Escape the rough with a student scholarship
TENS of thousands of A-level students celebrating success last week will now have to face up to the financial facts of spending three or four years at university.
With the average student debt for those starting next month predicted at £53,000 on graduation, many families face a hefty financial commitment that could prove crippling if they are not prepared. But there are ways to cut the cost of studying, or even graduate debt-free.
Experts urge prospective students to think creatively, using their sporting talent to procure scholarships in the US, applying to universities in European countries where fees are lower or even non-existent, or applying for bursaries in the UK.
‘The savings are clear,’ says Mark Huntingdon, who runs A Star Future, a free advisory service to Britons considering universities abroad.
‘It is possible to study courses taught in English in popular subjects such as psychology and law without paying English tuition fees.’
He says that popular universities overseas, such as the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, could see its number of UK students double this year as students seek refuge from sky-high tuition fees.
Fees for most Dutch university courses are just €1,906 a year (£1,500), as opposed to up to £9,000 a year in England. Irish Universities, such as the prestigious Trinity College, Dublin, charge no tuition fees to European Union nationals, though students have to pay a service charge of €2,500 a year.
Other EU countries, such as Denmark, have no tuition fees, though Huntingdon says it would be harder to find suitable courses taught in English in these countries.
He adds: ‘Prospective students need to think about their social lives as well as their studies. For most of the students who come to us to talk about studying abroad, cost is one factor, but it isn’t the only one.’
Students with sporting talent could also graduate debt-free if they apply to universities in the US. Norman Renshaw, of InTuition Scholarships, says that sporty girls have a particular advantage obtaining scholarships to US universities.
Grants for women are boosted by a Federal law called Title 9 that forces colleges to fund female sport to the same extent as male sport. Renshaw says: ‘Many of these scholarships are not even taken up.’
Studying in the US can be expensive otherwise, with top Ivy League Universities such as Harvard charging $40,000 (£24,000) in tuition fees and Yale $43,100.
But in some cases a sports scholarship will cover all of a student’s fees and living costs. Renshaw says: ‘Though US college fees have a reputation for being high, they have a strong tradition of providing generous bursaries and scholarships. Sport is huge at US colleges and they are keen to attract new talent.’
It is possible to apply for scholarships direct, though you will spend a lot of time writing to individual sports coaches at universities. Services such as InTuition and College Scholarships USA may boost your chances by providing contacts and a chance to play in front of coaches.
InTuition takes students on a trip to Florida, where they show their skills in front of 150 college coaches. Renshaw says: ‘Many of the students get several scholarship offers. Sports such as tennis, golf, football and basketball are some of the most popular. The average pay out of scholarships for females represents half of the cost of tuition, board and lodgings, reducing the total cost to less than $12,000 a year.’
With the strong pound that works out at £7,000, compared with £9,000 in England for tuition only – although there is no access to the student loans available in the UK.
Renshaw says even girls who play sport only at school or college level may be eligible for scholarships. He adds: ‘The reality is that few make it to professional level, but using your sports ability is an astute way of financing your degree.
‘As long as students go knowing they are there to take a degree but have the opportunity to play sport at a high level, they can live in a different culture, get a great degree and the kudos of a scholarship.’
InTuition works on a ‘no-win, nofee’ system, charging students only if they secure an award. College Scholarships USA charges a fee, but refused to reveal how much it is.
For English students wishing to study in the UK, cutting the cost of university fees is harder. However, students who study medicine, dentistry or healthcare may be eligible for an NHS bursary, which does not have to be paid back.
There are details of how to apply on the Government website gov.uk. You can also find details of scholarships specific to each UK university at scholarship-search.org.uk.
Some of these are decided purely on academic merit, while others are for certain sections of society, for example, students leaving care, or disabled students.
You can also find several up for grabs at thescholarshiphub.org.uk, including a £9,000 fee waiver at Bournemouth University for a ‘promising’ female student of science, technology, engineering or maths, while a Birmingham-based student of architecture or construction at a local university can get up to £8,500 from the city council.
Some bursaries are paid automatically to those who accept their place. Glasgow University, for example, pays £1,000 to all students coming from England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the start of their first year only – a small compensation for having to pay tuition fees of £6,750 a year over four years while their fellow students from Scotland and non-UK European Union countries pay nothing.
For parents and children unable to use any of these solutions, it is worth remembering that students can access Government-backed tuition and maintenance loans, which they will not have to pay back until they start earning over £21,000 a year.