About the Nottingham Potential Bursary
Applications are now open - apply here.
The Nottingham Potential Bursary provides a £1,000 award per academic year to support students from lower income backgrounds whose personal circumstances may have impacted access to higher education.
This bursary requires an application once you start university to assess your eligibility. However, there are an unlimited number of places, meaning all applicants that meet eligibility criteria will receive the funding.
If you receive the bursary, you do not have to pay it back after you graduate and you can spend the money in any way you like to support your studies. Payments are made directly to the student's bank account, typically in three instalments over the academic year.
The amount you receive and the eligibility criteria for the bursary can differ based on your start date. For current students looking for specific details of their bursaries, please see the information below.
If you have any questions about this bursary or your eligibility, please contact us.
Are you eligible?
Faced challenges on the road to university or attended an access pathway
Household income between £0-£35,000 as assessed by Student Finance
Paying home fees for an undergraduate, PGCE, GEN or GEM course
Eligibility criteria explained
If you are a current student at the University of Nottingham, please find the specific details of your bursary based on your start year below.
To receive the Nottingham Potential Bursary in 2022/2023 academic year, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Entering via an Access route or with vocational qualifications (at further education level) and with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) - we will require a copy of your certificate or transcript
- Students with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) with financially dependent children or adults - we will require a copy of your 2022/23 Student Finance letter showing you to be in receipt of either Childcare Grant, Parents Learning allowance or Adult Dependants Grant
- Students who are currently or have been in public care for a minimum time period of three months and are under the age of 25 years at the start of their course (please note that you can still apply for the Nottingham Potential Bursary for Care Leavers even if in receipt of NHS funding) - we will require a copy of an official letter from your local authority confirming your care arrangements
- Students who have fulfilled specified conditions through participation in the University's Nottingham Potential or Sutton Trust Summer Schools hosted by the university or other eligible activities (including attendance on a minimum of 6 Ambition Nottingham: 16-18 sessions (Tier 1 students only) or 8 Nottingham Pathways to Law/Medicine sessions). There is no need to apply for the award if eligible on this basis. NHS-funded students are eligible to receive the Nottingham Potential Bursary for summer school attendees
Plus all of the following criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/Graduate Entry Nursing/1st year Graduate Entry Medicine) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2022/23
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2022/23
- Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
- Not have studied for an undergraduate degree before starting at Nottingham
- Not be in receipt of a Maycock-Whileman Scholarship or an Alumni Scholarship
Part-time students - The Nottingham Potential Bursary provides additional support on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2022. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) as well as meeting one of the criteria above in order for us to assess your eligibility for this bursary. Your award amount will depend on the number of credits you're taking. You can find out more about funding for part-time undergraduate students on our website.
How to claim your bursary
You will need to apply for this bursary so we can assess your eligibility against the criteria.
Applications for the 2022/23 academic year are now open for students already at the university. You cannot apply for the bursary until you are registered as a student at the University of Nottingham.
The application deadline for the 2022/23 Nottingham Potential Bursaries is 23 June 2023.
You only need to apply for the Nottingham Potential Bursary once. If you are a continuing student that has already received the bursary, you will be automatically reassessed each academic year.
Once you have been accepted to receive the bursary, most students will be automatically paid in three termly instalments across the academic year. The only exception is if you're awarded due to attending a summer school then the award is paid in one lump sum at the start of the academic year.
Apply now
What happens if my eligibility changes?
If your household income decreases during your time at university and this is reflected in your student finance assessment, you can apply for the Nottingham Potential Bursary at any time before the application deadline in June.
If you don't apply for the bursary in your first year, or miss the deadline for that academic year, bursary payments will not be backdated, however, you will receive payments for the following academic year, if you are assessed as eligible.
If your household income increases during your studies, you will stop receiving the bursary after the reassessment period at the start of each academic year. You will not have to pay back any bursary payments you've received until this point unless you were assessed incorrectly.
Bursary information by academic year
The amount of funding our students receive from the Nottingham Potential Bursary, and the eligibility criteria can change year on year. To find out how much funding you're entitled to receive and whether you're eligible, click on your start date below.
Prospective students starting in September 2023
Bursary value: £1000 per academic year
Eligibility criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEN/ 1st year GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2023/24
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2023/24
- Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
- Not have studied for an undergraduate degree before starting at Nottingham
- Not be in receipt of a Maycock-Whileman Scholarship or an Alumni Scholarship award
PLUS one or more of the following:
- Entering via an Access route or with vocational qualifications (at further education level) and with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) - we will require a copy of your certificate or transcript
- Students with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) with financially dependent children or adults - we will require a copy of your 2023/24 Student Finance letter showing you to be in receipt of either Childcare Grant, Parents Learning allowance or Adult Dependants Grant
- Students who have fulfilled specified conditions through participation in the University's Nottingham Potential or Sutton Trust Summer Schools hosted by the university or other eligible activities (including attendance on a minimum of 8 Ambition Nottingham: 16-18 sessions (Tier 1 students only) or 8 Nottingham Pathways to Law/Medicine sessions). There is no need to apply for the award if eligible on this basis. NHS-funded students are eligible to receive the Nottingham Potential Bursary for summer school attendees
Part-time students - The Nottingham Potential Bursary provides additional support on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2023. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) as well as meeting one of the criteria above in order for us to assess your eligibility for this bursary. Your award amount will depend on the number of credits you're taking. You can find out more about funding for part-time undergraduate students on our website.
New students starting September 2022
Bursary value: £1000 per academic year
Eligibility criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEN/ 1st year GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2022/23
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2022/23
- Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
- Not have studied for an undergraduate degree before starting at Nottingham
- Not be in receipt of a Maycock-Whileman Scholarship or an Alumni Scholarship award
PLUS one or more of the following:
- Entering via an Access route or with vocational qualifications (at further education level) and with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) - we will require a copy of your certificate or transcript
- Students with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) with financially dependent children or adults - we will require a copy of your 2022/23 Student Finance letter showing you to be in receipt of either Childcare Grant, Parents Learning allowance or Adult Dependants Grant
- Students who are currently or have been in public care for a minimum time period of three months and are under the age of 25 years at the start of their course (please note that you can still apply for the Nottingham Potential Bursary for Care Leavers even if in receipt of NHS funding) - we will require a copy of an official letter from your local authority confirming your care arrangements
- Students who have fulfilled specified conditions through participation in the University's Nottingham Potential or Sutton Trust Summer Schools hosted by the university or other eligible activities (including attendance on a minimum of 6 Ambition Nottingham: 16-18 sessions (Tier 1 students only) or 8 Nottingham Pathways to Law/Medicine sessions). There is no need to apply for the award if eligible on this basis. NHS-funded students are eligible to receive the Nottingham Potential Bursary for summer school attendees
Part-time students - The Nottingham Potential Bursary provides additional support on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2022. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) as well as meeting one of the criteria above in order for us to assess your eligibility for this bursary. Your award amount will depend on the number of credits you're taking. You can find out more about funding for part-time undergraduate students on our website.
Continuing students starting in September 2020 - September 2021
Bursary value: £1000 per academic year
Eligibility criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEN/ 1st year GEM) at Nottingham which you started in 2020/21 onwards
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2022/23
- Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
- Not have studied for an undergraduate degree before starting at Nottingham
- Not be in receipt of a Maycock-Whileman Scholarship
PLUS one or more of the following:
- Entering via an Access route or with vocational qualifications (at further education level) and with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) - we will require a copy of your certificate or transcript
- Students with a household income up to £35,000 (as assessed by Student Finance) with financially dependent children or adults - we will require a copy of your 2022/23 Student Finance letter showing you to be in receipt of either Childcare Grant, Parents Learning allowance or Adult Dependants Grant
- Students who are currently or have been in public care for a minimum time period of three months and are under the age of 25 years at the start of their course (please note that you can still apply for the Nottingham Potential Bursary for Care Leavers even if in receipt of NHS funding) - we will require a copy of an official letter from your local authority confirming your care arrangements.
- Students who have fulfilled specified conditions through participation in the University's Nottingham Potential or Sutton Trust Summer Schools hosted by the University or other eligible activities (including attendance on a minimum of 6 Ambition Nottingham: 16-18 sessions (Tier 1 students only) or 8 Pathways to Law/Medicine sessions). There is no need to apply for the award if eligible on this basis. NHS-funded students are eligible to receive the Nottingham Potential Bursary for summer school attendees.
Part-time students - The Nottingham Potential Bursary provides additional support on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2022. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) as well as meeting one of the criteria above in order for us to assess your eligibility for this bursary. Your award amount will depend on the number of credits you're taking. You can find out more about funding for part-time undergraduate students on our website.
Continuing students starting in September 2018 - September 2019
Bursary value: £1000 per academic year
Eligibility criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in the 2018/19 or 19/20 academic year
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable in 2022/23 for the tuition fee relevant to your year of entry
- Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
PLUS one or more of the following:
Students with Refugee Status can apply to the Maycock Whileman Scholarship - we will require a copy of an official letter confirming your status. A student cannot receive both a Nottingham Potential Bursary and a Maycock-Whileman Scholarship.
Continuing students starting in September 2016 - September 2017
Bursary value: £1000 per academic year
Eligibility criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/ 1st year GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in the 2016/17 or 2017/18 academic year
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable in 2022/23 for the tuition fee relevant to your year of entry
- Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
PLUS one or more of the following
Students with Refugee Status can apply to the Maycock Whileman Scholarship - we will require a copy of an official letter confirming your status. A student cannot receive both a Nottingham Potential Bursary and a Maycock-Whileman Scholarship.
Continuing students starting in September 2012 - September 2015
Bursary value: £1000 per academic year
Eligibility criteria:
- Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course at Nottingham (which you began between September 2012 and September 2015)
- Have UK home status for funding purposes
- Be liable for the 2022/23 tuition fee relevant to your year of entry
- Be eligbile for and have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
PLUS one or more of the following:
- Entering via an Access route or with vocational qualifications (at further education level) and with a household income figure of up to £42,600
- Students with a household income up to £42,600 with financially dependent children or adults
- Students under the age of 25 years at the start of the course who are currently or have been in public care for a minimum time period of three months (please note that you can still apply for the Nottingham Potential Bursary for Care Leavers even if in receipt of NHS funding)
- Students who have fulfilled specified conditions through participation in the University's Nottingham Potential or Sutton Trust Summer Schools hosted by the University or other eligibile activities (including attendance on a minimum of 6 Post-16 Ambition Nottingham sessions or 8 Pathways to Law/STEM sessions). There is no need to apply for the award if eligible on this basis. NHS-funded students are eligible to receive the Nottingham Potential Bursary for summer school attendees
More funding options
Students who are eligible for the Nottingham Potential Bursary may also be eligibile for other types of funding.
View all scholarships and bursaries