Not taken for granted
Oxford University has launched a new bursaries scheme over the summer. The major fund-raising campaign forms part of their drive to widen University applications from all backgrounds.
The initial support for the scheme came from a £1 million donation from a private donor. The University and its colleges will be running the most comprehensive scheme of its kind to be offered by any UK university, distributing over £0.75 million a year.
Recently, Oxford colleges have been asked to pool any of their excess funds. This may be directly linked to the introduction of this new scheme; it may also be the reason why some of the richer colleges have decided to renovate some of their existing buildings and increase their own college grants before being forced to pool their funds.
Undergraduates who have all their tuition fees paid for by their local education authority will be eligible to apply for Oxford bursaries of at least £2000, in addition to their student loans. The scheme will be introduced for UK and EU students taking up places at Oxford in Autumn 2002. The scheme has estimated that around 400 students will be eligible for bursaries in the first year of the program. However, this doesn't come close to matching the 1108 eligible students who applied to the University Hardship Fund in 2000/1. The bursary scheme will not give support to those who, although their fees are paid by their parents, have no extra financial assistance.
The scheme will intially be offered to eligible students who begin their courses in 2002, 2003, 2004. Each bursary will be worth £1000 in a student's first year, and £500 in each subsequent year of the course. Ongoing funding for the scheme will be raised through Univeristy driven intiatives.
Vice Chancellor Colin Lucas officially launched the bursary scheme. He commented: "Oxford is a world-class centre of learning. To maintain this standard, it needs to attract the brightest and best students - whoever they are and wherever they live. The University wants to do all it can to remove barriers - real or perceived - which might deter students with potential from applying for a place. Money can be one such hurdle."
The University announced its proposals on the same day tha Christ Church held its Aspire program to encourage 15 and 16 year olds from disadvantged backgrounds to enter into higher education. The launch of the bursaries received national coverage, as the BBC broadcast the event from the Master's Garden in Christ Church.
4th Oct 2001