Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships are payments made to support your education, awarded on the basis of merit, personal achievement and academic ability.
Bursaries are non-competitive payments intended to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, or who are having difficulties funding their studies.
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has more than £7 million in scholarships available for international fee paying students applying to study with us in 2026/27, including our Exeter Excellence Scholarships.
You can view a full list of our scholarships on our international students website.
The University of Exeter Sports Scholarship Scheme is one of the most prestigious in the UK, helping the best student athletes reach their full potential. The scheme provides a comprehensive support package and is tailored to suit the needs of each individual athlete. Many of our graduating scholars have progressed to a professional level in their chosen sport and represented their respective countries on the global stage.
Find out more about these scholarships on our sports website.
In addition to the Chapel Choir, the University also has close performing relations with Exeter Cathedral and three local churches, each offering their own scholarship schemes. The awards available are of various values, depending on weekly duties.
The University invites applications from candidates who also meet the specific requirements of the individual awards and have been offered an undergraduate place at the University (Exeter and Penryn campuses) through UCAS for degrees commencing in September 2026.
Find out more about these scholarships on our dedicated webpage.
The Sanctuary Scholarship scheme enables individuals seeking asylum and refugees who are not able to access student finance to study at the University of Exeter.
The University of Exeter mature students’ scholarship is open to applications from home undergraduate students starting their studies with us in 2026.
Successful applicants will receive £2,000 in year 1, £1,000 in year 2 in the form of a cash payment.
Visit the Mature Students webpage to find out more.
Travel scholarships
The Mrs Bessie Rook Memorial Scholarships are awarded to students who will be studying abroad in German and/or French speaking countries. For the 2026/27 academic year six scholarships are available, each worth £2,000.
A small number of travel bursaries are available to students of all degree programmes at the Penryn and Truro Campuses to help with the costs of residential field courses (excluding research/dissertation trips). In the first instance, preference will be given to students who were born and currently reside in Cornwall, and/or meet Widening Participation criteria. Depending on numbers of applications, others may also be considered.
Applications for the first half of the academic year 2025/26 are now closed. There will be a new round of funding for trips leaving between February and June 2026 coming soon.
Funding from the University of Exeter's Scholars Fund has been secured to support a limited number of Penryn Campus students with the financial cost of bus travel in the 25-26 academic year. This bursary would benefit students who are regular commuters using local bus transport to travel to the Penryn campus for their studies.
This application form will be open from 9am, 3rd November to 9am, 17th November. Shortlisting will take place in the week commencing 17th November with notifications of awards and payments in the week commencing 1st December.
The bursary is only available as a one-off payment in the 25-26 academic year due to the availability of the funding source. The exact amount to be awarded will depend on the number of students who apply and are eligible, we hope to award a minimum of £150 per student.
Eligibility
You must be:
- A University of Exeter student enrolled at the Penryn campus, excluding BMBS students.*
- A user of bus transport to commute between your term time address and the Penryn campus
The funding available is limited and so student applications will be prioritised based on household income. The brackets used are detailed below with students in the lowest household income bracket prioritised first:
- Household income of £16,000 and below
- Household income between £16,001-£25,000
- Household income between £25,001-£30,000
- Household income between £30,001-£35,000
We will assess your entitlement for an award based on your household income information provided by the relevant UK Funding Body which is shared with our Student Funding team. The information used will be the dataset recorded in week commencing 17th November. If your household income changes after this date, we cannot take this into consideration.
*BMBS students in accommodation at Penryn and commuting to Truro should contact UEMS-Cornwall@exeter.ac.uk regarding travel support.
Payment of the bursary
Payments will be made in one instalment, direct to the bank account you share with us. Assuming your bank details are correct in your student record, payments will be made in the week commencing 1st December.
Further information
If you have a question regarding this bursary, please contact Francesca Crickmere, Head of Education Services & Student Experience Cornwall.
Bursaries
We provide additional funding to certain part time and full time Home students in the form of the Access to Exeter Bursary (ATE).
We will automatically assess your entitlement for an award based on your household income information provided by the relevant UK Funding Body. However, we can only do this if you, and your parent(s) or sponsor, do not opt out of consenting to share your financial details when you complete your application for Student Finance.
Undergraduate students
To see what funding you could be eligible to receive for the 2025/26 academic year, please check your household income below. The ATE bursary is per year for the duration of your undergraduate studies providing you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
- Household income of £16,000 and below: £2,300 (Full-time) or £1,150 (Part-time Biomedical Sciences only).
- Household income between £16,001-£25,000: £1,340 (Full-time) or £670 (Part-time Biomedical Sciences only).
- Household income between £25,001-£30,000: £850 (Full-time) or £425 (Part-time Biomedical Sciences only).
- Household income between £30,001-£35,000: £500 (Full-time) or £250 (Part-time Biomedical Sciences only).
* For further details on how your household income is assessed, please visit Direct Gov.
Payment of the ATE Bursary
Payments are made in three instalments and will be made direct to the bank account you share with us, with each instalment weighted according to the number of weeks per term.
- Friday 24th October 2025
- Friday 16th January 2026
- Friday 24th April 2026
Terms and conditions
If you have a question regarding your bursary entitlement, please raise an enquiry with the Student Information Desk.
This bursary offers financial support for undergraduate students who are recognised as a care leaver or estranged from both parents/carers.
The £1000 bursary is payable for up to four years maximum in study length (which might include an integrated Masters up to year four), with the exception of Medicine where we will support students in all five years of study.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the care leaver/estranged student bursary you must:
- Be studying a full-time undergraduate course.
- Meet the University’s definition of being a care leaver or an estranged student).
- Be assessed by the relevant UK student funding body as having independent/estranged student status or be in the process of applying for this status.
- Be a UK citizen or have been resident in the UK for at least three years
- Be studying for your first degree, PGCE or integrated undergraduate Masters degree (e.g., MSci or MEng)*
- Be 25 or under when commencing your course
- Be starting or continuing your studies in the 2026/2027 academic year
Read the full terms and conditions »
How will I receive the funding?
We will automatically assess your entitlement for an award after you have registered at the University. Your independent status will be notified to the University by your relevant UK funding body. The Exeter Cares team will verify this information prior to a payment being made.
If you are experiencing sudden estrangement or are waiting for your independent status to be verified by the relevant UK funding body. Please complete this online form and the Exeter Cares Team will be in touch regarding support available and guidance on applying as an independent student.
How much will I get?
The £1000 bursary is payable for up to four years maximum in study length (which might include an integrated Masters up to year four), with the exception of Medicine at the University of Exeter where we will support students in all five years of study.
This includes:
- if your course includes a year in industry.
- if you study a year abroad.
- if you are permitted by your faculty to temporarily change from full-time study to part-time study due to extenuating circumstances.
- if you repeat up to 1 year of study if studying a 3 year course
- if you are on a PGCE course*
* The bursary will only be applied for a PGCE course if you did not receive the Care Leavers’ and Estranged Student bursary at undergraduate level.
What happens if I become estranged part way through the year?
If you are experiencing sudden estrangement or are waiting for your independent status to be verified by the relevant UK funding body, please complete this online form and the Exeter Cares Team will be in touch regarding support available and guidance on applying as an independent student.
Instalment payments of the bursary will not be backdated, and payment of the next instalment will only be made once your relevant UK funding body has confirmed your independent status. If you are in need of financial support, the Exeter Cares team will support you with a fast-track application to the Success for All fund.
How will I be paid?
Payments will be made in two instalments in December and June each year your progress in your studies up to 4 years.
Can the payment dates be moved?
The payment dates of December and June have been set to help with winter and summer costs and are in addition to the Access to Exeter termly payment dates of October, January and May.
If you have any questions regarding the bursary, please contact the Exeter Cares Team: exeter-cares@exeter.ac.uk.
More information
Further information on the full support package available to Care leavers, Care-experienced and estranged students can be found on our Widening participation student support pages.
