Cowrie scholarship

For 2026 entry, we have two scholarships available. If you are successful, you will:

• have your tuition fees paid for throughout your degree, excluding any intercalation, study abroad or industrial placement years
• receive an annual maintenance bursary of £8,000, which will be paid in two instalments in October and February.
• gain access to two mentors:
  • a peer mentor
  • a professional mentor (working in a professional environment).

You’ll meet with your mentors on a monthly basis, gaining knowledge and skills to support you in successfully progressing through your course and into your chosen career.

Continued receipt of the scholarship year-on-year is dependent on satisfactory academic engagement and progression. You must provide an annual progress report from your personal tutor.

To apply, you must meet all of the following:

• be a prospective Home (UK) student, eligible for Home fee status
• be resident in the United Kingdom
• 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  
• have submitted an application to your regional student funding authority (Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland). 
  
  • Your regional student funding authority must have completed a full household income assessment.
  • You must have consented to share your student finance information with the University.
• have a household income of £35,000 per annum or less, as assessed by your regional student funding authority.
• have an offer (or be awaiting a decision) to start an undergraduate programme at the University of Bristol in 2026/27.
• be in full-time study (part-time students are not eligible to apply).

Apply using the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation application form.

The closing date for applications is 11.59 pm (UK time) on Wednesday 20 May 2026.

We will prioritise applications based on:

• free school meal status
• care leaver status
• disability status
• estranged student status
• first generation to attend Higher Education status
• Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) status based on your home postcode
• your personal statement

You must provide evidence of relevant criteria that you meet, so make sure that you have documentation to verify this.

If you are successful, you will be sent an offer letter via email. Scholarships will only be awarded when:

• you have accepted your scholarship offer.
• you have successfully enrolled at the University
  and
• your household income has been assessed and confirmed as under £35,000.

Email scholarships-bursaries@bristol.ac.uk if you have any questions about the criteria.

Terms and conditions

• If you receive any additional University funding (excluding hardship funds), the value of that funding will be deducted from the Cowrie maintenance bursary.
• If you suspend your studies, bursary payments will be paused for the duration of the suspension.
• If you repeat a year of study, you will not receive bursary payments during that repeated year. Payments will resume once you progress to the next study block.
• You must apply for a means‑tested government maintenance loan each year and be assessed as having a household income below £35,000 to remain eligible for the scholarship.
• We may use bursary payments to offset any outstanding debts owed by you (for example, accommodation fees), in line with University regulations.
• Recipients will be required to provide an annual progress report via their personal tutor.