Birmingham City University

Other eligibility requirements If you come from a lower income family or household, you could receive an offer that is up to four grades below our normal entry requirements – and possibly claim a £1,000 scholarship too. The scholarship is paid in three instalments across your first year of study to support you as you make the move from school or college. You could be eligible for an Accelerate offer if you are… From a lower income household with a home address that falls into POLAR4 quintile 1 at the point of application OR From a lower income household with a home address postcode that falls into POLAR4 quintile 2 at the point of application and meet an additional criterion, such as being first in family to go to university or receiving free school meals With BCU Accelerate there are no extra forms to complete - all you need to do is apply via UCAS and add BCU as one of your UCAS choices and we’ll take care of the rest. The Accelerate offer, scholarship and terms and conditions shown on this page are for those starting in the 2026/27 academic year – joining courses in September 2026 or January 2027.

Income related

You will be automatically considered for scholarship eligibility when you apply for the relevant course at this institution

With BCU Accelerate there are no extra forms to complete – all you need to do is add BCU as one of your UCAS choices and we’ll take care of the rest.

Other eligibility requirements You are eligible for the Bowater Financial Assistance Award if: You have been awarded a place on one of the MA Art and Design courses And You have applied to study full time.

Income related

You need to apply separately for this scholarship

Applications close on 24 July at 12pm noon. You can only apply once you have received an offer to study on your chosen course.

Other eligibility requirements To be awarded a scholarship, you must fulfil the following criteria: Have achieved a BCU undergraduate degree, postgraduate degree or PGCE (BA, BSc, BMus, LLB, MA, MSc, MMus, LLM, PGCE) Be enrolling onto an eligible full-time or part-time Master’s (including MRes) or PhD course for the first time in the 2026/27 academic year (see exclusions below) Be a UK, EU or international self-funded student (including those who are in receipt of a postgraduate student loan). The Scholarship is also open to apprenticeship students who fulfil the criteria above. Students who joined BCU in their third year after gaining a HND are also eligible. The Scholarship is not available to ERASMUS students currently studying at BCU. If you are eligible for the Graduate Scholarship and a second BCU scholarship, we will automatically award you the larger of the two. Courses exempt from the Scholarship The Scholarship is not open to students wishing to enrol on the following courses: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses Franchise or validated courses delivered at or through partner colleges PGCE Postgraduate Certificates Postgraduate Diplomas Graduate Diplomas

Mature students

You need to apply separately for this scholarship

Receiving the scholarship: Once you have enrolled on your chosen course, you will be automatically awarded the 20% fee discount if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Other eligibility requirements To be eligible for one of these scholarships, you will need to: Be confirmed as a self-funded international fee payer Successfully secure a place on a full-time postgraduate degree course in 2026. Enrol at BCU and begin your studies in 2026. The scholarship is available for full-time postgraduate degree courses admitting students in 2026. The following courses are excluded: Programmes below Master’s level, e.g., PgDip, PgCert, GradDip Postgraduate research programmes (e.g., MRes, PhD, EdD, DHealth, DSport) MSc Accounting and Finance (Master’s stage top-up) PGCE Courses delivered by BCU partners Part-time courses Professional Practice/CPD courses Short courses (credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing) Distance learning/online courses Study abroad or exchange programmes Pre-sessional English courses

Mature students

You will be automatically considered for scholarship eligibility when you apply for the relevant course at this institution

There is no need to apply. You will automatically receive the scholarship – applied as a tuition fee discount – if you enrol on an eligible course.

Other eligibility requirements The scholarship will be applied as a tuition fee discount of £3,000 in year one and £2,000 in year two. To be eligible for one of these scholarships, you will need to: Be confirmed as a self-funded international fee payer Successfully secure a place on a full-time undergraduate degree course in September 2026. Enrol at BCU and begin your studies in September 2026. The scholarship is available for full-time undergraduate degree courses. The following courses are excluded: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Acting and Music courses (see details of our Music scholarships for 2026) Sub-degree courses, such as foundation year entry, foundation degrees (FdA/FdSc) and HNC/HND Courses delivered by BCU partners (BA Conductive Education) Fast-track/accelerated degrees Part-time course Professional Practice/CPD courses Short courses (credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing) Apprenticeships Study abroad or exchange programmes Pre-sessional English courses

Mature students

You will be automatically considered for scholarship eligibility when you apply for the relevant course at this institution

There is no need to apply. You will automatically receive the scholarship – applied as a tuition fee discount – if you enrol on an eligible course.

Other eligibility requirements Who is the BCU Sport Scholarship for? If you’re an athlete performing at a national level in your chosen sport and are studying at BCU, or have an offer to study with us, you can apply for a Sport Scholarship. It also includes students studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. You don’t need to be studying a sport-related subject to benefit from the perks of the scholarship. What's included with the Sport Scholarship? Free BCU Sport membership Individual strength and conditioning support Gym access Sport nutrition Sport psychology Sport therapy clinic Enhanced performance support funding Kit allowance BUCS event entry fees paid Individual mentoring

Sport

You need to apply separately for this scholarship

Complete our application form, and BCU Sport Staff will review your application. If you're successful, the team will allocate you a level of support based on your current performance level and future potential. You can apply for the Sport Scholarship at any time by completing the application form online. Once you’ve applied and given the supporting documents, BCU Sport staff will decide whether you’ll be offered a place on the programme and what level of support you’re eligible for. The scholarship is highly sought after, so unfortunately, we can’t accept all the applications we receive.

At BCU, we want to reward outstanding student success, and this starts before you even arrive at university. So, whatever your background, if you apply to BCU and go on to achieve 144 UCAS points or more, you will be eligible for a £1,000 scholarship to get your university life off to a flying start. These points will be calculated from your main three qualifications. You will also need to have achieved five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above at the point of application in order to qualify. The High Achievers' Scholarship scheme is for students applying to undergraduate courses (BA, BSc, LLB, MSci), except the following: Sub-degree courses such as Foundation Year entry, Foundation Degrees and HNC/HND Courses delivered by BCU partners Fast-track/accelerated degrees Part-time courses Professional Practice/CPD courses Short courses (credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing) Apprenticeships Distance learning/online courses It will not be possible to defer your Accelerate offer or High Achievers’ Scholarship. The £1,000 will be paid into your bank account in three instalments during your first year of study.

Academic excellence

You will be automatically considered for scholarship eligibility when you apply for the relevant course at this institution

There are no extra forms to fill in – just make your application by deadline and leave the rest to us.