Christ’s will provide additional bursary support for Northern Irish and Scottish students to top up their financial support to the same level as English students.
Each home nation in the UK has a different local financial support system. The amount a student receives through government student loans depends on their home address rather than the location of the university they attend. Scottish and Northern Irish students currently receive less than their English counterparts.
Research by Cambridge Admissions Office suggests that Northern Ireland has the lowest observed applications to Oxbridge, relative to levels of attainment, of any A-level taking region in the UK.
Scotland also yields fewer applicants and entrants than might be expected.
It is likely that financial considerations play a significant part in the choice of Higher Education institution by students from these countries.
To address under-representation by students from these nations, Council has approved top-up bursaries for Scottish and Northern Irish students who are eligible for the university-wide Cambridge Bursary Scheme, enabling them to access maintenance support at the same level as English students studying at Cambridge.
The Cambridge Bursary Scheme already supplements the government student loans with non-repayable bursaries of up to £3,500 to students with Home fee status and a residual household income of up to £62,215 a year, as well as an additional £1000 a year for those eligible for free school meals.
Full details are available on the Cambridge Bursary Scheme website.
Beginning in the next academic year, Christ’s Northern Irish and Scottish students who qualify for the Cambridge Bursary will be entitled to the additional top-up bursary provided by Christ’s College until and unless the student loan support offered by their home governments reaches the level offered in England.
Senior Tutor, Dr Tom Monie said:
“The top-up bursary redresses the financial inequality experienced by students from Northern Ireland and Scotland and we hope that, as a result, many more will be encouraged to consider applying to Christ’s College.”