Gittins Family Charitable Trust Bursary

The Gittins Family Charitable Trust Bursary, also known as the Gittins Bursary, will support students studying specific Nursing, Physiotherapy and Mechanical Engineering degree courses, who might otherwise find themselves in financial difficulty while studying at the University of Leicester. Applicants must be resident in the UK and commencing a full-time undergraduate degree from September 2026.

It has been made possible to award these bursaries thanks to the generous support of the Gittins Family Charitable Trust.

Award

Successful applicants will receive £1,500 per year for three years (Mechanical Engineering and Physiotherapy) or four years (Nursing).

If a recipient will be participating in a Year in Industry or Study Abroad year as part of their degree course, they can apply for an additional instalment of £1,500 to support them during the year away from campus. Mechanical Engineering students on a MEng programme may also apply for an additional instalment of £1,500 to support them during this additional year of study. Each application for an additional year of support will be approved and granted on a case-by-case basis.

Three awards each for Mechanical Engineering and Nursing students will be provided this year, as well as one award for Physiotherapy. The University reserves the right to redistribute this balance based on the number and quality of applications received.

Eligibility

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria to be considered for this bursary:

1. Hold an offer of admission to one of the following full-time undergraduate degree programmes at the University of Leicester, commencing study in September 2026:
   • Mechanical Engineering BEng
   • Mechanical Engineering MEng
   • Nursing with Leadership Single Field (Adult Nursing) MSci
   • Nursing with Leadership Dual Registration Mental Health and Adult MSci
   • Nursing with Leadership Dual Registration Mental Health and Child MSci
   • Physiotherapy BSc
2. Have been assessed for fee status as a 'Home' student
3. Have a household income below £40,000.

Award criteria

Applicants must give permission for the University to access necessary information to assess if they meet the required household income criterion. If the applicant has requested a student loan and/or maintenance grant through the Student Loans Company, household income information will be obtained from them. If the applicant has not requested a student loan and/or maintenance grant, they must produce alternative evidence of household income upon request. Failure to provide permission and/or necessary evidence of household income will mean an application cannot be progressed.

Priority will be given to applicants whose household income is verified as £30,000 or less. Consideration will also be given for applicants with a household income between £30,000 and £40,000 who are in challenging financial circumstances; for example, for an applicant with more than one immediate family member at university, as demonstrated in their personal statement.

Preference will be given to male applicants with an offer of admission to Nursing and female applicants with an offer of admission to Mechanical Engineering, where appropriate.

How to apply

Please check your eligibility before making an application. Awards may be withdrawn if we later become aware that successful applicants have not met eligibility criteria or have provided false information.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide a personal statement of up to 350 words, which should explain:

• i) how the Gittins Bursary will be beneficial to your studies
• ii) how the Gittins Bursary will help you to achieve your academic goals
• iii) how your university education will benefit yourself, your community and/or society in the future
• iv) what achievements, academic and/or personal, are you most proud of. There is no right or wrong answer; we are just keen to hear your own story.

The deadline for applying for this bursary is 10.00am BST on Monday 12 October 2026. Applications made after this date will not be considered.

Apply for the Gittins Family Charitable Trust Bursary

Notification

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by Monday 30 November 2026.

Questions

If you have any questions about this bursary, please contact the Advancement Team by email at [email protected].