Cowrie Foundation Scholarship 2024

Scholarship award

The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation (CSF) wants to fund 100 Black British students through UK universities in the next decade. More information on the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation can be found online.

Visit the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation website

For one home fee-paying undergraduate student, the scholarship will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend of up to £8,000 for each year of study, subject to satisfactory progression.  

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Eligibility

To be eligible for the scholarship, you are required to meet the criteria below:

• You identify as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups:
  • Black or Black British - Caribbean
  • Black or Black British - African
  • Mixed - White and Black Caribbean
  • Mixed - White and Black African
  • Other Black background
• You will be studying your first full-time undergraduate degree.
• You must be ordinarily resident in the UK and assessed as eligible to pay the home rate of fees.
• You have a household income of £25,000 or less (per year) and will be in receipt of the maximum student maintenance loan. You will be required to provide evidence of your application to Student Finance England or an equivalent UK funding agency (Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland, or Student Awards Agency Scotland).
• You must have received an offer to study a full-time undergraduate course at the University of Sheffield starting in September 2024. 
• If successful in your application, you must have made the University of Sheffield your firm choice before 4.00pm on Thursday 6 June 2024.

Please refer to the terms and conditions for further information.

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How to apply

In your application, you will need to provide some personal details. This will include answering some questions about yourself, your studies, and the scholarship. 

You will need to consider the following:

• Why would the scholarship be beneficial to your studies?
• How would the scholarship help you to achieve your goals?
• How would your education be of future benefit to your community and/or society?
• What achievements, academically and personally, are you most proud of?

Your answers will then be sent to a panel of senior University staff, who will assess all eligible applications. Representatives from the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation will also view students’ applications as part of the selection process.

You will also need to provide evidence of your application to Student Finance England or an equivalent UK funding agency (Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland, or Student Awards Agency Scotland).

We may also look at where you live and other measures of educational challenges, often referred to as ‘socio-economic metrics’. 

Access Sheffield

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Terms and conditions

• Students studying undergraduate courses with foundation years may be considered on a case by case basis. 
• Years in industry will not be covered by the scholarship award.
• Students will be required to confirm that this is their first undergraduate degree programme and that they have not started a degree programme.
• Students should check they meet the eligibility criteria carefully before they make an application. Awards may be withdrawn if we become aware that successful applicants have not met the eligibility criteria or have provided false information.
• Representatives from the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation will view students’ applications as part of the selection process.
• UCAS references (personal and supporting statements) may be used as part of the selection process.
• Any award is conditional upon the successful candidate providing evidence that their household income has been assessed as £25,000 or under by Student Finance England or an equivalent UK funding agency (Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland, or Student Awards Agency Scotland) and confirmation that they will be in receipt of the maximum student maintenance loan.
• The successful candidate will be expected to engage with the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation’s mentoring programme. The bespoke programme, delivered by With Insight Education, will place the successful candidate with at least one mentor (usually two), with regular catch-ups/meetings over the course of the academic year. This will typically be three times a year, predominantly online, with an opportunity to meet face-to-face once a year; all costs will be covered for face-to-face meetings. More information about training and expectations will be outlined in the autumn when the degree commences.
• The maintenance stipend will be paid in four instalments each year. Dates of payment will be confirmed prior to registering on your course.
• The maximum maintenance stipend available from the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation is £8,000. Where applicable, if a student is eligible for any funding from the University of Sheffield, such as the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme, the maintenance stipend from the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation will be reduced so that the funding the student receives amounts to £8,000 in total. For example, if the candidate receives a £1,000 bursary from the University of Sheffield, the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation will award £7,000 - the total maintenance award is £8,000.
• Any award is conditional until after receipt of A-level results.
• Full terms and conditions will be shared with the scholarship recipient when confirming the award post A-level results day.

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