Want to do a degree but worried about getting into debt? Find out whether you are eligible for extra funds to help with your uni fees through applying for sponsored degree programmes, scholarships, grants and bursaries.

For many young people the prospect of going to university and racking up huge student finance debts is enough to put them off getting a degree. A sponsored degree may provide the ideal solution for some.

Sponsored degree programmes

For many young people the prospect of going to university and racking up huge debts because of uni fees is enough to put them off getting a degree. A sponsored degree may provide the ideal solution for some.

More and more companies in the UK are offering sponsored degrees to help shoulder the cost of uni fees. The company ends up with an experienced graduate and the student earns a wage and ends up with a degree with no debts to pay back. Sponsored degrees combine work with study, much as an apprenticeship does, so it might involve working for four days a week and study at the university that the employer is partnered with for the other day.

Sponsored degrees are offered by a wide variety of companies from Barclays to Harrods and cover many different career paths from accounting to sales. For example CGI offer a sponsored degree in business management, which is studied for one day a week. The other four days are spent at work. They offer a salary of around £13,000 on top of paying uni fees and tuition costs and because the student is counted as a full employee of CGI they get benefits like annual leave.

Scholarships, grants and bursaries

The terms scholarship and bursary are often used interchangeably, although scholarships, grants and bursaries differ slightly. They all however provide non-repayable financial support to learners to help them pay their uni fees.

A grant for uni fees will normally be given based on personal circumstance or financial need and a bursary will be based on financial need only. Both are intended to provide better access to education for all and help with uni fees.

A scholarship to help with your uni fees is financial support based on excellence in a particular academic subject or sporting or musical achievement of some kind. Some universities offer scholarships for example to students with excellent sporting achievement in return for them representing the university at sporting events. Equally if a student has outstanding musical abilities, the university may offer a scholarship in return for them performing at events. Scholarships range from £500 to £10,000 a year.

If you are applying for a scholarship for help with uni fees you need to make your application relevant, so if you’re applying for a sporting scholarship, your sporting achievements need to be highlighted. Likewise, if you’re applying for financial support based on the fact that you are the first in your family to go to university this needs to be emphasised on the application form or in a covering letter.

Professional and Career Development Loan (PCDL)

The Government provides a Professional and Career Development Loan of between £300 and £10,000 a year, to people who need help with uni fees and paying for courses which would enhance their skills and job prospects. To see if you’re eligible and how you can apply, go to the Government’s PCDL web page.