Access to Sheffield Scholarships

Eligibility

You must meet all of the criteria below to be eligible to apply and receive an award:

• You have a household income of £40,000 or less. This must be assessed by Student Finance England or an equivalent UK funding agency
• You have received an academic offer to study a full-time undergraduate course at the University of Sheffield starting in September 2026
• You are eligible to pay the home rate of fees

and either

• Have successfully completed an Access to Sheffield Programme or University of Sheffield Sutton Trust Summer School before you start your course

or

• Meet at least one of the criteria below (further information about each of the criteria is listed under the 'Selection Process' heading on this page).
  • Residents of areas of disadvantage
  • Students entitled to free school meals
  • Students who are care leavers
  • Students who are estranged from their families
  • Students who are carers
  • Students who have parenting responsibilities
  • Students who are forced migrants

How to apply

Applications will open soon.  

The deadline to apply is 1pm on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

To be considered for a scholarship you must accept (firm or insure) your offer with us before Wednesday 6 May 2026. 

All eligible applicants who applied before the deadline will be contacted before the end of June 2026. 

Selection process

A selection panel consisting of academic and professional services staff will consider eligible scholarship applications. When making their decision, the panel will take into consideration the widening participation criteria you meet and also give regard to your application form. 

Students who have successfully completed an Access to Sheffield Programme or University of Sheffield Sutton Trust Summer School who meet the eligibility criteria will be automatically allocated a scholarship. 

As part of your application we will consider the following criteria:

Have you entered the University through one of our outreach schemes?

To be eligible for this criteria you must have completed one of the following outreach schemes:

• Access to Sheffield Summer School
• Sutton Trust Summer School
• Realising Opportunities
• Access to Sheffield (Medicine)
• Access to Sheffield (Dentistry)
• Access to Sheffield (Law)
• Access to Sheffield (Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences)
• Access to Sheffield (STEM)

Do you come from one of the more deprived areas of the country as defined by the government's Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) database?

If you live in an area with an IMD Quintile of 1 or 2 you meet this criteria. We will use the information submitted as part of your course application to assess this. Please note this criteria only applies to students who live in England. You can check your postcode using our IMD checker. 

Were you in receipt of free school meals during secondary studies?

To be eligible you were entitled to free school meals at some point during the six years prior to your final KS4 year (the year you were aged 15-16). We will use data from the Department for Education National Pupil Database to check this. 

Have you been in care as a looked-after child for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 and will be aged under 25 on the first day of your course?

You will need to provide evidence confirming your care leaver status. Your evidence will need to include the dates you were in care. For example, a letter from your local authority, a letter from social services or proof of legal guardianship, such as a court order.

We will use 1 September 2026 as the first day of all courses regardless of your actual start date.

Are you estranged from your parents and will be aged under 25 on the first day of your course?

Being estranged means you have no relationship with, or support from, your parents. To be considered an estranged student, this situation must be permanent, and you must have little or no contact with your parents with this being unlikely to change. Further information about eligibility and evidence we will accept can be found on our 'Financial support for estranged students' web page.

We will use 1 September 2026 as the first day of all courses regardless of your actual start date.

Are you a carer for an ill or disabled family member? 

You are a student carer if you are responsible for providing unpaid care to a relative who has, for example, a long-term illness, physical or learning disability, mental health condition or an addiction. 

Further information about eligibility and evidence we will accept can be found on our 'Financial support for students with caring responsibilities' web page. Please note that temporary care needs are not considered as part of this scheme. 

Do you have parenting responsibilities? 

You should be a parent of, or responsible for the care and wellbeing of, a child aged 17 or under. This includes being: a biological parent, step-parent, adoptive or legal parent, legally-appointed guardian, foster carer; or someone who provides kinship or other parental care to a child or a family member or friend.

Are you a forced migrant? 

To be eligible you should have refugee status or limited leave to remain. 

The criteria listed below will also be considered as part of your application but they are not included within the eligibility criteria listed above.

Are you from a Black, Asian and other minority ethnic group?

We will use the information submitted as part of your course application to assess this.

Do you have a disability?

You are required to provide evidence to support this. For example, a copy of your DSA notification letter that outlines your condition(s) or other relevant medical evidence, such as a letter from your GP or other health professional. Please note, we cannot accept medication/prescriptions as evidence.

Will you be over the age of 25 on the first day of your course?

You do not need to provide any additional information to be considered for this criteria. We will use 1 September 2025 as the first day of all courses regardless of your actual start date.

If your application is successful, you will be required to provide a copy of your Student Finance Entitlement Letter from student finance showing that you have had a means-tested assessment and meet the relevant loan eligibility. 

If you have a condition that can affect aspects of your written communication and would like panel members to be aware of this, you can let us know by emailing alumni.scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk

How the scholarships are funded

The money for these scholarships is provided by donations from generous people, organisations and companies that want to support students. Many of the donors are alumni (former students) of the University of Sheffield.

If you receive an Access to Sheffield Scholarship you may be invited to relevant events during your studies at Sheffield.

Frequently asked questions

What if I don't want to apply for a maintenance loan?

To be eligible to receive a scholarship, we will need student finance to confirm your household income to us. If you do not wish to take out a loan, you can still apply for a household income assessment to be carried out by Student Finance England (or equivalent regional funding body) and request a £0 loan - this allows us to assess your eligibility for the scheme without you receiving any loan. You will have the opportunity, during the application process for student finance, to indicate that you wish to apply for a £0 tuition fees loan and a £0 maintenance loan instead of the maximum loans available to you.

I'm not sure what my household income is, can I apply?

Yes, you are welcome to apply. However, if you are awarded the scholarship, this will be conditional on you confirming your household income and providing evidence where necessary by a specified deadline.

Can international students apply?

No, you need to be eligible to pay the home rate fees for your course to apply.

How will you check my household income?

If you have applied for a means-tested assessment by Student Finance England or equivalent UK funding agency and give consent to share your information with us, we will be able to automatically confirm your household income. 

We may also ask you to provide evidence to confirm your household income.

Further information

• For students applying to the Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy course, that starts in April 2026, we will use 1 September 2025 as the start of the academic year.
• If you are awarded a scholarship and then reject the award or your course offer, you are not eligible to receive the scholarship or to be considered for the scheme again (including in future years).
• Scholarships will be paid directly into your bank account in two instalments of £500 per level of study (excluding placement years and repeat years).
• The £600 award to help with your costs of beginning your studies will only be paid once you have accepted your course offer and provided your bank details.
• As a scholarship recipient, you will be closely involved with our fundraising work and you can help provide our donors with a greater understanding of what it is like to be a Sheffield student. At the end of each academic year you will be asked to provide a short report outlining the past year and how the scholarship has helped you. You will not receive any further instalments until this has been completed.
• Successful recipients will be invited to attend an annual 'thank you' event at which you can meet donors and other scholarship recipients.
• We will not share any personal details about you with donors without your prior consent.
• Successful applicants are not eligible to receive any other scholarships from the University of Sheffield.
• If you withdraw from the University, part or all of the scholarship may be repayable and you will not be eligible to apply to the scheme again in future years.
• If you take a period of leave of absence, your scholarship will be suspended.
• If you have previously received an Experience Sheffield Scholarship you are not eligible to be considered for an Access to Sheffield Scholarship.
• Full terms and conditions will be shared with scholarship recipients once registered at the University.