Skylark Scholarship

The University of Leicester welcomes everyone, irrespective of financial situation, and we celebrate the diversity of our staff, student, alumni and local communities as one of our unique strengths. However, for some prospective students, the excitement of starting your university journey can also come with worries about how to manage the financial commitment going to university entails. 

The Skylark Scholarship programme has been established thanks to the generous support of philanthropic donors, who have made gifts to the University of Leicester to support talented home fee paying students facing financial challenges during their university studies.

These scholarships are intended to help recipients with the gap in funding between available maintenance loans and the average cost of studying at university. Each successful applicant will receive up to a maximum of £12,000 over three years. The scholarship will be paid in equal instalments in February of the first, second and third years of undergraduate study.

Scholarship recipients will join a growing community of Skylark Scholars and have opportunities to meet with donors who support the scholarship programme during the course of their studies, should they wish to. Scholars can remain anonymous, but it is a condition of receiving the scholarship that you provide an annual update on your experiences of university and how the award has helped you. 

How to apply

Applications for students commencing study in September 2023 are now closed.

Simply complete the application form, providing a supporting statement of up to 350 words to explain what difference a scholarship would make to you. You could include information about barriers you have already overcome to reach higher education (only if you feel comfortable doing so), your ambitions for your time at university and the future, and what a scholarship would mean to you. 

Applications will close on 25 August 2023.

You are welcome to submit an application in advance of results day if you have confirmed the University of Leicester as your firm choice, or after results day and clearing if you want to wait until you know you have definitely been accepted and have met all of the eligibility criteria. If you apply early and then do not achieve at least 128 UCAS points and accept your place at Leicester, you will not be shortlisted. 

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in September by the Development and Alumni Relations Office. 

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible to be considered for a Skylark Scholarship, you must meet all of the following criteria: 

1. Be in receipt of an offer from the University of Leicester to study your first undergraduate degree course, and start your course in September 2023.
2. Be studying full time and campus based
3. Be assessed as paying home tuition fees 
4. Achieve at least 128 UCAS tariff points (e.g. ABB in A Levels). In exceptional circumstances, consideration may be given to an applicant in receipt of a contextual offer. 
5. Have been permanently resident in the UK for the past three years in an area of low participation in higher education (POLAR 4, Quintile 1) 
   or
   Have been permanently resident in the UK for the past three years in an area of socio-economic deprivation (IMD Decile 1-2)
6. Have a household income of £25,000 or below, as confirmed by the Student Loans Company.

If you have any questions, please contact the Development and Alumni Relations team via stewardship@leicester.ac.uk