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Cowrie Scholarship Foundation

The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation wants to fund 100 Black British students through UK universities in the next decade.

Visit the 2023 Academic Experience page for information about the 2023-24 academic year.

About the scholarship

The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation (CSF) will offer two scholarships to support Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants from socio-economically under-represented backgrounds. Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK and commencing undergraduate study in the academic year 2024/25.

The award

The scholarship will cover your home UK tuition fees and a maintenance stipend of up to £8,000 for each year of your course. The scholarship is tenable for the duration of your programme of study, subject to satisfactory progression.

There are two scholarships available for the 2024/25 academic year.

Eligibility criteria

You must meet all of the following criteria to be considered for this scholarship:

  1. Identify as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups:  
    1. Black or Black British – Caribbean
    2. Black or Black British – African
    3. Mixed - White and Black Caribbean
    4. Mixed - White and Black African
    5. Other Black background
  2. Have firmly accepted an offer of a place by the relevant UCAS deadline on a first undergraduate full time degree programme at Newcastle University commencing study in the 2024/25 academic year.
  3. Have been assessed for fee status as a 'home' student.
  4. Have a household income of £25,000 per annum or less.
  5. Have made an application to your regional student funding authority for income assessed UK government financial support for higher education students. The regional student funding authorities are: Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. Please ensure you have given consent to share the information with the University, as this information will be used to determine eligibility.

We will also look at where you live and other measures of educational challenges, often referred to as socio-economic metrics. 

Applications

The deadline for 2024-25 has now passed.

Please check your eligibility before making an application. Awards may be withdrawn if we later become aware successful scholars have not met eligibility criteria or to have provided false information.

To help us get to know you, we will ask you for a personal statement of between 600 and 900 words explaining:

  • why the scholarship would be beneficial to your studies
  • how it would help you to achieve your academic goals
  • how your education would be of future benefit to your community and/or society
  • What achievements, academically and personally, are you most proud of? This could include overcoming a challenging personal circumstance. There is no right or wrong answer. We are keen to hear your personal story

We will also ask you for:

  • your full name
  • your University applicant ID number, or if not known your UCAS number
  • your programme of study
  • name of the school or college you are currently attending
  • your ethnicity
  • your email address
  • confirmation that you have applied, been assessed for and/or that you expect to be in receipt of the maximum level of support from the government through your regional student funding body for tuition fees and maintenance loans and that you have provided consent to share your information with the University.
  • confirmation this is your first undergraduate degree programme, and you have not started a degree programme previously
  • confirmation you understand representatives from The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation will view your application and any submitted documentation as part of the selection process
  • agreement that your UCAS references (personal and supporting statements) may be used as part of the selection process

Notice of award

All applicants will have received notification by the first week of September. Please do not contact the Foundation as all awards and notifications will come through Newcastle University.

 
 

Further information

Please direct all queries to NU Advancement: advancementscholarships@newcastle.ac.uk