Bursaries and Scholarships

Automatic Scholarships || Undergraduate Programmes | Postgraduate Programmes

Funded Scholarships || Non-programme specific | Programme scholarships

Scholarship application form

About our Scholarships and Bursaries

We welcome all students at The University of Buckingham regardless of their financial circumstances. We have bursaries and scholarships available for both home and international students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and these are awarded based on location, merit or financial need.

Who can apply for a Scholarship?

All awards are subject to your meeting the University’s academic entry requirements and abiding by the University’s rules and regulations. To be eligible for this scholarship you will need to have been offered a place to study at Buckingham. In the case of UCAS applications, if you are made an award you will need to select Buckingham as your firm acceptance choice.

All awards are made to new students enrolling in September 2023 or January 2024 only unless stated otherwise. Current Buckingham students are not eligible to apply retrospectively.

When determining your eligibility for a scholarship or bursary we will consider your academic record. If your qualifications have been gained outside of the UK will we use the UK ENIC (National Agency for Information and Skills) to determine their equivalency with UK awards.

Applying for a competitive scholarship or bursary does not guarantee that you will be awarded one and the University’s decision is final.

Application open and deadline dates

See application open and deadline dates for Funded Scholarships and Bursaries

How do I apply for a Scholarship?

All Automatic Scholarships are awarded automatically subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

To apply for a Funded Scholarship you must complete the scholarship application form.

You should make an application to study at the University and receive an offer letter confirming your acceptance of your application before applying for a scholarship or bursary.

Automatic Scholarships

We have a range of scholarships and if you meet the eligibility criteria required will be applied automatically.

These are valid up to and including July 2024 and may be subject to change thereafter.

Undergraduate Programmes

High Achiever Scholarship

An automatic entry scholarship, worth £2,000, is available to undergraduate Home Fee status students (UK students and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland), achieving AAB or above (or equivalent) in their A-Levels. The scholarship is dependent on you making Buckingham your firm UCAS choice, or making a firm acceptance of a direct offer of a place. This scholarship is not available for Medicine students.

High Achiever Scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

International Undergraduate High Achiever Scholarship

This scholarship is for a £2,500 fee reduction, paid in four termly instalments throughout your first year of study. To be eligible you must study an undergraduate degree* with us and have achieved the equivalent of AAB at A level in your local qualifications.

*Cannot be combined with any other scholarship. Not applicable for the University’s MB ChB or courses based on Crewe Campus.

The University of Buckingham Bursary

The University of Buckingham Bursary aims to support students from low income backgrounds. The bursary is worth £2000 per year of a two-year undergraduate degree and students receive this as a termly reduction in tuition fees (up to £500 reduction per term).

Students on a three-year undergraduate degree will be eligible for a maximum of £4,000 over the duration of the degree programme.

Eligible Medical School students will receive the bursary for the first two years of their 4.5 year degree.

To be eligible, you must be:

  • a full-time, UK undergraduate student
  • in receipt of a maintenance loan of £7,500 or more

Students who are on a Foundation Year (which is up to four terms of study) will qualify for £1,500 for that year (up to £500 per term). Students will then qualify for £2,000 per year for the rest of the degree up to a maximum of £4,000, subject to satisfactory progression.

The Bursary is not available for students on a placement year.

The University of Buckingham Bursary is awarded each year subject to satisfactory progression into the next year of study.

The Buckingham Bursary is able to be awarded alongside the High Achiever Scholarship to eligible students.

Postgraduate Programmes

Postgraduate First-Class Scholarship

A postgraduate scholarship is available to home and international students holding a First Class Bachelor’s Honours degree from the UK or the equivalent level of qualification from other countries. It will be automatically awarded to applicants of postgraduate degrees including Masters by Research and PhD programmes*. The scholarship will reduce tuition fees by 33%.

*Not available for Lean Leadership, School of Education courses, Postgraduate Certificates or Diplomas.

Buckingham Postgraduate Discount

Graduates from The University of Buckingham who receive an offer to study a postgraduate degree at the University are eligible for the following discount on tuition fees.

  • 33% for obtaining a First Class degree*
  • 25% for obtaining a 2:1*

Postgraduates who have completed a University of Buckingham Masters degree are eligible for the following discount on tuition fees for a Buckingham PhD programme.

  • 33% for obtaining a Distinction*
  • 25% for obtaining a  Merit*

*not all postgraduate courses are eligible for these discounts.

Funded Scholarships

Further funded scholarships and bursaries may be awarded across all schools of study, and represent a partial remission from tuition fees. Awards will be conditional upon satisfactory progress at each stage of study.

Funded scholarships are in recognition of academic achievement and applications are invited from those with a strong academic background and who are predicted to do well in their examinations. Bursaries are means-tested and are intended for those who need a contribution towards their fees in order to study at Buckingham. Please select a scholarship or bursary on your application.

These scholarships and bursaries are made available thanks to the donations received from supporters of the University, including The Audrey Osborn Trust, The Headley Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Brunner Family Trust, RM and D Gregory, The Eranda Rothschild Foundation, The John Desborough Memorial Bequest, The Lillingstone Trust, The Leche Trust and Sheikh / Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship.

Non-subject Specific Scholarships

Undergraduate

Sheikh / Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship

In partnership with Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, this scholarship is for exceptional students from Arabic countries pursuing higher education in the UK. It offers one £40,000 award towards tuition fees for a full-time undergraduate degree in any subject starting in September 2025.

Sheikh / Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Swains Scholarship

In 2020 Ronald Swains of High Wycombe left a legacy bequest to The University of Buckingham. He wished to establish a permanent endowment in his name to fund a scholarship in perpetuity. In memory of Ronald Swains, we are pleased to offer the Swains Scholarship of up to £2,500 per year for any undergraduate degree course. To apply you must be a resident of Buckinghamshire or Milton Keynes and be able to demonstrate financial need.

Scholarship conditions

  • It must be awarded to Buckinghamshire residents only (including Milton Keynes),
  • It can be awarded to an undergraduate degree in any subject,
  • Applicants should demonstrate a ‘financial need’,
  • It can be one lump sum per year or divided into several smaller awards as the Scholarship and Bursaries committee see fit.

Swains Scholarships details and eligibility criteria.

Postgraduate

Ondaatje Scholarship

In 2003 Sir Christopher Ondaatje kindly gave a very generous donation to the University to fund one-year scholarships for Buckingham graduates or for graduates undertaking postgraduate studies at Buckingham, and for Buckingham students attending Massey College, University of Toronto, to undertake postgraduate studies there. Students who obtain a Master’s degree are then eligible to apply to have their PhD studies funded by the University of Toronto.

The scholarships are worth up to £4,000 each towards the tuition fees for one year’s postgraduate study. Each scholarship is awarded on merit and is open to competition.

Ondaatje Scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Snowdon Masters Scholarships

Snowdon Trust provides grants to physically disabled and sensory impaired students studying in the UK.

The Snowdon Masters Scholarships have been designed to identify and accelerate talented disabled individuals through higher education.

Snowdon Masters Scholarships details and eligibility criteria.

Sheikh / Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship

In partnership with Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, this scholarship is for exceptional students from Arabic countries pursuing higher education in the UK. It offers one £20,000 award for a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject starting in September 2024.

Sheikh / Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Subject Specific Scholarships

Business

Gregory Scholarships

Scholarships for UK nationals of up to £4,000 are available for undergraduate programmes in Business.

Computing

Diversity in Computing Bursaries and Scholarships

The School of Computing of The University of Buckingham is committed to inspiring more young women to pursue careers in computing and IT. We are delighted to offer a £2,000 scholarship or a bursary to female, undergraduate Computing students.

The Lillingstone Trust Scholarship

In partnership with the Lillingstone Trust, The University of Buckingham is delighted to offer a £5,000 scholarship towards tuition fees for a two-year undergraduate degree in either Computing or Psychology. This scholarship is specifically for local students who otherwise could not afford a university education and for whom a place at The University of Buckingham will unlock life-changing opportunities.

Lillingstone Trust scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Gregory Scholarships

Scholarships for UK nationals of up to £4,000 are available for undergraduate programmes in Computing.

Economics

Coase Scholarships

The Coase Scholarships have a value of £11,000 for a two-year degree. When combined with a UK government student loan this means that you will be able to cover your chosen course tuition fees.

Coase Scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics Bursary

The PPE Bursary is worth £12,888*. Four are available each year. The bursary is open to the UK citizens with a household income of less than £25,000 per year or who can demonstrate an equivalent need. Any student accepted into the programme and meeting the criteria can apply. A committee will assess applications. For further details please contact the Programme Director Dr Paul Graham.

(*You may only accept one University award)

Beloff Scholarships

Two scholarships of £2,250 are available to students who show an interest in and passion for political economy applied to public policy and who join the programme in September. Candidates for the Beloff scholarships should apply before 15th July and explain in 800 words their plans following the end of the programme and their interest in applied political economy.

Beloff scholarship details and eligibility criteria

Education

The Faculty of Education awards a limited number of means-tested bursaries for all courses offered, with preference given to the QTS with PGCE, Independent PGCE and BA in Education.

Applicants should contact the Registrar: shonali.mathur@buckingham.ac.uk

English Literature

The Paul E. H. Davis Scholarships support students beginning their undergraduate or postgraduate English Literature programmes in September 2024.

These scholarships include one for the 2-year BA (Hons) English Literature programme, and one for our MA in English Literature by Research.

Paul E.H. Davis Scholarships details and eligibility

Humanities and Social Sciences

Gregory Scholarships

Scholarships for UK nationals of up to £4,000 are available for undergraduate programmes in Humanities and Social Sciences.

Leche Trust Bursary

Applications are invited for a partial studentship on the Buckingham University MA in Decorative Arts and Historic Interiors starting September 2023. Generously funded by the Leche Trust, the bursary, worth £7500, will cover almost 60% of the full-time course fees for UK students and just under 40% of the fees for international students.

To be eligible for the bursary, students will need to have applied for and been offered a place on the course.

Leche Trust Bursary details and eligibility criteria.

Medicine

The Lillingstone Trust Scholarship

In partnership with the Lillingstone Trust, The University of Buckingham is delighted to offer a £5,000 scholarship towards tuition fees for a MB ChB degree starting in January 2024. This scholarship is specifically for local students who otherwise could not afford a university education and for whom a place at The University of Buckingham will unlock life-changing opportunities.

Lillingstone Trust scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Psychology

Gregory Scholarships

Scholarships for UK nationals of up to £4,000 are available for undergraduate programmes in Psychology.

The Lillingstone Trust Scholarship

In partnership with the Lillingstone Trust, The University of Buckingham is delighted to offer a £5,000 scholarship towards tuition fees for a two-year undergraduate degree in either Computing or Psychology. This scholarship is specifically for local students who otherwise could not afford a university education and for whom a place at The University of Buckingham will unlock life-changing opportunities.

Lillingstone Trust scholarship details and eligibility criteria.

Apply for Funded Scholarships and Bursaries

Complete the scholarship application form for all scholarships, other than those that will be applied automatically.

Applications should only be completed before the closing deadline listed below.

For courses commencing: September 2024

Application deadline: 21 June 2024

Application form