Applications
OUR ANNUAL GRANT ROUND FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2025/26 HAS NOW CLOSED
This is because we have received the maximum number of applications that we can consider this year.
Sign up below for a reminder of when our next grant round opens, or scroll to the end of this page for information about Other UK Grant Makers.
Our current eligibility rules appear in the blue boxes below.
Am I eligible to apply next year?
To be eligible to apply you must meet each of the following conditions. You must be:
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a) A graduate with a First Class or Upper-Second Class honours degree (2:1), or a master’s or doctoral degree, or be a final year undergraduate who is expected to achieve a 1st or 2.1. (If your qualification is not from a UK institution, please pay particular attention to the section below on Degrees Awarded Outside the UK.)
b) Accepted on to or applying for a course of study in 2026/27 at a UK university or similar educational body (not including overseas branches of the UK institution). Please note that we are unable to accept applications from those accessing courses remotely from outside the UK.
c) The course of study in 2026/27 must be for:
- a master’s or doctoral degree in any subject
- or a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in any subject
- or a degree in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies taken as a second degree
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and in all cases, your 2026/27 academic year must officially begin on a date in 2026 and last for at least eight months.
d) Be a UK citizen, or currently living in the UK, and planning to remain living in the UK throughout the academic year applied for (with the exception of any periods spent overseas as a recognised element of my course of study).
e) Facing a financial shortfall in the academic year 2026/27. This is assessed on the online application form.
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Academic referees: Please note our application form asks for contact details of your academic referee, and the referee’s permission must be obtained before you include them.
Applications are welcome from students beginning their first year of study, as well as from those who have already embarked on their course.
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If each one of a) to e) above applies, then you are eligible to apply next year under our current rules. Completed online applications will be accepted until we have received the maximum number of 300 eligible applications, at which point the application ‘window’ will close.
Degrees awarded outside the UK
If you have not had a grant from us before and you do not have either (i) a First Class or Upper-Second Class honours degree from a UK university or (ii) a Doctoral or Master’s degree from a UK university, and are therefore relying on a degree/higher degree obtained overseas, then you MUST obtain and upload with your online application a letter from the UK University at which you plan to study in 2026/27.
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This letter should confirm that the University considers your overseas degree to be equivalent to a UK First Class or Upper-Second Class Bachelor's degree with honours, or a Master’s or Doctoral degree. Online applications which come without this letter uploaded will be rejected without further discussion. (If you have previously been awarded a grant from our Trust, you do not need to submit the letter from the UK University.)
Grant Information
The application process is competitive. The first 300 eligible applications received will be assessed by our trustees to decide which of them we are able to support. Applications are assessed according to academic achievement and financial need. From past experience, roughly half will be supported with the remainder turned down.
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All grants are awarded for a full year of academic study and for one year only. Applicants for full-time postgraduate higher degree courses may be supported for up to a maximum of three years and part-time postgraduate higher degree courses for a maximum of six years, but in both cases new applications have to be submitted each year.
Grants are likely to be in the region of between £650 to £1,500 in value. They are intended to reduce the financial shortfall incurred in meeting educational and subsistence expenses upon payment of tuition fees. Before award money can be released, applicants must confirm that their financial situation has not improved significantly and that they still have a financial shortfall.
Currently the Trust does not fund:
Please note that currently we do not fund the following:
Please note that currently we do not fund the following:
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a) Students living outside the UK who are accessing their courses remotely from UK universities
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b) Professional training courses (e.g. Law Society, Royal College, examinations, PLAB tests) unless they last at least eight months and passing the course entitles the student to a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma
c) Students who have already been supported by the Trust for a postgraduate degree in another field
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d) PhD ‘writing-up periods’
e) Full-time PhD students beyond a third year of study
f) Part-time PhD students beyond a sixth year of study.
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If you have any questions about the application process, please email admin@stapleytrust.org
