The Cowrie Foundation Scholarship

Applications will open in January 2025.

The University of Liverpool and the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation (CSF) will offer a scholarship to support Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants from socio-economically under-represented backgrounds.  Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK and commencing undergraduate study in the academic year 2024/25.

The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation wants to fund 100 Black British students through UK universities in the next decade. More information is available on the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation website.

The Award

The scholarship will cover your home UK tuition fees and a maintenance stipend of £8,000* for each year of your course. The scholarship is tenable for the duration of your programme of study, subject to satisfactory progression.

*The maintenance stipend consists of a bursary from the University of Liverpool (£2,000 per annum), and an award of £6,000 per annum from the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation.

Eligibility and Criteria

You must meet all of the following criteria to be considered for this scholarship:

1. Identify as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups:
   1. Black or Black British – Caribbean
   2. Black or Black British – African
   3. Mixed - White and Black Caribbean
   4. Mixed - White and Black African
   5. Other Black background.
2. Have firmly accepted an offer of a place at the University of Liverpool, to Year 0 or Year 1 of a full-time undergraduate degree programme, to commence study in the 2024/25 academic year.
3. Have been assessed for fee status as a 'home' student, or expect to be assessed as a ‘home student’.
4. Have a household income of £25,000 per annum or less.
5. Have made an application to your regional student funding authority for income assessed UK government financial support for higher education students. The regional student funding authorities are: Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. Confirmation you will be in receipt of full financial support for the 2024/25 academic year. Please ensure you have given consent to share the information with the University, as this information will be used to determine eligibility.

You won't be eligible if you:

• Transfer to Liverpool from another UK University. We can only accept applications from students beginning a new course at Liverpool
• Secure your place at the University through Clearing
• Already hold a degree or equivalent higher level qualification
• Chose the University as your 'Insurance' choice through UCAS.

The Application Process

Personal Statement

To help us to get to know you, we will ask you for a personal statement of between 600 and 900 words explaining:

• Why the scholarship would be beneficial to your studies
• How it would help you to achieve your academic goals
• How your education would be of future benefit to your community and/or society
• What achievements, academically and personally, are you most proud of? This could include overcoming a challenging personal circumstance. There is no right or wrong answer. We are keen to hear your personal story.

We will also ask you for:

• Your full name
• Your University applicant ID number or if not known your UCAS number
• Your full home address (including Postal Code)
• Your programme of study
• Name of the School or College you are currently attending
• Your ethnicity
• Your email address
• Confirmation that you have applied, been assessed for and expect to be in receipt of the maximum level of support from the government through your regional student funding body, Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) or Student Finance (England, Wales or Northern Ireland) for tuition fees and maintenance loans and that you have provided consent to share your information with the University.
• Confirmation this is your first undergraduate degree programme, and you have not started a degree programme previously
• Confirmation that you understand that representatives from The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation will view your application and any submitted documentation as part of the selection process.
• Agreement that your UCAS references (personal and supporting statements) may be used as part of the selection process.

We will also look at where you live and other measures of educational challenges, often referred to as socio-economic metrics. Further information on widening access and contextual admissions at the University of Liverpool and how we assess candidates.

Submitting your application

The scholarship is competitive and you should attempt to complete your application to the very highest standard if you wish to be seriously considered.

Please check your eligibility carefully before applying. Awards may be withdrawn if we later become aware that successful scholars have not met eligibility criteria or have provided false information.

Applications are now closed for September 2024.

If you have any questions please contact wpscholarships@liverpool.ac.uk.

In the subject line of the email please write the following words: ‘Cowrie Scholarship Application’.

If you do not receive an email from us to acknowledge receipt of your scholarship application within one week of submission, please get in touch to check that we have received your application.

Decisions

A panel of representatives from the University of Liverpool will assess applications and compile a shortlist of the strongest applications. The shortlist will be sent to the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation who will make the final decisions.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the first week of September 2024.

Please do not contact the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation as all awards and notifications will come from the University of Liverpool.

Enquiries

If you have questions about the award or how to apply, please email wpscholarships@liverpool.ac.uk.