Pompey and uni team up to help young people
Scholarship for higher educaton
POMPEY and the city’s university have teamed up to offer a new scholarship offering thousands of pounds of funding to drive up the number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds going into higher education.
Through the University of Portsmouth’s partnership with Portsmouth Football club, youngsters who are awarded a scholarship will receive a £9,000 grant spread across the duration of their course to help cover tuition fees and living costs.
Scholarships will be available to applicants under 25 from Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight who are either the first in their family to progress to higher education or have a household income of less than £25,000.
Successful applicants will receive £3,000 a year towards undergraduate course fees for a maximum of three years, and students will also get the opportunity to gain work experience at the football club.
Pompey chief executive officer Mark Caitlin said: ‘We are delighted to be able to work with the University of Portsmouth to support students as part of the Portsmouth FC scholarship programme. Education is incredibly important and something that should be available to all – regardless of background or income. It’s something we are extremely passionate about.’
It was announced in May 2018 that the university would become the main ‘club partner’ for Pompey, and it has been the shirt sponsor since the start of the 2018/19 season. The two became education partners in summer 2017.
The university’s vice chancellor Professor Graham Galbraith said: ‘As a university we are committed to successfully widening participation and promoting inclusiveness and opportunities for all. These scholarships will allow us to help engage students, regardless of their background, in life changing opportunities so that they can reach their full potential.’
In a separate initiative the university is offering a scholarship to ‘high-achieving individuals from under-represented backgrounds who are on track to achieve three or more As in their A-levels (or equivalent).
The Best Begins Scholarship provides successful applicants with £5,000 of funding with £3,000 released in the first year of study followed by two subsequent payments of £1,000.
These students will act as ambassadors to encourage other young people to ‘break through barriers’ to take up places at the university.