Category: Students and Scholarships

Matt, an Architecture student, secured the Roysia Bursary during his third year at the University of Salford. The Roysia Foundation is a U.K. Charity dedicated to facilitating positive change in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Their focus is on promoting the value of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine, particularly with young people from diverse backgrounds. They have supported University of Salford students by providing bursaries since 2022.

As Matt comes to the end of his academic journey, he says, ‘as I reflect on the journey that the bursary has facilitated, the financial assistance received has been instrumental in various aspects of my academic pursuit. It enabled me to acquire essential model making equipment and materials, as well as digital model making and rendering software for my personal laptop.’ It is great to hear that Matt has been able to purchase valuable resources with the funds from Roysia.

The bursary has allowed Matt to be able to focus more on his academic studies, ‘focusing wholeheartedly on my studies without the need for part-time employment. This uninterrupted focus has been pivotal in my academic success, enabling me to delve deeper into my coursework and pursue additional learning opportunities.’

Matt is proud to share that he has produced some great work this academic year that has yielded fruitful results,

‘I am proud to share images of the site model that I’m currently constructing for my Design Studio module. The base has been constructed out of foam using a CNC router machine. In constructing this, I have gained valuable experience of various software that I had not previously used and although the model is not finished yet, I’m proud of how it turned out. The timber is me just trying some simple forms on the site in order to build a concept from.’

As Matt prepares to embark on the next chapter of his journey, he says, ‘I am confident that the skills and experiences gained during my time at the University of Salford will serve as a solid foundation for future endeavors. At the end of the academic year, we will be having an end of year show where my work will be pinned up and presented.’

We wish Matt he best of luck with his future goals and look forward to celebrating his achievements at graduation this summer.  

More information

Donor-Funded Scholarships and Bursaries make a huge difference to our student’s educational experience, it allows them to gain valuable experience and purchase materials to help with their studies, that may not have been possible before.

If you want to read more stories like Matts, click the drop under ‘Students and Scholarships’. If you want to help fund our scholarships, we would love to hear from you, you can email us at supporters@salford.ac.uk or simply donate here.

Caitlin is a second-year Sound Engineering and Production student who was awarded the Gittins Family Charitable Trust scholarship in Engineering due to her excellent academic record and strong application, in addition to her proactive nature. The Gittins Family Trust is a charity focused on supporting students in engineering, manufacturing, and health work and has supported the University since 2022 by providing diversity-focused scholarships to provide opportunities for more women in engineering, and men in nursing alongside students coming from low-income backgrounds.

Caitlin expresses that she ‘felt so lucky to be rewarded with the scholarship’ and was encouraged to apply due to support from mentors from our Go Beyond Event which is focused on supporting the growth and development of Women in Engineering. ‘When I was awarded the scholarship, I was so proud of myself! I had to write a piece on why I think I deserve the scholarship and for other people to see potential in me as well is such an amazing feeling.’

The scholarship funding has supported Caitlin to ‘gain valuable experience to be brought back to the classroom.’ Outside of studying Caitlin has been proactively seeking work experience in the world of sound engineering and production, she reached out to a live music venue local to her and got work experience doing sound mixing for performing bands for a few weeks.

The support from the scholarship has enabled Caitlin to gain access to amazing opportunities such as being a technical manager at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Caitlin has said, ‘this scholarship has helped me to fund my train tickets to be able to work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 and 2024’.

In addition to working at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Caitlin has worked at ‘Sounds from the other City’ (SFTOC) and Langworthy Live, ‘I feel I have not only gained experience, but I have gained a lot more confidence and have done a lot more events I feel I wouldn’t have done previously.’

Donor-Funded Scholarships and Bursaries make a huge difference to our students educational experience, it allows them to gain valuable experience and purchase materials to help with their studies, that may not have been possible before.

If you want to read more stories like Caitlins, click the drop under ‘Students and Scholarships’. If you want to help fund our scholarships, we would love to hear from you, you can email us at supporters@salford.ac.uk or simply donate here.

We caught up with Barakat Olagunju recently, a first year Architectural Engineering student who was awarded the Gerry Mason Engineering Scholarship because of her academic excellence, attainment, and strong application. The scholarship was established in 2015 in memory of Gerry Mason, who founded the Morson Group in 1969. The scholarship continues in his legacy by enabling budding engineers to study degree-level courses rooted in STEM. These scholarships alongside other projects have created a long-lasting partnership between the Morson Group and the University.

In the interview Barakat talks about the immense pride and sense of achievement she felt achieving the scholarship, as it has helped her access vital resources needed for her course.  Barakat was struggling to find an affordable computer and the news came at a perfect time, Barakat said, ‘I was surprised that I [received the scholarship] because, when I applied, I wasn’t thinking that I was going to get it. It came at the perfect time as I needed a computer for the course. Computers used for architecture are quite expensive as they need to run additional software.’

After buying her laptop, Barakat is now contemplating other ways to best to manage her money whilst studying but says the scholarship ‘helps me to feel a bit more eased about money. When people told me that university can be a bit of a struggle, I did not really believe them or understand what they meant until I got started,’ .

Barakat’s scholarship funding has already had tangible effects on her studies, by being able to focus on her academic work, reducing the amount of shifts she’s working, Barakat said, ‘I can work regular shifts instead of working extra shifts and I don’t have to worry about where I am going to get the money for the laptop anymore.’

While Barakat hasn’t decided on her future career just yet, she is interested in architectural engineering and wants to continue exploring that element within her course. The scholarship has empowered Barakat to believe that she can become an architectural engineer while raising the profile of women in STEM. It has also inspired her to give back in the future.

Barakat recommends that other students apply for donor-funded scholarship. Barakat provides some great advice to potential scholarship applicants in the future, ‘Even if you think that you might not get it, that is the worst possible scenario. The best possible scenario is you getting the scholarship. You don’t lose anything by applying but you give yourself the chance to gain a lot.’

Barakat is extremely grateful for the opportunity that the Morson Group have provided her, and it makes her happy to know that our supporters are providing scholarship programmes to help students to achieve their dreams, ‘It’s nice to know that there are people out there that are willing to support you. The fact that there is a whole programme shows that there are people out there that are willing to help other people. It’s nice to know that there are people like that.’

More information

Students can find out more by checking out our donor-funded scholarships or learn about further money advice and support.

Donor-funded scholarships and bursaries offer a financial lifeline to those who need it most. Securing a scholarship is not only a non-repayable reward for our students, but a moment of recognition and a vote of confidence that we believe in their potential. Find out more about opportunities to support our students on our website.

Chloe is a first-year student studying Biochemistry with one year of studies in the USA. Chloe is the newest student to receive the Steve Pearce Biochemistry Scholarship. Steve Pearce is a long-standing supporter of the university, is a Salford alumnus and Co-Founder and CEO of Omega Ingredients Ltd. Founded in 2001, Omega Ingredients Ltd, is an award-winning creator of specialist natural flavours, ingredients, and fragrances for manufacturers of food, beverages, and cosmetics products worldwide.

Chloe is thankful for the scholarship opportunity and it can allow her to, ‘spend more time either researching or participating in specific career related work/ lab experience and this is a crucial step into establishing my career again giving me another advantage.’ Chloe is still open different career paths within the scientific industry but says, ‘specifically, my main career aspiration is to become a clinical scientist in embryology/an embryologist. My interest in this first arose when a close family member went through fertility treatment, and I was able to witness the process firsthand.’

Chloe is strong academically and prides herself in achieving the best she can with her studies. Chloe has said, ‘academically, receiving the scholarship allows me to focus more on my academics ensuring that without the need to go to work my studies can be to their highest quality.’

We are extremely honoured that our community of donors support a range of life-changing scholarships across the University of Salford. For further insight into the incredible philanthropy in action at Salford, take a look at our donor case studies here. If you want to chat to us about supporting scholarships at the University of Salford, please contact us at supporters@salford.ac.uk.

We look forward to sharing more of our amazing scholar stories with you and how receiving a scholarship is making a huge difference to our student’s studies.

To find out more about the ways you can support vital scholarships at the University of Salford, visit Giving To Salford.

Matt Littlewood is a first year Architectural Engineering student at the University of Salford and is one of the first scholars to receive a Scholarship from Barratts. They are a leading national sustainable housebuilder, and are the headline partner of The University of Salford’s Friends of Energy House Labs charitable programme with a donation of £105,000 which has funded five scholarships and has contributed to towards the Impact Fund.

Matt is extremely grateful to Barratts for this scholarship as it will allow them to purchase materials that will support them to continue to excel on their course. Matt has said, ‘ my current laptop does not support the design software I need, I am therefore planning to use part of my scholarship to buy a new laptop. This will have a positive impact on my academic progress as it will speed up the turnaround time on the work I need to produce. This would not be possible without this scholarship.’

Matts future ambitions is to work in an architecture practice, ideally specialising in sustainable design as he feels this is an important area for the future. Matt is particularly interested in the Barratt’s Z-House which we are also very lucky to have here on our central campus. Matt said, ‘this is an amazing example of how future homes can be environmentally sustainable and is a source of inspiration.’

We look forward to hearing more about how Matt progresses further into his academic journey and growing as an industry professional.

To find out more about the ways you can support vital scholarships at the University of Salford, visit Giving To Salford.

The University of Salford is delighted to announce a new scholarship programme with the Asian Media Awards for an Asian applicant to prepare for a career in the creative industries.

The scholarship is a collaboration between the University and the national gala that will provide £10k for an applicant to study a three-year undergraduate programme in either television, film or media.

It comes as the University celebrates ten years as the premier partner of the Awards and has been running a campaign over recent months to celebrate the success of our graduates of Asian descent in the creative sectors, the Awards’ rise as a major media event and to help raise the profile of a career in these industries to those of Asian descent.

We recently caught up with Civil Engineering graduates Mia, Class of 2022, and Jagger, Class of 2019, who found employment at MGF after being financially and professionally supported by the company throughout their Salford journey.

Lee, a first year Mental Health Nurse, secured a scholarship from the Gittins Family Charitable Trust in 2022.

In the last academic year we joined forces with The Gittins Family Charitable Trust to address the gender imbalance in nurses, and to help to create a diverse student community. The Gittins Family Charitable Trust was established by Brian Gittins (prior to his death in 2016) together with his older sister Sheila Gittins. Its purpose is to encourage students into engineering, manufacturing and healthcare roles.

Ben, a 2022 BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering graduate, secured the TWf Scholarship during his second year, in recognition of his academic promise and interest in temporary works.

The TWf Scholarship is funded by the Temporary Works forum (TWf), an organisation which works with companies within the temporary works industry to encourage best practice and open discussion in the sector.

TWf scholars not only receive a financial award during their second and third year of study but are supported to undertake a research project in temporary works and develop links with industry, leading to brilliant employment opportunities.

Joe, a BA (Hons) Comedy Writing and Performance graduate, secured the Performance Graduate Scholarship in the summer of 2021, in recognition of the outstanding potential they displayed as a student at the University of Salford.

The Performance Graduate Scholarship is kindly funded by the University’s donor community, and was created to support our recent graduates during their first year after graduation as they strive to establish themselves in the creative industry.