Alumni bursary  Alumni bursary: eligibility and FAQs

If you are a former student of the University of Leeds you may be eligible for a 10% alumni tuition fee bursary.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible you must:

  1. Have previously studied at the University of Leeds at an undergraduate or postgraduate level, and this includes incoming study abroad students and graduates of the SWJTU-Leeds Joint School. See the later section further down this page to find the small number of previous courses that are not eligible for the alumni bursary.
  2. Be registering for an award leading to a postgraduate qualification (with the exception of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)), see the full list of awards eligible for the alumni bursary.
  3. Be self-financing for at least part of the cost of your tuition fees. You are deemed to be self-funding if you have support from a friend or relative, or if you are receiving a postgraduate loan from the UK government.
  4. Have commenced your studies from September 2016 onwards. The bursary cannot be awarded retrospectively.

The University will review the bursary annually and reserves the right to vary or withdraw this bursary at its sole discretion but changes will not be applied retrospectively.

You must advise the University if at any time (before or after you register on your course) you obtain funding for your tuition fees from sponsors whether this is paid directly to the University or to yourself as a contribution to your tuition fees.

A sponsor is an employer or other industry or business sponsor, government, research council, charity or other third party organisation. If you are found to be in breach of your commitments, in any way have not acted in good faith, or have not responded fully or accurately to a University request for information, the University is entitled to immediately suspend a bursary. It may also then recover the 10% previously paid.

How much is it worth?

The University will pay 10% of the self-funded portion of your tuition fees. The bursary will not be applied in the overtime (writing-up) period for research degree students, taught students who are re-sitting examinations or student visitors registering and undertaking miscellaneous study.

The alumni bursary can be awarded in conjunction with other University of Leeds scholarships and awards.

How to apply

If you think you are eligible you need to email the relevant School or admissions contact for the course you have applied for. If you are a Masters student you can search for these in Course Search. For PGR applicants please contact the relevant PGR Admissions team.

In the email you will need to provide information regarding your former studies, the course you have applied for and how you are funded for your tuition fees. We will need to verify that you are a former student and you will need to confirm that you have read the terms and conditions and are self-financing for your tuition fees. You may be asked to provide evidence of your former University of Leeds award. If your course is of more than one year's duration you will not have to re-apply for the bursary each year.

Who is not eligible?

You are not eligible if you:

  • Are fully funded at any time during your studies by a sponsor, ie have your tuition fees paid for in full by an employer or other industry or business sponsor, government, research council, charity or other third party organisation.
  • Are on a course that is run in conjunction with another university and jointly awarded.
  • Have not studied at undergraduate or postgraduate level at the University of Leeds. The following programmes are not eligible as qualifying previous qualifications:
    • Language Centre pre-sessional programmes.
    • Programmes that are part of professional training or continued professional development (CPD) that are not postgraduate certificates, diplomas or masters qualifications.
    • Occasional study programmes.
    • English language foundation programmes.
  • Have not applied for a postgraduate degree at the University of Leeds. See the full list of awards eligible for the alumni bursary. The following are not eligible to be considered for the bursary:
    • BA, BSc, Masters, research degree or PhD when studied as an intercalating part of a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) or Bachelor of Dentistry (BChD).
    • Jointly awarded degrees.
    • Programmes that are part of professional training (that are not postgraduate certificate, diplomas or Masters degrees).
    • PGCE.

Frequently asked questions

I studied at an affiliated college. Am I eligible for the award?

Yes, you are eligible. It is the fact that you have a relevant award from the University of Leeds, not where you studied for the award. The admissions team will be able to verify whether the college is / was an affiliated college of the University of Leeds.

What if I have not yet completed my Masters at Leeds but am applying for a research degree?

The University allows registration on to a research degree if you have completed all the requirements for a Masters degree but have not yet been awarded. This is on the condition that you supply confirmation of the award at a specific date after commencing your research degree. If you are in this situation you are eligible to be considered for an alumni bursary.

If my sponsor is paying all of my tuition fees am I still eligible for the alumni bursary?

No, if your tuition fees are fully-funded by a sponsor (for example, an employer, an industry or business sponsor, a government, a research council, a charity or another third party organisation), you are not eligible for the alumni bursary.

Will the alumni bursary apply for future academic cycles?

The alumni bursary is subject to annual review, and can be revised or removed at the University’s discretion for subsequent academic cycles.

If my course is for more than one year will I have to reapply for the bursary?

No, if your course is for more than one year, you will not have to re-apply for the bursary each year.

Can I be eligible for the alumni bursary twice eg if I register for a Masters followed by a research degree?

Yes, you can receive the alumni bursary twice. For each new programme of study you apply for you will need to reapply for the bursary, as different staff will be responsible for processing the admissions for the courses and the responsibility is on you to provide this information.

What if I leave part way through my studies, will the bursary be repayable?

It has been agreed that the alumni bursary will not require repaying if you leave part way through your studies; it will be assessed pro-rata, to coincide with the procedure for calculating outstanding tuition fees.

Why am I not eligible to receive the bursary if I am sponsored by a third party?

This bursary is aimed at recognising the relationship we have with individual alumni and supporting self-financing students to undertake further study at Leeds.

Browse our University scholarships to see other scholarships and bursaries that may be available for postgraduate study. Two sports scholarships programmes are also available to support elite athletes as they combine academic and sporting excellence during their time at the University.