Higher Education Scholarship

If you are considering a higher education course at New College Swindon University Centre, there are some scholarships that you can apply for to help you on your journey.

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The Principal’s Higher Education Scholarship

The Principal’s Higher Education Scholarship is open to students starting the first year of a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) at New College Swindon University Centre. One scholarship is awarded per academic year.

The scholarship will cover the full tuition fees for either an HNC/HND programme. There are no restrictions on the duration of study (part-time or full-time)

To be eligible for consideration, a student:

Must achieve the requisite entry requirements for your chosen part-time or full-time HNC or HND
Must have submitted the course application no later than 31st August 2026

And

Must meet at least one of the widening participation criteria listed below
You have applied for the full Maintenance Loan available

You are not eligible to apply if you are continuing an existing HNC or HND course

New College Swindon University Centre is committed to widening participation in Higher Education from those groups who are under-represented and who face potential barriers to access. You are eligible to apply under the widening participation element of the New College Swindon University Centre Scholarship if you meet any of the following criteria:

You are the first member of your immediate family to enter Higher Education
You have been in care as a looked-after child for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14
You have a disability, or you are a carer of an ill or disabled family member
You are from a black and minority ethnic group
You are estranged from your family and have no other source of income
You meet one of the following two postcode criteria:

You come from one of the most deprived areas of the country as defined by the Government’s IMD (Indices of Multiple Deprivation) database. You can check this by inputting your postcode and downloading the report; your result is displayed in column F. If your result in column F is 1, 2, 3, or 4; you meet this criterion. Please note this information only covers addresses in England. Follow the IMD website for more information
You come from an area where it is unusual for people to progress to Higher Education or go to University. This is defined by the Government’s classification called POLAR4. To meet this criterion, your address must fall into quintile 1 or 2. Follow the Tableau website for more information.

Note: to check your eligibility for the above two postcode criteria, please use the postcode lookup tool using the home address where you lived during your last year of School or College.

“New College Swindon University Centre has the course I was looking for, but the bonus was that it is close to my house. When I learned about the scholarship, I applied straight away as it’s a big financial help”.

Michael

HND Computing

Further Details

To be eligible to apply for the New College Swindon University Centre Scholarship, you must have enrolled and be able to provide proof of enrolment in HNC or HND by the end of October 2026 at New College Swindon University Centre.

Closing Date

The closing date to apply is Thursday, 31st August 2026, 6 pm

Allocation

The 2025/26 scholarship award includes the tuition fees for either an HNC or an HND programme. There are no restrictions on the duration of study (part-time or full-time). Please note, if you intend to study for two years but have only enrolled on an HNC for a year, the scholarship will only fund the programme that you have enrolled on to. In this case, it would be for an HNC for a single year.

Every reasonable attempt will be made to communicate with the selected student using the details provided within the application. If we cannot confirm communications by the provided deadline, we reserve the right to withdraw the scholarship and award it to another student.

The successful student must provide proof of enrolment on an HNC or HND course at New College Swindon University Centre. If you are unable to provide proof, you will become ineligible, and another student will be selected to replace you.

Applicant’s data will be used following GDPR legislation.

Due to the high volume of expected applications, we are unable to contact unsuccessful applicants.

Withdrawal of Scholarship

We reserve the right to withdraw a Scholarship from anyone who is found to have misled New College Swindon University Centre about any aspect of their eligibility and to seek full payment for the scholarship.

If a student changes to a programme of study outside those listed under the eligibility section above, the scholarship will be withdrawn.

Selection Process

The Principal and/or senior management team will consider your HE Scholarship application. The panel will examine the personal circumstances of individuals who meet the widening participation criteria. All applications are anonymised, and the decision is discretionary and final. Please note that you may be asked to provide evidence where relevant.

When making their decision, the panel will give regard to the following:

The applicant has provided a clear rationale for applying for a Higher Education course at New College, Swindon University Centre
The applicant has identified clearly how the scholarship will be beneficial to their student experience
The applicant has clearly articulated future ambitions; these goals relate to the Higher Education course they have applied for, and they involve appropriate and credible contributions from which others will benefit
The applicant will identify which criteria they meet under widening participation.