Three students walking outside Lancaster University's Chaplaincy Centre.

Student Scholarships and Opportunities

£500,000 in scholarships, bursaries and awards have been raised from our supporters since 2001.

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Scholarships and Opportunity

Supporting all students

If you studied at Lancaster, you had the opportunity of a fantastic experience at one of the top universities in the world. No doubt all sorts of opportunities have opened up to you as a direct result of your university education.

But it’s not the same for everyone. That’s why we’re determined to make this outstanding opportunity accessible to a wider range of talented people who would otherwise find it impossible either to come to Lancaster University or to continue studying with us.

You understand the value of your university education and what it has done for you, both personally and professionally.

Creating opportunities

The cost of being a student today continues to rise. Higher costs can be crippling, which is why scholarships and bursaries are needed and appreciated more than ever. Your donation could:

  • help us to encourage more high-school students from less privileged backgrounds to go to university
  • fund an overseas field-trip or the purchase of essential equipment
  • enable students to remain at Lancaster when sudden financial hardship strikes and they might otherwise have to abandon their studies
  • fund young researchers and postgraduates
  • pay for Students’ Union events and societies
  • offer life-changing educational opportunities for students from developing countries

Student Beneficiaries

Monica Plotkin

Monica Plotkin, who is studying Computer Science has been awarded one of the prestigious Ede and Ravenscroft Women into Science Prizes.

This £1000 prize rewards female students for outstanding academic achievement in science subjects in which they are traditionally underrepresented. The prizes are awarded by Ede and Ravenscroft, the company which supplies robes to Lancaster students during graduation. Thrilled to receive the reward Monica is glad that her excellent academic achievement during her first year has been gratefully recognised.

"I am incredibly grateful to win the Ede and Ravenscroft prize money," she told us. "I found this year challenging and to see that this has been recognised and rewarded has made me and my family very proud.

Monica is greatly enjoying her time at Lancaster and has found her first year a highly enriching and rewarding experience.

"I was attracted to study at Lancaster as it appeared to offer a good degree scheme for people who had not had the opportunity to study Computer Science before," she says.

Prizes have also been awarded to Katherine Field (Mechanical Engineering), Bhuma Limbu (Chemical Engineering), Luthu Murphy (Physics) and Isobel Mawby (Theoretical Physics) for outstanding academic achievement in Part I of their respective degrees

Wing Yi Tam

Wing Yi Tam, an international student from Hong Kong was overjoyed to be studying for a BSC (Hons) in Marketing at Lancaster.

During Wing's final year she received news that her mother, who was living in Hong Kong, had encountered a significant financial crisis impacting on the savings which were set aside for Wing's education. Wing has planned to travel back to Hong Kong to support her mother as she thought that it would be impossible for her to complete her studies in Lancaster.

Thankfully the Hardship Fund was able to support Wing to complete her final year by providing enough funding to cover her living expenses.

Wing graduated in July 2016 and hopes to work for a charity dedicated to supporting young people.

Rebecca Salmon

A legacy gift of £250 from Alumnus Patrick Hagan (MA Education, 1980) supports ex-service woman Rebecca Salmon to train as a doctor.

On her return from Afghanistan working as an army medic, Rebecca Salmon had her heart set on training to be a doctor at Lancaster University. Rebecca is funding her own studies through the sale of her home and works as a paramedic at weekends and during the holidays.

After selling her home Rebecca moved into a caravan which she keeps in a field close to Lancaster. Unfortunately, during 2015 Rebecca's caravan suffered significant damage causing damp problems.

Thankfully Mr Hagan's legacy helped Rebecca to repair the caravan and continue her studies. Rebecca stated that "Mr Hagan's gift to me will never be forgotten and I hope that soon I will be in a position to be as generous and selfless as him".

Ami Weir

Ami Weir

Ami was the 2017/18 recipient of the Heatherlea Bursary in Biological Sciences provided by co-founders of Heatherlea Kevin and Caryl Shaw.

Kevin Shaw describes the Heatherlea Bursary as an "attempt to support and encourage worthy students who are interested in both learning about and protecting our environment". Recipients of the award are selected by their academic department.

Ami, who studies part-time as well as working for a North West based conservation charity was delighted to be awarded the bursary and explains what it means to her

"Receiving the prestigious Heatherlea Bursary reduced my barriers to returning to higher education to complete a Master's degree. As a mature student who has been in full-time employment for three years post-graduation, learning that I had been granted the bursary eased my financial concerns and allowed me to reduce my working hours to return to education. I was nervous about returning to university after such a gap, but being award this bursary greatly boosted my confidence and reassured me that I had made the right decision"

Contact Us

By Post

Philanthropy, Alumni and Supporter Engagement
C Floor
University House
Lancaster University
Bailrigg, Lancaster
LA1 4YW
United Kingdom

By Phone

+44 (0)1524 594109

We're here Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm

By Email

friends@lancaster.ac.uk

Contact a member of our team directly.

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View our Fundraising Promise and Formal Complaints Process.