Denise Coates Foundation Bursary

How does up to £2,000 to help with your study costs sound? And guess what - you don’t need to pay a single penny back!

For the ninth year in a row the University has received a generous donation from the Denise Coates Foundation to help transform the lives of local students.

The criteria for the Denise Coates Foundation bursary is subject to change each academic year – please review the eligibility criteria below before applying.  

Prospective students must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply:

£2,000 1st year undergraduate (Level 4)

• First year undergraduate only (Level 4)
• Primary address within 20 miles of one of our Staffordshire or Shropshire campuses (These campuses are Stoke-on-Trent, Blackheath Lane, Lichfield and Shrewsbury)
• Attain high achieving grades via the UCAS ranking system
• Have joined the University from a College or School 6th Form having studied A Level, T Level or BTEC
• Paying full tuition fees as a full-time on-campus student
• Have a household income of below £30,000 per annum that is assessed by their award authority and have given consent for this information to be shared with the University
• Studying a non-funded course (i.e., not entitled to receive any government support, NHS bursary recipients are still eligible to apply)
• Be the first-degree course taken, regardless of whether the course was completed or not
• To not have repeated any year of the course being taken
• Not receiving any other Horizon Fund Bursary or Scholarship this academic year

£1,500 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate (Level 5 and 6)

• Second or Third year undergraduate only (Level 5 or Level 6)
• Students must be achieving an average of 60% or over (2:1 or 1st) in current University assessments
• Primary address within 20 miles of one of our Staffordshire or Shropshire campuses (These campuses are Stoke-on-Trent, Blackheath Lane, Lichfield and Shrewsbury)
• Have joined the University from a College or School 6th Form having studied A Level, T Level or BTEC
• Paying full tuition fees as a full-time on-campus student
• Have a household income of below £30,000 per annum that is assessed by their award authority and have given consent for this information to be shared with the University
• Studying a non-funded course (i.e., not entitled to receive any government support, NHS bursary recipients are still eligible to apply)
• Be the first-degree course taken, regardless of whether the course was completed or not
• To not have repeated any year of the course being taken
• Not receiving any other Horizon Fund Bursary or Scholarship this academic year

The bursary will be paid in two instalments directly to the provided bank account – students must be actively attending University and the recipient event for these payments to be made.

Students must be actively engaged in their studies, with failure to do this resulting in the removal of the bursary.

Students must also be willing to be involved in University publicity campaigns e.g., social media, web, news articles, and magazines if required.

Please be aware that if you are successful you may be contacted to attend a bursary event during October 2025.  Students will be contacted via email in due course.

You can apply to the Fund through our partner platform Blackbullion, using the following link:

Denise Coates Foundation Bursary

If you've not already registered with Blackbullion you'll be asked to register with them, using your student email account before completing your application. Registration is free and will give you access to all Blackbullion's online resources and learning modules designed to help you develop essential money skills, as well as exclusive competitions. For more information on Blackbullion please watch the video Hi, we are Blackbullion (Youtube)

Please review your application carefully before submitting as duplicate entries will not be considered.

Please remember:

• Don’t focus on your personal/home life situation, this bursary is meant to help support your time at university, to help towards trips, equipment or other items that take your degree to the next level
• This is not meant as a hardship bursary – if you are having any financial difficulties or struggles please go to our Student Success Support Fund page.

Spell check your application

Highlight your goals and ambitions

Explain why you chose us for your degree

We hope you take the time complete the application to the best of your ability and if you encounter any issues or require additional support during the application process, please contact developmentoffice@staffs.ac.uk.

Applications close on 30 April 2025.

• The University will conduct a review of a student’s bursary if progress or performance in their studies is deemed to be unsatisfactory without an appropriate reason for this.
• If the student ceases to no longer be a registered full-time at the University or they take up full-time employment whilst in receipt of the bursary, no further payments will be made.
• The University has the right to withdraw an award from anyone who is found to have misled the institution about any aspect of their eligibility and to seek repayment of any monies already paid to them.
• The University has the right to award/withdraw an award within 14-days of the applicant being made aware of their outcome if an administrative error has occurred. 
• University of Staffordshire reserves the right to revise or amend these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice. All decisions made by the Development and Alumni Relations Office are final. Individual feedback is not guaranteed.