Newcastle University

The first students to benefit from the new alumni-supported Promise Scholarships are settling into life at Newcastle University.

Promise Scholarships provide £9,000 a year to up to 20 students every year, who show the most academic potential but are least likely to attend a top UK university such as Newcastle. Scholarship winners have the option to claim half the money as a grant, with the other half paying off fees, or all the money used for fees.

Funding for the scholarships has come from our own alumni, thanks to the work of the students on the Annual Fund Phonathon team.

At an event in the Courtyard restaurant last week, Vice Chancellor Professor Chris Brink welcomed the recipients to the University.

Professor Brink, said: 'It is a great pleasure to welcome these students, the first intake who will benefit from these scholarships. It is part of the promise that we make as a Civic University.

'These students have been selected primarily because of their academic excellence but the Promise Scholarships also recognise that their path in life has not been easy.

'Our mission as a world class civic university is not only to support academic excellence, but also to make a difference to society.

'Part of that is about ensuring we give equal chances to people, irrespective of their backgrounds. In doing so we aim to create a truly diverse University where our students benefit from learning from others with different perspectives.'

Newcastle University is committed to increasing the number of students it attracts from a wide range of backgrounds and is investing £55 million over the next five years in bursaries, fee waivers and activities that will help to widen participation.

One of the new Promise Scholarship students said: 'This scholarship will enable me to study without worry about finances, it has allowed me to expand into higher education, the first of my family. I feel privileged to be a part of the University and to hopefully graduate with a degree from a Russell Group University.'

Another added: ‘I feel that a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that I can now enjoy university life to the maximum as opposed to previously when most of my time was spent worrying about the costs of living as a student in Newcastle.’