Eligibility

To be eligible for this award, you must:

• be resident in the United Kingdom
• have one of the following categories of ethnicity:
  • Black African
  • Black Caribbean
  • Black Other
  • Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
  • Mixed – White and Black African
  • Other mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other)
• have an offer (or be awaiting a decision) to start an undergraduate programme at the University of Bristol in 2024/25
• be in full-time study (part-time students are not eligible to apply)
• have a demonstrable financial need
• be eligible for financial support available from the UK Government (in the form of the tuition fee and living costs loans from the Student Loans Company)
• have applied for or intend to apply for means-tested support from your regional funding provider (e.g. Student Finance England) and have consented to share your household income details with the University.

You must apply for means-tested support to enable the University to get confirmation of your household income from the Student Loans Company. However, you will not be required to take out any loans you are eligible to receive if you do not wish to take them.

Prospective students who select the University of Bristol as their insurance choice through the UCAS process will not be eligible for the award.

Priority will be given to applicants:

• from a low-income household
• from areas of low participation in higher education
• who have attended an aspiring state school
• who are under 25 and have previously been in care
• who have a disability
• who will be over 21 years old at the start of the course.

Eligibility for multiple awards

The University operates many bursaries and scholarships and to ensure fair distribution of funding it may be necessary to place some restrictions on the receipt of multiple awards.

Recipients of the following schemes are eligible to receive a Black Futures Scholarship:

• University of Bristol Bursary (or Access to Bristol/Bristol Scholars bursary)
• Accommodation Bursary
• Bristol Standalone Bursary

Recipients of the following schemes are not eligible to receive a Black Futures Scholarship:

• The Futures Scholarship
• The Black Futures Vertical Aerospace Scholarship
• The Futures Plus Scholarship
• Cratchley Scholarship in History
• Qube Research and Technology Scholarship
• Sanctuary Scholarship 
• VC Scholarship 
• Lloyds Scholarship 
• Anne and Peggy Sleigh Bursary 
• Nicholl’s Arts Bursary 
• Christopher Frederick Edwards Bursary 
• Eileen Drummond and Sheila Anderson Law Bursary  

These lists are reviewed on an on-going basis and the University reserves the right to add further scholarships or bursaries at any time to ensure a fair distribution of funding.

The University operates a Financial Assistance Fund and several hardship funds. Recipients of the Black Futures Scholarship would also be able to apply to these funds but the value of the scholarship would be taken into account during the assessment process for any discretionary awards. 

Award

Awards to successful candidates will have a cash value of £3,500. The award will be split into payments of £2,000 in the first year and £750 in the second and third years.

Awards will be paid via BACS in two equal instalments. Payments are usually made in November and January but will be confirmed in early October.

To receive a payment, students should be registered, engaged with their studies, and have a good attendance record. The University reserves the right to allocate any payments of the award to any outstanding invoices should a recipient have missed payments due to the University. This is in accordance with the University’s regulations.

Career employability funding

In addition, recipients will have access to up to £1,000 of funding support for employability opportunities, such as an internship, placement or summer research programme.

Recipients will be responsible for identifying a suitable internship or other opportunities and explaining why it provides a meaningful experience that enhances their employability. They will have the support of the Black Futures Scholarships Co-ordinator and the Careers Service to explore the opportunities available. The employability opportunity will be agreed with the Black Futures Scholarships Co-ordinator who must approve the release of funding.

This funding support will be paid as most appropriate to the chosen opportunity and will not always be a direct payment to the student. To access the funding, recipients may need to provide evidence, such as receipts, for the Black Futures Scholarships Co-ordinator to approve.

Read the full Employability Funding terms and conditions.

The employability funding is flexible and may be taken at different stages of study, depending on individual circumstances, including up to 12 months after graduation.

Reporting and connecting with donors of the scholarship programme

Reporting

This scholarship is funded by donations from alumni and friends of the University. Scholarship recipients of the Futures scholarship (Futures Scholars) must provide update reports throughout their degree to the donors of this programme. This will be coordinated through the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO).

Futures Scholars must also engage with and provide updates to the Careers Service when using the career employability funding.

Both DARO and the Careers Service will support Futures Scholars to complete these updates.

Connecting with donors

Futures Scholars will also be invited to take part in activities organised by DARO to thank donors and encourage others to donate and support more students in the future.

Possible activities may include:

• providing thank you messages
• taking part in photo shoots
• featuring in paper and online publications
• attending donor events (either online or in person)
• opportunities to deliver presentations and speeches at donor events.

We strongly encourage Futures Scholars to get involved in these activities as many students find them an enjoyable way to meet other scholars, develop new skills and learn more about the University community.

How to apply

Applications are made via the additional funding page. When you apply for additional funding, you complete one application form but are considered for a number of scholarships and bursaries. You can read more about the awards on the additional funding page.

All applications should be received by the published deadline. Late applications will not be considered. The online application form will be closed once the deadline has passed. There is no appeal process and requests to submit late applications will not be considered.

Application process

1. The University will make offers of an award to successful candidates.
2. Prospective students will need to have firmly accepted an offer of a place to study to remain eligible.
3. To ensure that all the awards are made, the University will select a number of students to be on a reserve list for the scholarship. Students who are on the reserve list may be contacted at a later date to be informed that they have been offered the scholarship should an award become available. Being placed on the reserve list is not a guarantee of an award.

Timetable

Find out about the timetable on the additional funding page.