拢480,000 scholarship boost for postgraduate students Forty eight students have been awarded a 拢10,000 scholarship each to study Master鈥檚 degrees at 缅北禁地 as a part of a new fund designed to remove barriers to postgraduate study for under-represented groups. The postgraduate scholarship awards are the first of their kind in the North East and aim to financially support self-funding students from the UK who may not have been able to pursue further study for reasons such as access to finance or family responsibilities. The project is part of the £25 million Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Postgraduate Support Scheme, which was developed to test ways of supporting progression into taught postgraduate education in England. The 48 people, who have already benefited from the scheme, have started their postgraduate studies across a range of disciplines in humanities and social sciences; science, agriculture and engineering, and medical sciences at 缅北禁地. Out of the 48 award recipients, 45 are from the North East and Cumbria. Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at 缅北禁地, said: 鈥淭hese scholarships have the potential to significantly change the lives of the students who receive them. 鈥淪ocial mobility is one of the biggest challenges facing the UK today and the scholarships mean those students who might have been deterred from following the best training for them because of a lack of funding can now do so at a world-leading institution.鈥� Jade Morrison, 23, enrolled on an degree after receiving a scholarship. She said: 鈥淭hroughout my undergraduate degree, I always knew I wanted to continue with my studies. However, I did find the idea of funding another year of study quite daunting and I am delighted that that this scholarship scheme has enabled me to continue my studies in Psychology. It has certainly eased a lot of pressure. 鈥淎longside my studies, I am also able to benefit from the range of employment support schemes the University offers. I am part way through the NCL+ award which gives me the chance to gain official University and employer recognition for my activities and achievements. I am also gaining experience as a student ambassador and student mentor.鈥� Ben Taylor, 23, is pursuing an MSc degree in . He said: 鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to continue with my studies because of the value employers place on a Master鈥檚 degree, but the limited funding options meant that further study was out of my reach. I would have been a whole year behind trying to find a career relevant temporary job. This scholarship scheme has enabled me to continue to train in the field that I want to pursue in my career.鈥� student Ryan Sewell came to 缅北禁地 to study an undergraduate degree in Politics through the 缅北禁地 supported entry route programme PARTNERS. 鈥淚 wanted to start a postgraduate degree after graduating this summer, but the lack of postgraduate funding would have stopped me from doing it for at least two years. This scholarship has put me closer to my goal of continuing on to a PhD degree next year,鈥� says the 22-year-old. The scholarship scheme is one element of a consortium project, Widening Access to Postgraduate Study and the Professions, with the universities of Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Warwick and York. This project attracted £3 million of funding from the HEFCE and once boosted by match funding provides the six institutions over £5 million to spend on initiatives aimed at enabling more students to take up postgraduate studies at a top university. For more information about postgraduate study and finding opportunities at 缅北禁地 please visit the postgraduate website. Photo: Clockwise from left: Ben Taylor, Jade Morrison and Ryan Sewell published on: 28 November 2014
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