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ACU Library
UK study (Awards: UK students)
Information on awards for study in the UK is included in numerous publications and websites. The following suggests possible sources for UK students who are (or are planning to) study in the UK. It is not, inevitably, comprehensive. It is in any case advisable for students to refer to a range of sources, both printed and electronic, for full and current details about available awards.
It should be noted that the Association of Commonwealth Universities does not have funds of its own from which it can offer scholarships either for undergraduate or postgraduate study. The ACU does, though, administer various scholarship schemes (such as those offered under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan). Since these, however, are for exchange between Commonwealth countries, they would not obviously be open to UK students wishing to continue studying in the UK.
Various sources of financial aid are available. These include grants/loans, research council award schemes, university bursaries, and grants provided by charities/trusts. Eligibility criteria and application procedures necessarily vary, most obviously in relation to subject and level. In all cases, however, students are encouraged to apply for possible awards as early as possible; although applications for a few grants may be considered at any time, deadlines for most awards are invariably well in advance (ie several months beforehand).
In the first instance, students should check with the university (or college) at which they are enrolled to check the availability of awards. Many universities include brief details of financial aid in their prospectuses. In addition they should be able to advise students based on practice from previous years. At undergraduate level this could relate to Government student support (e.g. loans); at postgraduate level the competition for scholarships through, for example, the research councils.
Information on (and eligibility requirements for) access funds, hardship loans or supplementary grants would also be available from the university itself. It is also advisable in any case to contact the student welfare services of the university, particularly as applications for some awards may need to be made through them.
Useful sources
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Government Student Support (undergraduate) / Research Council Awards (postgraduate)
Undergraduate:
Financial Support for Higher Education Students (DfES)
full details of this and related 'Higher Education Student Support Guides' available on the DFES website
Postgraduate:
(Guidelines/Booklets produced by the award-making body. Contact as appropriate to the planned subject of study)
Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB)
Postgraduate Awards Division, Lewins Mead, Bristol BS1 2AE
Tel: (0117) 987 6543;
www.ahrb.ac.uk
Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC)
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1UH
Tel: (01793) 413200;
www.bbsrc.ac.uk
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1UJ
Tel: (01793) 413000;
www.esrc.ac.uk
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
PTSS, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1ET
Tel: (01793) 444000;
www.epsrc.ac.uk
General Social Care Council (GSCC) in England
(Series of regional councils continuing work of former Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW), i.e Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC); Care Council for Wales (CCW); Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC))
www.gscc.org.uk/qualified.htm
Medical Research Council (MRC)
20 Park Crescent, London W1N 4AL
Tel: (020) 7636 5422;
www.mrc.ac.uk
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1EU
Tel: (01793) 411500;
www.nerc.ac.uk
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1SZ
Tel: (01793) 442000;
www.pparc.ac.uk
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University bursaries/scholarships
Check university websites/prospectuses/admission/financial aid handbooks. The university itself is obviously best placed to provide authoritative and current information on its own institutional scholarship schemes.
The ACU's directory of awards (International Awards 2001+ (published Dec 2000) lists a range of scholarship schemes. (This replaces the earlier separate ACU guides: Awards for First Degree Study at Commonwealth Universities and Awards for Postgraduate Study at Commonwealth Universities (both issued 1997/99).) Although these concentrate on awards available for students outside their own country, a number of open awards listed - in the UK section for example - are available to both UK and international applicants. Many are offered, and administered by, the universities themselves.
(Orders for International Awards 2001+ to Publications Sales at main ACU address as below: £40; £28 for international students.)
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Charities/Trusts
In many cases charities and trusts may be the most likely source of funding, particularly for occasional and supplementary grants. Full details of these are best checked in the various directories of awards that are usually available in academic and reference libraries.
(Addresses of publishers are included below for book-ordering purposes only; neither publisher is able to advise individual students on funding sources.)
Useful (priced) directories include:
A Guide To Grants For Individuals In Need
Directory Of Grant-Making Trusts (published by Directory of Social Change in assoc. with Charities Aid Foundation)
The Educational Grants Directory
The Grant-Making Trusts (issued as CD-ROM)
Published by: The Directory of Social Change, 24 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2DP
Tel: (020) 7209 5151; Fax: (020) 7209 5049;
www.dsc.org.uk
Sponsorship and Funding Directory
Springboard Student Services; CRAC (Careers Research & Advisory Centre), Sheraton House, Castle Park, Cambridge, CB3 0AX
Tel: (01223) 460277; Fax: (01223) 311708;
www.crac.org.uk
Useful web-based directory of awards:
Scholarship Search UK
Addresses/Websites
ACU (Association of Commonwealth Universities)
36 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PF
www.acu.ac.uk
CRAC/HOBSONS
www.crac.org.uk;
www.hobsons.co.uk
CSU (Higher Education Careers Services Unit) (UK)
Prospects House, Booth Street East, Manchester, England M13 9EP
www.prospects.csu.ac.uk
DfES (Department for Education and Skills)
Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT
www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport
ECCTIS 2000
Oriel House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Glos. GL50 1XP
www.ecctis.co.uk
EGAS (Educational Grants Advisory Service)
501-505 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London E8 4AU
written enquiries should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope
NUS (National Union of Students)
Welfare Unit, 461 Holloway Road, London N7 6LJ
www.nusonline.co.uk
SKILL: The National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
Chapter House, 18-20 Crucifix Lane, London SE3 3JW
www.skill.org.uk
UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)
Fulton House, Jessop Avenue, Cheltenham, Glos., GL50 3SH
www.ucas.com
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