Scholarships for home students

YSJ Scholars and Low Income Scholarships

The York St John University Scholars set of scholarships is open to 4 groups of students.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Scholarship

This scholarship is £800 cash for each year of study. It is awarded after you have fully registered as a York St John University student.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must identify as being in the BAME population at registration. You must also show a residual family income of less than £42,000. This means your household income before tax and after any pension contributions or allowances for dependent children.

This assessment will be made as part of your student funding application. You will not need to provide any further information to us.

Estranged Student Scholarship

This scholarship is £800 cash for each year of study that you are eligible. It is awarded after you have fully registered as a York St John University student.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must be under the age of 25. You must have been assessed as independent and recognised as estranged by Student Finance England or an equivalent organisation.

Care Leaver's Scholarship

This scholarship is £800 cash for each year of study. It is awarded after you have fully registered as a York St John University student.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must be under the age of 25. You must have proof that you have been in care for at least 3 months in the year before starting your studies.

As a care leaver you may also be entitled to support from your local authority. To find out more, contact our Specialist Support Adviser Anna Deacon: a.deacon@yorksj.ac.uk.

Offer Scheme Scholarship

This scholarship is £800 cash for each year of study. It is awarded after you have fully registered as a York St John University student.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must have an offer with 4 points or more in our Contextual Offer Scheme. If you are in this category, you will be contacted directly by our Admissions team. They will get in touch after receiving your offer to let you know that you are eligible for the scholarship.

Scholarships for students from low income families

We know the Covid-19 pandemic has had a financial impact on many individuals and families. We offer a bursary that provides a boost to our students whose families have been hit hard by the pandemic.

This scholarship is £250 cash for each year of study that you are eligible. It's awarded after you have fully registered as a York St John University student.

To be eligible, you must have applied for student funding. You must also have shown that you have a residual family income of less than £25,000. This means your household income before tax and after any pension contributions or allowances for dependent children. This assessment will be made as part of your student funding application. You will not need to provide any further information to us.

Further information on YSJ Scholars and Low Income Scholarships

Students cannot receive more than 1 of our YSJ Scholars and Low Income scholarships. If you are eligible for more than 1, you will receive the award that is of the higher value or the most benefit to you in terms of support or accessing further funding.

All scholarships will be awarded after you register as a York St John University student. For most scholarships, we will let you know you are eligible after your registration. For the Contextual Offer Scheme Scholarship, we will let you know during the application cycle. We will give you more information and support with providing evidence nearer the date of your first instalment.

Our £800 scholarships will be paid in 2 instalments: 1 before Christmas and 1 in the second semester. Our £250 scholarships will be paid in a single instalment before Christmas.

Extra support and opportunities for YSJ Scholars

At York St John University we offer personalised support to our students. Our teams of experts are here to support you throughout your university experience. They can help with a range of issues and situations, to help you realise your ambitions and potential.

We also make sure our community of scholars have access to extra opportunities such as:

• Employability opportunities. Apply for up to £500 in funding to do work experience, internships or volunteering in the UK or abroad.
• Careers guidance and mentoring. Get help from our Careers team from the start of your course, to your graduation and beyond.
• Internships. Apply early to summer internships and our Students as Researchers schemes.

Further scholarships and support

York College Progression Scholarship

The York College progression scholarship is offered to York College students starting undergraduate courses at York St John University.

The scholarship is a £200 one off cash payment to York College students and can be offered in addition to another scholarship should you qualify for one.

Find out more information on Our offer schemes page. 

Alumni-funded Scholarships

Funded by donations from our alumni and friends of the university, the alumni-funded scholarships support underrepresented undergraduate and postgraduate students in particular need of support. Successful applicants will receive £1,000 per academic year for the duration of their degree. Applications are open annually between October and December with successful applicants receiving their scholarship in January. Applicants are expected to complete an application form including a supporting statement and reference.

Find out more on our Alumni-funded Scholarships page.

Education Opportunity Award

This award supports under represented PGCE students such as carers, parents, those with low household income or whose family circumstances have drastically changed.

To be eligible for this award you must also be 25 or older and have accepted an offer to study a non-salaried PGCE course.

There will be 6 scholarships available and it is funded by an extremely generous donation by an alumnus.

Gateway Scholarship

The Gateway Scholarship will help support access to higher education for undergraduates who are mature students, care leavers, carers and had their education affected by COVID. Successful applicants will receive £2,000 per academic year, in two instalments, throughout their degree. Applications will be open from April to October and applicants will need to complete an application form including a supporting statement and reference.

This scholarship is generously supported by a graduate of the university who was a mature student, 1983 to 1987, and her partner who was a lecturer at the university for a short period.

Applications open on Monday 15 April 2024, please click below to submit your application.

Apply now

Please read the instructions on the application form carefully. If you have any further questions, please email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk.

Sanctuary Scholarship

These scholarships provide financial support for students seeking asylum or with Limited Leave to Remain in the UK.

Find out more on our Sanctuary Scholarship page.

Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship

These scholarships provide financial support for the children of people who have died serving their country in the Armed Forces.

Find out more on the UK government's Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarships pages.

President's Award Scheme

These scholarships provide financial support for children of Armed Forces personnel with costs linked to educational needs. The scheme provides 2 different types of financial support: Education Grants and Accommodation Scholarships.

Find out more on the Royal British Legion' Grants - President's Award Scheme pages.

William A Gauld Scholarship

Care leavers and estranged students can apply for this scholarship to help fund study abroad.

Find out more on our Study Abroad and Exchange funding page.

Adult learners

Information on financial assistance for adult learners is available on the UK government website.

Find out more on their Grants and bursaries for adult learners page. 

You can also contact the National Careers Service on 0800 100 9000.

Single parents

Find sources of funding for single parent students on the Gingerbread website.

Student Support Fund

Our Student Support Fund can help students through unexpected financial difficulties.

Find out more on our Student Support Fund page.