Bursaries to support students from low income households

London Metropolitan University will provide a £1,000 bursary every year to students from low-income backgrounds as part of its new Strategic Plan.

The initiative follows the abolishment of state maintenance grants, which are to be issued as a loan in 2016, and aims to support students from households earning less than £25,000 a year.
The bursaries are available to students joining the University in September 2015.

Professor John Raftery, Vice Chancellor of London Metropolitan University, said:

“We know financial pressures can be a problem for students, so we are offering these bursaries to try and remove those pressures as much as we can.

“Students’ backgrounds should not determine whether or not they can go to university. These bursaries will hopefully make it easier for someone with the potential to succeed at university to realise that potential.”

Giving fees back to students

The bursaries are fully funded by London Met’s tuition fees. Professor Raftery added:

“We aim to return 25% of our fee income to our students, and these bursaries are one way of doing that.

“We play an important social role in the capital. Our mission is ‘Transforming lives through excellent education,’ and I hope that these bursaries will enable us to deliver on that mission.”

London Met will also offer bursaries for foundation degree students, with £1,000 each year of study, and a care leaver’s bursary of £1,500 each year. The University has budgeted £3.2m for the bursaries in the 2015/16 academic year.