Partially funded

Care Leaver Bursary and Estranged Student Bursary

Brunel University of London, United Kingdom

Scholarship overview

The Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursary is a £2,000 cash award for Home students aged 25 or under who are care leavers or irreconcilably estranged from their parents and start a full-time undergraduate course, MBBS Medicine or a PGCE at Brunel or Brunel Pathway College in September 2026.

Funding is limited, so awards are not guaranteed. Priority goes to applicants whose status is verified, and if demand exceeds funds a needs-based scoring system is used.

Award Information

  • Complete the Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursary application form.
  • Be a verified care leaver or estranged student and provide evidence of status.
  • Be aged 25 or under.
  • Hold an offer for a full-time undergraduate course (including placement routes and integrated Master's) or a full-time PGCE; Clearing offers count.
  • Offer must be for the Foundation year, FHEQ Level 4 (Year 1) or the PGCE, starting in September, and be Unconditional Firm by the October allocation.
  • Be classed as a Home fee payer (including EU settled status Home fee payers).
  • Care leaver: at least 13 weeks in care in the UK since age 14, including on your 16th birthday, or eligible/former relevant child status, or Qualifying Care Leaver status.
  • Estranged student: under 25 with no contact with both parents (or the only living parent) for a significant period, usually 12 months or more, which will not change.
  • Not eligible: Overseas, Channel Islands or Isle of Man fee payers; other postgraduate courses; Brunel Language Centre entrants; entry above Level 4.
  • £2,000 cash payment per eligible year.
  • Undergraduate: up to three years, four for Foundation or integrated Master's courses, five for Foundation plus integrated Master's or MBBS; not paid in a placement year.
  • PGCE: paid for one year.
  • Application: midnight, Sunday 13 September 2026; late applications not considered.
  • Status verification completed by 30 September 2026.
  • Awards made by the Scholarship Allocation Panel in October 2026.
  1. Declare care leaver or estranged status in your Student Loans Company application.
  2. Complete the expression of interest application form by 13 September 2026.
  3. Provide supporting evidence if the Student Services Team cannot verify your status through SLC records.
  4. Complete the simple financial needs assessment and supply the documents requested.

Official links

Documents you will need

  • Evidence of care leaver or estranged student status through the Student Loans Company.
  • Confirmation of status where requested by the University.
  • Financial needs assessment evidence, as specified to applicants.

How selection works

Status is verified through SLC and Higher Education Portal data. Where eligible applicants outnumber bursaries, the Scholarship Allocation Panel scores applicants on need.

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