A wide range of Widening Participation opportunities are currently available through programmes & scholarships with Glasgow University, the following list comes from Dr Neil Croll, Head of Widening Participation.

Talent Scholarships

Closing date 24 May 2020 and other scholarships and bursaries

The University offers a number of scholarships and bursaries for applicants who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University.

Talent Scholarships are worth at least £1,500 for each year of degree study; around 50 awards are made annually.The closing date this year is 5pm, Sunday 24th May 2020. This link takes you to the online application form: https://www.gla.ac.uk/scholarships/undergraduatetalentscholarships/
Travel Bursaries provide support towards public transport travel costs. The value of the Travel Bursaries is 50% of monthly public transport travel costs to and from the University, up to a maximum value of £50 per month. These bursaries are available for the first year of study. The closing date for applications is 5th July 2020.This link takes you to the online application form:  https://www.gla.ac.uk/scholarships/travelbursaries/

Humanitarian Scholarships are available for applicants with asylum seeker or refugee status. For asylum seekers, a fee waiver, an annual £5,000 stipend and free University accommodation are available. For refugees, an annual £5,000 stipend is available. The closing date is 30 June 2020. This link takes you to the online application form: https://www.gla.ac.uk/scholarships/humanitarianscholarships/

The James McCune Scholarship is open to applicants of African/African-Caribbean backgrounds. The scholarships offer a £2,000 payment for year 1 of any degree.The closing date is 11pm, Sunday, 12 July 2020. This link takes you to the online application form: https://www.gla.ac.uk/scholarships/jamesmccunesmithscholarship/

Reach Campus Week

new dates: now launching on Monday 29 June

We have changed the dates of the Reach Campus Week after receiving very useful and informative feedback from several schools. The original dates of 15-19 June, within the school year, would have been unfeasible or difficult for a number of pupils who would have struggled with IT and/or online access, with parents working at home and siblings completing school work online. We are conscious that many families will have access to only one laptop / tablet etc. Therefore, to alleviate these concerns, we are making two changes:

The Reach Campus Week will now run from Monday 29 June, the week following the last school term week.

The Campus Week will not run as only one week, which has to be attended and completed online within that week. We shall launch the Campus Week on 29 June, but all content will remain open until September / October, to allow all pupils to participate at the time most suitable to their individual circumstances. The content will also be available for pupils to use when applying via UCAS in September/October.

We are learning as we go as we move our programmes entirely online and the input and feedback we are receiving from you and the schools is invaluable to us to make sure we develop the programmes in the right way to allow all pupils to participate and benefit in terms of application and admission to university. Thank you for the input to date.

The Reach team have already informed schools and pupils, but if you have any queries, please contact: reach@glasgow.ac.uk

Admissions offers of entry to University of Glasgow including Top-Up Programme

Last month, I emailed to update on the new Summer School offers we have made, which will allow pupils to have successful performance in Summer School academic subjects taken in lieu of SQA Higher predicted grades, if the latter do not give them what they need for entry to Glasgow.

I am pleased to let you know that we have also made similar new offers to those who have completed the Top-Up Programme and are: care experienced; estranged from family; young carers; asylum seekers; refugees; live in SIMD decile 1 and 2 postcode areas.

The new offers still take success on Top-Up into account; this allows the pupils to be considered at our adjusted offer entry requirements. However, we have now given the Top-Up pupils the same opportunity as those on Summer School: if a pupil has 2 B grades or above from S5, we are giving them the chance to study and pass two subjects at summer school, which we shall take as their other two qualifications for entry to Glasgow, if the SQA grades do not provide what they need. This gives them the chance to take these subjects and be assessed on their own merits and provides an insurance option, hopefully giving pupils a bit more certainty and peace of mind. For those with less than 2 B grades in S5, the original offer via Top-Up still stands.

If you have any queries, please contact: wpsummerschool@glasgow.ac.uk

Summer School / Sutton Trust Summer School

Finally, a reminder of the dates for the Summer School and Sutton Trust Summer School.

Summer School:

Academic Skills Module only: Monday 1 June – Friday 26 June

Academic Skills Module and academic subjects: Monday 15 June  – Friday 10 July
Sutton Trust Summer School

Monday 27 July – Friday 31 July

If you have any queries, please contact: wpsummerschool@glasgow.ac.uk

Thank you again for all your work and help to enable us to run the programmes for your pupils. If you have any queries, please let me know or contact the specific programme contacts above.