Grants of up to £1,600 a year are available to help young people from low-income families go to university, through a programme from Wiltshire Community Foundation.
Their University Bursary programme awards £1,600 for each academic year of their degree to students under the age of 25, to help reduce the gap between the maximum student loan available and what their families can afford to support them.
The grants can be put towards general living expenses, course costs, travel, and for books and equipment. People aged 24 and under who live in Wiltshire or Swindon and they or their parents/guardians are receiving two elements of Universal credit are eligible to apply.
The programme has been running since 2008 and last year awarded £348,000 in grants to 68 young people from across Wiltshire and Swindon. Grant recipients have reported that these grants make a real difference as they ease financial worries allowing those supported to focus on their studies. In some cases, they have been the difference between a young person going onto university or not.
According to the National Student Accommodation Survey 2024, the average monthly rent for students is £550, with those living in university accommodation paying on average £596 a month. Similarly, the Sutton Trust Cost of Living survey, conducted in January 2023, reported that 33% of students from a lower socio-economic background reported skipping meals.
Kathryn Gadd, a recipient of our University Bursaries, studied a higher national diploma of Film and TV at New College Swindon. She said: “It has helped massively, to be honest because I don’t have a car, I don’t have a driver’s licence, a moped, anything! So, I have to rely on buses which can get really expensive. Although I did receive some money from student loans to cover course fees, my job didn’t pay enough for me to consistently be able to travel to and from the college and get to the different places that I needed to.
“The process was really simple, it was easy to apply, and then once you put through your documents, the communication between me and one of the members at Wiltshire Community Foundation was really good, whatever I didn’t give or forgot to give they let me know.
“The grant has made a complete difference to me; I wouldn’t have been able to attend higher education otherwise. Knowing that I could have that support at the start made me motivated to actually go in and try.”
Wiltshire Community Foundation Grants Manager Nicola Hillier said: “We are so proud of our University Bursary programme, as it allows us to make a difference to so many young people’s lives in our community every year.
“It is absolutely heartbreaking that so many young people miss out on the chance to go to higher education and fulfil their dreams, through situations out of their control. These grants are here for them to be able to access these opportunities that were previously just out of reach.
“In our latest round, we had a success rate for applicants being awarded grants of 84.5%, and usually average between 80% and 90%, so we encourage all those who are eligible to apply. We are here to support with the application every step of the way.”
You can register your interest for the University Bursary programme for academic year 2025/26 now
at wiltshirecf.org.uk/grants-and-support/individuals.
