergraduate course of the University leading to a first degree, or a course leading to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

Note:  Students on the Nursing degree, all Allied Health degrees, and NI students on the Social Work degree are not eligible as additional government support is available for such students.

Full-time undergraduate students leaving care, or who have spent time in care for a period of three months, are eligible. Students are advised that when applying through UCAS that it is important they tick the box which asks if they have been in care.

For further information concerning the UCAS Tick the Box campaign, go to https://www.fostering.net/policy-and-campaigns/campaigns/tick-the-box#.VhwdAkaD4dU.

There are two elements to the Fund for International Travel: 1. University-approved placements to support international travel to enable students to take advantage of work experience opportunities associated with their studies; and 2.  University-arranged International visits to partner institutions. The award contributes to the set up costs for widening access students.

To be eligible, applicants must be a full-time undergraduate registered student at Ulster University, NI domiciled for a period of 3 years or more and must also meet at least one, usually more than one, of the following criteria:

• be in receipt of an Access Bursary;
• permanently reside (ie home address as recorded in Banner) in an area of high deprivation/low participation in higher education (applicants can check their deprivation rank by entering their postcode using a  postcode look up tool at https://deprivation.nisra.gov.uk/).  Ranks between 1 and 178 are considered Quinitle 1.  Ranks between 179 and 356 are considered Quintile 2;
• have undertaken secondary education at a state school with a free school meal entitlement rate of 40% or more (applicants can check their eligibility against this criteria on the Department for Education website, see https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/School%20level%20-%20post%20primary%20schools%20data%201819.XLS);
• be in receipt of benefits which may include: state income support, working tax credit or child tax credit;
• have declared to the University a background of care;
• have disclosed a disability to the University or be in receipt of disability living allowance/personal independence payments.

Up to £500

(£85k annually)

Applicants must be a Northern Ireland resident and also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• be unemployed;
• be aged 16-24 years old and not in education/employment/training (NEET);
• have an individual income of less than £16,190 gross;
• be in receipt of one of the following benefits: Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Disability Living Allowance (DLA/personal independence payments), or Carers Allowance;
• have been in care (fostering/adopted/care home or other supported residential care).

Fair Access, Participation and Success Sub Committee

Prof Brian Murphy, Director of Access, Digital and Distributed Learning

Dates

Draft

Approved (FAPSSC)

Amendment

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8th October 2018

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