Bursary or Scholarship? How to Tell the Difference
Bursaries and scholarships are both money you do not repay, but they are judged, applied for and paid differently. Here is how the two compare for UK students.
Bursaries and scholarships both hand you money that does not have to be repaid, yet the two words are used loosely and are often confused by applicants. Broadly, a bursary is awarded on financial need and usually arrives without a separate application, while a scholarship is competitive and judged on merit or results. Every institution sets its own rules, so it helps to know what each term normally means before you compare offers.
What a Bursary Is and Who It Targets
A bursary is extra financial help from your university or college, given in addition to the student loans and grants you receive rather than instead of them. You will not normally have to pay it back, though leaving your course early can change that. Bursaries are usually non-competitive, automatic and based on financial need, and some universities simply call them awards.
UCAS describes bursaries as always awarded on financial circumstances, targeting students from low-income families, those with refugee status and others facing hardship. Assessment is normally means-tested on household income. What counts as your household, and whose income is included, depends on your own circumstances, so check how your student finance body assesses it before you apply.
There is a floor in Northern Ireland. Institutions there must offer a minimum payment, worth a tenth of what they charge in tuition fees, to students receiving the Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant at the full rate. For a course charging the full £4,985 in tuition fees in 2026 to 2027, that minimum is £498, and many institutions offer considerably more.
Not every bursary follows income. Some are tied to a particular course or subject, and specific awards for care leavers or estranged students may need you to contact the student finance team directly.
What a Scholarship Is and How Awards Are Judged
Scholarships tend to be competitive and are often supported by donors. They are generally merit-based and judged on qualification results, though they can also be awarded on criteria such as background or ethnicity, or a mix of academic ability and household income.
Subject-specific scholarships are common. They are often sponsored by an external organisation, such as an employer with a relationship to the university, or donated by an alumnus in memory of an individual, and are usually run by the academic department. On top of money, recipients may gain mentoring, internship or work experience placements, and something distinctive to mention in a graduate interview.
Teacher training shows the split in its sharpest form. Tax-free bursaries worth up to £31,000 are available to people starting courses in priority subjects, and if you qualify you get one automatically when you start, with no application. Scholarships, offered in physics, chemistry and computing, are run by independent subject organisations and require an application. You cannot hold both, and if a scholarship application fails you may still be eligible for the bursary.
Side by Side: Eligibility, Amounts and How They Are Paid
Neither option is universally better; what matters is which fits your circumstances. Here is how they usually compare.
| Bursary | Scholarship | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical basis | Financial need, means-tested on household income | Merit and results, or a mix of ability and background |
| How you apply | Mostly automatic, assessed from your student finance application | Separate application, competitive, limited numbers |
| How it is paid | Usually a single payment early in your course, or help in kind such as discounted accommodation or books | Often instalments paid into your bank account, sometimes across several years |
| Amounts | Vary by university; the Northern Ireland minimum is 10 per cent of the tuition fee for eligible grant recipients | Vary widely; published examples include awards of £250 and £6,000 |
| Extra benefits | The money itself | Mentoring, internships and professional networks |
| Suits best | Students on lower household incomes who want support without chasing forms | Students with strong grades or a clear subject interest who are willing to compete |
Amounts and payment patterns vary by university. Funding may last a single year or the whole course, and a low income scholarship usually arrives in instalments, whereas a bursary or grant more often comes as a single payment early in your studies. One university’s income-based support ranges from £500 to £3,200 a year depending on household income; a subject scholarship elsewhere pays £6,000 in instalments across three years.
Applying and Getting Paid
For government-assessed awards, there is nothing separate to send. When you apply for student finance, you can tick a box consenting to share your details with your university, and the funding bodies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pass the information across. If you would rather not consent, you will need to send that information to your university or college directly. Universities typically assess eligibility after enrolment, with confirmation expected between September and November.
Study tip
Tick the consent box on your student finance application so your university can assess you automatically for bursaries. If you choose not to consent, you can send your details to the university or college yourself.
Supply accurate household income figures for every year of your studies, not only the first. If your circumstances change, for example if household income rises or falls, tell the student support office at your university or college. Renewal also depends on progressing through your studies and meeting ongoing criteria.
Student finance bodies handle only government funding. Universities run their own schemes alongside, and some departments hold locally managed funds that central funding teams do not know about, so ask your department too. Separate hardship funds exist for students in financial difficulty, including students with children, mature students with existing commitments and care leavers, paid as a lump sum or instalments decided by the institution.
Do Bursaries and Scholarships Affect Benefits?
Money paid to you directly by your university or college is not usually counted as income when your entitlement to benefits is worked out, unless it is for day-to-day living costs. Teacher training bursaries are tax-free. The rules for full-time students claiming Universal Credit are specific to your course and circumstances, so see our guide to Universal Credit as a full-time student before assuming an award changes nothing.
Where to Look First
Start with the university or college itself, since each sets its own rules and amounts, and the student support service can list what is on offer. Then widen the search:
- Charities and educational trusts, which offer grants and awards to higher education students.
- External sponsors linked to specific departments, which fund subject scholarships.
- Open days, which are a sensible place to ask about subject-specific awards, since not every university has them and not every department advertises them centrally.
Postgraduate funding works differently again. Our guide to funding a Master’s degree sets out the main routes, including scholarships at that level.
What to Check Before You Apply or Accept
Before you apply or accept an award, get answers in writing:
- The exact eligibility criteria, and whether they are means-tested, merit-based or tied to a subject.
- Whether there is a separate application, or the award is automatic once you enrol.
- How much is paid, when, and whether it lasts one year or the full course.
- Whether the award reduces any student loan entitlement or affects other funding.
- Whether you can combine it with other bursaries or scholarships. Some universities allow a bursary and a scholarship together, but multiple bursaries usually cannot be combined.
- Any conditions attached, such as committing to work as an ambassador for the university.
- What happens if you leave your course early, since awards generally must then be repaid.
Getting these details early makes it easier to judge a financial offer against your own budget rather than by headline amount alone. And if your funding is via student finance, our guide to Student Finance in England explains how loans, grants and the 2027 changes sit alongside awards like these.
Related guides
- Student Finance in England: Loans, Repayment and the 2027 Changes explains how maintenance loans and grants fit alongside bursaries and scholarships.
- Can I Claim Universal Credit as a Full-Time Student? covers the benefit rules that extra university funding can interact with.
- 7 Ways to Fund a Master’s Degree sets out postgraduate funding options beyond undergraduate support.
The short version
- Bursaries are usually automatic, means-tested on household income and paid alongside student loans and grants, with no repayment unless you leave your course early.
- Scholarships are competitive and generally merit-based, often come with extras such as mentoring or internships, and normally need a separate application.
- Tick the consent box on your student finance application so universities can assess you automatically; if you do not consent, send your details to them directly.
- Money from your university or college is not usually counted as income for benefits unless it covers day-to-day living costs.
- Check whether an award can be combined with other funding, whether it lasts one year or the whole course, and what happens if you leave early.
Questions students ask
Do I have to apply for a bursary?
Most university bursaries need no separate application. When you apply for student finance, you consent to share your details and the university assesses you automatically, though some awards, such as those for care leavers or estranged students, require you to contact the student finance team directly.
Can I get a bursary and a scholarship at the same time?
Some universities allow a bursary and a scholarship together if you qualify for both, but multiple bursaries usually cannot be combined. Rules differ between institutions, so check the terms and conditions for each award.
Do bursaries and scholarships have to be repaid?
Not normally. You would usually have to repay an award only if you leave your course early.
How much are they worth?
Amounts vary by university and by scheme. In Northern Ireland, students receiving the full Maintenance Grant must be offered a payment worth at least a tenth of the tuition fee, and some institutions offer considerably more.
This guide is general information for students in the UK. Dates, fees and rules change, so always check the latest details with UCAS, GOV.UK, Student Finance England or your university or college before making decisions.
