Students cash in by singing for vegan supper

FUNDING your way through university can be a struggle, but little-known scholarships offer students as much as £3,000 for singing in a choir – or £500 for being a vegetarian.

Students can get thousands of pounds simply for ticking one of these boxes and qualifying for one of the scholarships available.

Organisations including the Royal Television Society have introduced grants of £1,000 a year for three years to try and tempt technology-oriented students into a career in the industry.

Nestpick, a student accommodation firm, offers scholarships towards housing costs.

Karen Kennard, founder of the Scholarship Hub website, which aims to make it easier for students to find suitable scholarships, said more companies have set up bursaries and grants as a way to advertise their business and recruit quality graduates.

Awareness of student debt has risen, meaning companies have spotted an opportunity to offer students muchneeded help while promoting their product or cause. The Vegetarian Charity runs a scheme for needy vegans and vegetarians aged under 26, with payouts of up to £500 for those experiencing hardship.

Exeter University organises bursaries worth £3,000 for counter-tenors, tenors and basses who sing in the cathedral choir, and £300 annual grants for singers in its chapel choir.

Ms Kennard said the low level of knowledge about the funds was “so wrong” given “the amount of media that’s given over to student debt – and students aren’t aware that this funding is out there”.