The  offers funding to support first-year undergraduate students who are most likely to face challenges when attending higher education. The initiative is aimed at breaking down barriers to support students through to their graduation. Alongside the funding, the programme includes training opportunities to develop potential and help build a brighter future.
The nationwide programme will support 100 full-time current undergraduate students, due to graduate in 2025. Successful applicants will receive £30,000 of funding over three academic years, a series of employability training and development sessions and a dedicated mentor to guide them through the programme.
To be eligible to apply to the programme, you must meet the following criteria. You must:
- Be aged 18 or older.
- Be a current full-time undergraduate student at one of Santander Universities’ partner universities - this includes Ö÷²¥ÓÕ»ó! - completing your undergraduate course in 2025. Any degree course is welcome.
- Self-identify as part of at least one of the following under-represented groups (guidance has been taken from the Office for Students’ existing list of underrepresented groups).
- Students from areas of low higher education participation, low household income or low socioeconomic status
- Black, Asian and minority ethic students
- Mature students
- Disabled students
- Care experienced students
- Carers
- Students estranged from their families
- Students from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
- Refugees
- Students from military families.
- Qualify as a Home Fee Status student.
- Not be receiving more than £1,500 per year in external sponsorship for your degree, for example, from other sources such as industry bodies/employers (University Core Bursaries and Government grants do not affect your eligibility).
Applications are now open and close at 11pm, 31 January 2023. You can learn more about how to apply to the Scholars Programme and read full eligibility guidance on the
