Poorer students to get help to do Masters

York is a member of a consortium of six universities along with Leeds, Sheffield Manchester, Newcastle and Warwick which secured £3m funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to develop new ways of attracting and supporting students from poorer backgrounds into postgraduate study.

At York, the grant was used to promote access to taught Masters programmes starting in 2014/15. Now 68 students have been awarded the York Masters Opportunities Scholarship and will receive £10,000 in the form of a full fee waiver.

York University is to invest £680,000 under the HEFCE Postgraduate Support Scheme this academic year.

Simon Willis, the university’s director of student recruitment and admissions, said: “It has been shown that completing a postgraduate degree increases social mobility and plays a crucial part in creating a skilled workforce.

“The scholarships present a fantastic opportunity for these students to further their studies at one of the UK’s foremost universities.

“We place great importance on social inclusion at York and are very pleased to have been able to offer 68 full Masters scholarships to students who otherwise might not have had an opportunity to study at this level.”

The £3m funding secured by the consortium was part of £25m which was distributed to universities and colleges through the HEFCE’s Postgraduate Support Scheme.