Cambridge University bursaries will help 'remove barriers'

Cambridge University said the bursary scheme would help undergraduates with living costs from October this year

Cambridge University will provide more than £100m in bursaries over the next 10 years to support students facing financial pressures, it said.

The university said its bursary scheme would help undergraduates at Cambridge with living costs from this October.

It said the threshold for eligibility would also rise from the current maximum household income of £42,620 to £62,215.

The enhanced bursary scheme was "about removing barriers", it said.

The university said it expected between 25% and 30% of students to be eligible for the support - currently it is about one in five.

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Professor Catherine Barnard, senior tutor at Trinity College, said: "The enhanced bursary scheme is about removing barriers, and helping students fully participate in university life.

"Our evidence suggests supporting students in this way not only improves their wellbeing but ensures they can thrive while studying at Cambridge."

Vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope said the scheme was "particularly relevant now" due to the impact of Covid-19

It comes as the most selective universities are under increased pressure to improve access to higher education for different groups of students including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The university said students from households with assessed incomes below £25,000 would receive the full amount of £3,500 a year, but those at the top end would receive £100.

Once the scheme was rolled out, about 700 low-income students who were eligible for free school meals would also qualify for an additional £1,000 a year.

Professor Stephen Toope, the university's vice-chancellor, said the scheme "wouldn't be possible without the generosity of donors", including alumni and friends of the institution.

He said its launch was "particularly relevant now, at a time when many families' incomes have been affected adversely by the Covid-19 pandemic".