Employability Bursary

The Employability Bursary helps you complete work-related activity. You can get up to £1200, or £2000 if you meet certain criteria.

You can ask a question about the Employability Bursary through CareerConnect.

Eligibility

All students can get up to £1200 per application.

Other students can get up to £2000 per application. Other students must be at least one of the following:

• completing, or have completed, a supported pathway programme at St Andrews
• a current  Sanctuary Scholar
• care-experienced (meaning you have been in care at any stage of your life, or are currently in care), a carer (meaning caring for a relative, but not a dependant), or estranged (meaning living without the support of a family network)
• someone who has attended one of these widening access programmes:
  • Sutton Trust Summer School
  • LEAPS
  • Focus West
  • Lift Off
  • Aspire North
  • Reach
  • Fife First Chances Programme
  • Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP).

What's covered

For every application you make, you can combine up to two costs to help you complete work-related activity.

The amounts listed below are the most you can get per cost:

• Accommodation (£1200)
  • £100 per week, for a maximum of 12 weeks.
• Car journeys (£225)
  • up to 500 miles at 45p per mile.
• Childcare or caring costs (£800)
  • £40 per day for a maximum of 20 working days (4 working weeks, split over several weeks if needed).
• Flights (£800)
• Professional clothing (£200) 
• Professional development courses (£200)
• Trains, buses and ferries (£200)
• Volunteering (£400)
  •  £40 per day for up to two working weeks (split over several weeks if needed).
• Other (£100)
  • such as to cover a DBS or PVG check. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Example

If you wanted professional clothing for an interview and a train to get there, you could claim up to £400:

• up to £200 for professional clothing

and

• up to £200 for a train.

Application advice

Explain where you are on your career journey and how you think the bursary will help you. Give as much detail as you can.

You can read blog posts from recipients of the Employability Bursary for examples of how it can be used and what impact it can have. 

After completing your work-related activity

When you have completed your work-related activity, you must provide a short report (up to 400 words) describing the impact of the bursary on your employability.