Employability Bursary

The Employability Bursary provides up to £700 to help University of St Andrews students complete work-related activity. 

It can be used for things like:

• accommodation for internships
• professional clothing
• dependants' care costs
• development courses
• travel expenses
• volunteering.

The Careers Centre will usually award only one Employability Bursary per student in an academic year.

If you have any questions about the Employability Bursary, please ask a question through CareerConnect.

Eligibility

To apply for the bursary, you must be a matriculated student at St Andrews.

To receive the full amount of £700, you must:

• be completing, or have completed, a supported pathway programme at St Andrews or
• be a current Sanctuary Scholar or
• be care-experienced, a carer or estranged, meaning you have been in care at any stage of your life, or are currently in care, or currently caring for relatives, or living without the support of a family network or
• have attended one of the following widening access programmes:
  • Sutton Trust Summer School
  • LEAPS
  • Focus West
  • Lift Off
  • Aspire North
  • Reach
  • Fife First Chances Programme
  • Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP).

All other students can apply for up to £400. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

What does the Employability Bursary cover?

The bursary covers reasonable expenses you may incur while completing work-related activity, which cannot be claimed back from another funding source.

Examples include:

• travel and accommodation involved in undertaking unpaid work experience and internships
• clothing you need for a work interview
• the cost of a PVG or DBS check for a role
• professional development courses
• funding postgraduates who are participating in unpaid internships within the charity sector
• childcare costs while undertaking work experience or an internship
• employing a personal assistant.

The bursary cannot cover:

• expenses incurred during work time
• expenses incurred as part of a credit-bearing module (such as a final year project, a year in industry, or a medical rotation placement).

Apply

To apply for the Employability Bursary, you should complete the application form. You will also need to upload your CV.

To increase your chances of success, you should provide as much detail as possible, and explain where you are on your Career Journey and how you expect the bursary will help you to progress. Read blog posts from a recipient of the Employability Bursary for examples of how the bursary can be used, and what impact it can have. 

Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until the fund runs out. Once your application is received, you should receive a decision within ten working days. It can then take up to four weeks after the decision has been made for you to receive the payment.

After completing your employability experience     

Once you have completed your employability experience, you will need to provide a short report (up to 400 words) describing the impact the bursary has had on your employability.