Care Leaver Bursary & Estranged Student Bursary Terms and Conditions 2026/2027

The Care Leaver & Estranged Student Bursary is a cash award only available to eligible students beginning a full-time Undergraduate course, MBBS in Medicine or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at Brunel University of London and the Brunel Pathway College (BPC) in September 2026.

Undergraduate: The bursary will only be paid once for each eligible level of study, for a maximum of three years for a full time undergraduate degree, four years for a Foundation or Integrated Masters course and five years if taking a foundation and integrated Master’s course or MBBS programme, subject to meeting progression requirements (additional payments will not be made during a repeating year, regardless of the reason for repetition). The bursary is not payable in the Placement year.

PGCE: The bursary will only be paid once for one year (additional payments will not be made during a repeating year, regardless of the reason for repetition).

Value: £2,000 cash payment.

How many: A limited number of bursaries are available. The number of awards will be monitored and adapted as appropriate.

Funding for the bursary is limited, priority in awarding will be given to applicants with verified Care Leaver or Estranged Student status. Applicants should note bursary awards are not guaranteed, and not all eligible applicants may receive a bursary. More information can be found in section 2 of these terms and conditions.

Application process: Applicants must complete an ‘expression of interest’ application form to be considered.

The application deadline is midnight on Sunday 13 September 2026. Late applications will not be considered.

All applicants with Care Leaver or Estranged Student status must apply for the bursary to be considered. The University will initially verify status through the Student Loans Company (SLC) application and Higher Education Portal (HEP) database. Where status cannot be verified through the SLC, the Student Services Team will request supporting evidence from the applicant.

Applicants who do not apply for the bursary or whose Care Leaver or Estranged Student status cannot be verified through the SLC or supporting evidence will not be considered for an award. Verification must be completed before any award can be confirmed.

Care Leaver and Estranged Student status verification will be completed by 30 September 2026.

Bursary awards will be made by the Scholarship Allocation Panel in October.

Bursary holders may be requested to represent Brunel at various promotional activities throughout their time at the University. Participation is not mandatory and bursary holders may be contacted with invitations to participate in activities such as surveys, focus groups, and interviews in order to evaluate the University’s financial support package. Bursary holders will be contacted as and when participation is required. If a student chooses not to participate, their bursary award will not be affected.

Data pertaining to bursary holders such as: progression rates, degree attainment, degree completion, and graduate outcomes may also be analysed in order to understand the effectiveness of bursaries and scholarships. This data may also be linked to other data already held by the University for the purpose of better understanding the impact of bursaries and scholarships on under-represented groups. To learn more about how the University uses data to support its commitment to delivering positive outcomes to students from under-represented groups please visit our webpage.

The bursary will be awarded to those applicants who meet all the following eligibility criteria:

• Complete the Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursary application form
• Must be a verified Care Leaver or Estranged Student and have provided evidence of status
• Must be aged 25 or under
• Must hold an offer of a place on either:

- a full time Undergraduate course (including placement routes and undergraduate integrated Master’s programmes).

OR

- a full time Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course.

This includes offers made through UCAS Clearing.

• Offer must be for either the foundation year, FHEQ Level 4 (Year 1) of the course or PGCE, starting in September.
• Offer must be ‘Unconditional Firm’ (UF) by the date the Scholarship Allocation Panel make their awards in October (i.e. applicant must have met all offer conditions and firmly accepted the place).
• Must commence the course in the upcoming academic year (applicants for deferred entry will be considered for a bursary in the year they start their course and not in the year of their course application).
• Must be classed as Home for fees purposes based on the UK government regulations, this includes those applicants that have EU settled status and are classed as Home fee payers. Applicants who are unsure of their fee status should note Brunel uses the information they have provided in their application form to assess fee status against regulations set by the UK government. For information on these regulations please visit the independent organisation UKCISA’s website.

Bursaries will be awarded to those who meet the eligibility criteria at the time of allocation.

Applicants should note bursary awards are not guaranteed. If there are more eligible applicants than awards available, the University Scholarship Allocation Panel will determine how many awards can be made and to whom. It may transpire that not all eligible applicants may receive a bursary. Where the number of applicants who meet the criteria exceeds the number of bursaries available, the University will use a system of scoring based on need. The number of points scored from this criteria will be taken into consideration (as detailed in section 3 below).

a. Those not eligible for this Bursary

• Applicants classed as Overseas or Channel Islands/Isle of Man for fee purposes (based on the UK government regulations), or with an unresolved fee status.
• Students undertaking any other kind of Postgraduate Taught or Postgraduate Research study. with the exception of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
• Applicants entering a course with the Brunel Language Centre (BLC).
• Applicants who will not commence their course in the upcoming academic year - applicants holding offers for deferred entry will be considered for a bursary in the year they start their course and not in the year of their course application.
• Students entering any FHEQ Level other than the foundation year or FHEQ Level 4 (Year 1).

b. Eligibility Definitions

c. Proof of Eligibility

All applicants must provide evidence of their Care Leaver or Estranged Student status through the Student Loans Company (SLC). The University will contact all students who have expressed an interest in being considered for the bursary. Where further information is needed, applicants will be asked to provide confirmation of their Care Leaver or Estranged Student status.

The University will also carry out a simple financial needs assessment. Applicants will be asked to provide supporting evidence, and details of the required documentation will be sent to those who submit an application.

• Where the applicant has applied for a Tuition fee loan from the SLC and confirmed their Care Leaver or Estranged Student status in their application, Brunel’s Student Support Team will access this information in order to verify status and eligibility for the Bursary.
• If an applicant has not provided evidence of status to the SLC, this will be requested by the Student Support Team. Applicants will be required to provide evidence by a given deadline.
• The Student Support Team will verify evidence of care leaver or Estranged Student status as applicants apply and provide the necessary evidence.
• If an applicant does not want Brunel to access this information they should contact the SLC and opt out. This will mean that eligibility for the Bursary cannot be assessed, and the applicant will be required to provide evidence in order to be considered.
• The deadline to provide evidence to Brunel for verification is 30 September 2026. If evidence is not supplied, the student will not be considered for the bursary.
• Proof of Care Leaver status is required in the form of written documentation from the student’s local authority (corporate parent). If proof of status cannot be verified via the SLC, Brunel will request this documentation and it will be required before the bursary can be awarded.
• Proof of Estranged status is required in the form of written documentation from the SLC verifying independent student status and will be required before the bursary can be awarded. If proof of status cannot be verified via the SLC, Brunel will request this documentation and it will be required before the bursary can be awarded.
• For students who are awarded an Estranged Student Bursary based on estrangement in a previous academic year, the University will check the records received from the Student Loans Company in order to confirm the student continues to have no sponsors, before generating any future entitlement. If necessary, the University will contact the student prior to generating any award to clarify whether the estrangement is ongoing or if they have been reconciled with parents/sponsors.

3.1 Eligibility criteria are reviewed annually.

3.2 Where the number of students who meet the criteria exceeds the number of bursaries available, the number of points scored from the eligibility criteria and financial needs assessment will be taken into consideration.

3.3 Applicants are considered for bursaries in mid-October of their first year of study using the information provided as detailed in section 1. Registered students will not be reconsidered should their circumstances change during the course of their studies. Registered students are not eligible for the bursary.

Students with care experience or estranged student status that require support should contact the Student Support Team by emailing studentsupport@brunel.ac.uk or by visiting the Student Hub.

3.4 The University cannot make late awards after the Panel meet in mid-October. Once Bursary funding is depleted no further awards will be made irrespective of the eligibility criteria.

3.5 Students are considered for bursaries using the information provided at the time of their application only and cannot be reconsidered should their circumstances change during the course of their studies. Bursaries are not backdated and awards are not guaranteed.

3.6 Only one scholarship/bursary can be paid to any one student in any one year. If an applicant is eligible for more than one scholarship/bursary, they will be awarded the one which will be the most financially beneficial across the full course duration.

3.7 Successful applicants will be informed by email shortly after allocation in late October. Evidence of status is required before allocation, see section 2c. of these terms and conditions.

3.8 Bursaries are awarded for the current academic year only and cannot be deferred. Applicants who choose to defer their studies will forfeit any awards they have been made but will be considered again in the year they will begin their studies.

3.9 The decision of the Scholarship Allocation Panel is final. The University will not accept any appeals in respect of the decisions made by the Panel.

4.1 The bursary will be paid in three instalments in each year of a full time course and will not be paid during the placement year of an FSK or FSN sandwich course.

4.2 Successfully awarded students will be asked to supply relevant UK bank account details to support receipt of the cash payments by the date specified in the award email.

4.3 Payment dates

For cash bursary awards, payment will be made as follows:

• 1^st Payment – 11 December 2026
• 2^nd Payment – 26 February 2027
• 3^rd Payment – 14 May 2027

4.4 Conditions of Payment:

• Payments will only be made providing the student is enrolled at the University on an undergraduate degree, MBBS or PGCE programme and has provided the University with evidence of Care Leaver or Estranged student status by the deadline specified.
• Payment in subsequent years will only be made providing the student progresses to the next level of study [bursary payments will not be made during a repeating year until the student has satisfactorily progressed to the next level, excluding PGCE].

N.B. Payments will be made directly to a UK bank account in their own name and therefore students are required to supply accurate bank account details via their eVision account within the requested time. Failure to provide current valid UK Bank account details will result in delayed payment.

4.5 Where a bursary award spans more than one year, students will be written to in September to confirm ongoing eligibility to receive their bursary award.

5.1 Misleading information: The University reserves the right to withdraw a bursary from anyone who is found to have misled the University about any aspect of their eligibility and to seek repayment of any monies already paid by appropriate means.

5.2 Mode of Attendance Change: If a student changes to a different mode of study, their eligibility for a bursary will be reviewed.

5.3 Changing course and starting again at Foundation or FHEQ Level 4 (Year 1) – Undergraduate study only: Students who commence their studies and subsequently make an alteration that involves starting again at Foundation year or Level 4 will not be eligible for a new award against the new course. The existing bursary will be placed on hold and reinstated once the student commences Level 5 subject to meeting the annual bursary progression criteria outlined in Section 4. If a student changes course but remains at the same level of study, this will not have an impact on the award.

5.4 Changing course – PGCE: If a student transfers to a course of study outside of the PGCE in Education the bursary will be withdrawn.

5.5 Abeyance/Temporary Withdrawal: A student who takes a period of temporary withdrawal (abeyance) and who is in receipt of a bursary award would cease to receive bursary payments whilst temporarily withdrawn. Bursary payments made prior to temporarily withdrawing will not generally be requested to be repaid and remaining payments will generally be paid once the student returns to complete that level of study.

5.6 Suspension of Study: Should a student be suspended for any reason, bursary payments will be withdrawn and consideration of reinstatement will be dependent on the disciplinary outcome.

5.7 Repeat/Extended Study: Periods of temporary withdrawal that result in repeat or extended periods of study are not supported by additional bursary payments. Bursary entitlement is for the maximum duration of each award and entitlement is not extended if overall course duration alters.

5.8 Withdrawal from Study: A student who withdraws from their programme prior to completion and who is in receipt of a bursary award will not normally be requested to repay bursary payments made up to the point of withdrawal. However, entitlement to all future bursary payments cease immediately when a student withdraws from Brunel University London.

Any queries relating to these terms and conditions should be addressed to the Admissions Office by emailing: scholarships@brunel.ac.uk

Updated 18 August 2026.