This scheme supports students enrolled on an undergraduate degree course at a Scottish Institute of Higher Education who are not eligible for government funding for their tuition fees.

Our grants cover the cost of tuition fees, up to £1,820 per year for a full-time degree course.

Applicants making a request for funding to the Carnegie Trust need to demonstrate that their financial circumstances do not allow them to cover the cost of their tuition fees.

Note: Retrospective applications will not be accepted, nor will the Trust accept an application when the student has incurred tuition fee debts in a previous year of study and is unable to move to the next level of their course as a result.

To be considered for this grant you must:

• Live in a low income household;
• Reside in Scotland at the time of applying and have completed at least two full years of secondary education in Scotland, OR be able to demonstrate (to the Trust’s satisfaction) a substantial and recent connection to Scotland on the basis of residency, education (excluding university level education) or upbringing;
• Be entitled to remain indefinitely in the UK; OR
  • have Limited Leave to Remain under a visa that is valid for the entire duration of the course; OR
  • be an asylum seeker;
• Not be eligible for public funds (e.g. grants or loans) towards the cost of tuition fees, whether in Scotland, the UK or overseas;
• Not have already graduated with a university degree (see Course eligibility)

Notes:

• SAAS/SLC loans: Applicants eligible for a SAAS/Student Loans Company maintenance loan are expected to take full advantage of the loans available to them.
• SLC Loans: The Trust will not consider an application if you are eligible for support (including loans) from Student Finance England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or any loan or grant from an overseas government or agency.
• Successive applications for different courses: If you previously received funding from the Carnegie Trust for an undergraduate degree and now wish to start a different course, your application may not be considered – we reserve the right to ask for more information regarding your circumstances
• Part-time study: If you are a part-time student in receipt of tuition fee support from SAAS and are not eligible for any other grants, bursaries or loans, you may apply if the amount awarded by SAAS is less than the total amount of fees payable.
• Ties to Scotland: If you came to Scotland to study at university or college but have no experience of education in Scotland before that, and have no other ties to Scotland, you will not be considered eligible.
• 2nd Degrees: Exceptionally, applications from students who already have a university degree level qualification may be considered at the discretion of the Trust. If you have graduated before, please check the heading below Second degrees or contact the Trust to check your eligibility.
• Repeat years: in general the Trust will not fund more than one repeat year for the same course and student.

If you are not sure about your eligibility, submit an enquiry via UG-Fees@carnegie-trust.org.

Eligible courses

When you apply you must:

• Have an unconditional offer for , OR be a continuing student on, a full-time, part-time or distance learning undergraduate degree course in academic year 2024-25 at one of the following institutions:
  • universities: Aberdeen, Abertay, Dundee, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Heriot-Watt, Highlands and Islands, Queen Margaret, Robert Gordon, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde and West of Scotland;
  • the Glasgow School of Art;
  • the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland;

OR

• Have an unconditional offer for, OR be a continuing student on, a full-time, part-time or distance learning undergraduate degree course validated by one of these universities but delivered at a different institution located in Scotland (for example: Scotland’s Rural College or an FE College that delivers degree level courses).

Excluded courses

The following courses or study paths are not eligible for support:

• HNC and HND diploma courses
• Access courses
• Accelerated degree courses with a graduate entry
• Courses delivered by, or at, a university outside Scotland
• Courses at a Scottish Higher Education Institute delivered and validated by a university outside Scotland
• Open University courses
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses
• University courses below degree level, e.g. Diploma or Certificate courses
• Postgraduate degrees

The Carnegie Trust recognises that many individuals may have encountered difficulties in gaining employment after an undergraduate degree, have suffered career setbacks or experienced health or personal issues which have forced them to reconsider their career path. To this end, the Trust has set aside a budget to fund students who completed an undergraduate degree in the past and wish to start an undergraduate degree in a different field of study in academic year 2024-25.

The Trust will consider applications from students who meet the general eligibility criteria of the undergraduate tuition fee grant scheme AND also meet ALL the following criteria:

• They completed their first degree at least two years before the start of their new course;
• They will enter the first year of their course in academic year 2024-25;
• They have been unable to gain employment in the subject area of their previous degree, are unemployed, have been made redundant or are facing redundancy;
• They wish to reskill in a different field of study, unrelated to their previous qualifications (whether at undergraduate, postgraduate or vocational level) and recognised as being in a skills shortage area for the Scottish economy. Eligible undergraduate degree courses are (listed by subject area):
  • Medicine and health: medicine; dentistry; nursing; midwifery; medical and diagnostic radiography; paramedic science; speech and language therapy; occupational therapy; psychology (BSc); veterinary science
  • Social work
  • IT & Computing: software development and engineering; web design, cyber security; big data analysis
  • Engineering and architecture: civil, mechanical and electrical engineering; chemical and production engineering; building engineering, quantity surveying and architecture
  • Quantitative sciences: economics, actuarial science, statistics
  • Geosciences: geology; geochemistry; geophysics; hydrology
  • Biosciences: biology; biochemistry
  • Cultural and creative studies: performing arts; arts, culture and heritage studies, specifically management and enterprise studies in the heritage, creative and performing art sectors

In considering applications, the Trust will take into account, in addition to evidence of eligibility for this scheme, the following:

-previous qualifications (whether vocational, undergraduate or postgraduate)

-length of time since previous qualification was obtained

-current circumstances of the individual and motivations for returning to university in academic year 2024-25

Note:

Applications will be processed on a first come first served basis. This means that once the allocated budget has been reached, the Trust will review whether to increase the funding available.

Eligible courses are strictly limited to the subjects listed above.

Applicants must take full advantage of SAAS/Student Loans Company loans available to them.

No exceptions or exemptions will be made to any of the eligibility criteria.

Students who have already started a 2nd degree before academic year 2024-25 are not eligible to apply.

The awards cover tuition fees only, up to a maximum of £1,820.

Undergraduate tuition fee grants are designed to help students who do not have the financial resources to attend university. When assessing applications, the following household income thresholds are used as a guide:

Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. The Trust will take into account household income and other extenuating circumstances such as long term illness of the main earner, disabilities, being in local authority care, coming from a single parent family, redundancy etc. The Trust may require supporting evidence.

In 2023-24, the median household income of award-holders was £10,528 per year.

• All applications are made online. The online portal will be open from 1st June 2025 to 5pm 1st December 2025 for grants covering academic year 2025-2026.

Before you apply, complete the eligibility checker to make sure you are eligible to apply. Based on your answers, if you appear to be eligible, the Apply now button will appear. Use this to access the online application form, available as long as the scheme is open for applications.

Note: the result of the eligibility checker is indicative only and there is no guarantee that your application will be successful on the basis of the eligibility checker. The final outcome of your application will be determined by the information entered in your application and by the supporting evidence you provide.

Once you have submitted your complete application, you will receive an automatic reply confirming we have received it. You may need to check your spam folder for this email. If you do not receive this confirmation e-mail within 10 minutes, contact the Trust.

Retrospective or late applications

The Trust does not accept applications for previous years of study for which the student still owes tuition fees.

Late applications after the closing date will not be accepted, unless the student can demonstrate that they were first informed that SAAS would not be covering their fees after the Trust’s online portal has closed.

Decisions

You will be notified of the outcome of your applications within two to three weeks, providing you have submitted all the requested information and your referee responds to our request for a reference in a timely fashion.

Once a decision has been reached, we will send an email to notify you of the outcome, using the address you listed on your application form.

Supporting evidence

The documents listed below should be uploaded with your application form.

Note: the Trust reserves the right to request further information/evidence from applicants to assess their situation.

If you are eligible for a SAAS/Student Loans Company maintenance loan you will need to upload:

1. Evidence of applicant eligibility;

• if applying on the basis of 2 years of secondary schooling in Scotland this would be your passport or driver’s license and ONE of the following; Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) transcript, secondary school attendance record, school qualification certificates OR a letter from your school or college confirming dates of attendance.
• If applying on the basis of a substantial connection to Scotland please contact the Trust to discuss.

2. Letter of acceptance for your university course (or evidence you have enrolled if a returning student) which should state your name, course title, degree type and fee amount charged;

3. SAAS award notice letter showing a) you are not eligible for tuition fee support and b) the amount of maintenance loan awarded to you.

If you are not eligible for a SAAS/ Student Loans Company maintenance loan you will need to upload:

1. Evidence of applicant eligibility;

• if applying on the basis of 2 years of secondary schooling in Scotland this would be your passport or driver’s license and ONE of the following; Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) transcript, secondary school attendance record, school qualification certificates OR a letter from your school or college confirming dates of attendance.
• If applying on the basis of a substantial connection to Scotland please contact the Trust to discuss.

2. Letter of acceptance for your university course (or evidence you have enrolled if a returning student) which should state your name, course title, degree type and fee amount charged;

3. P60 (or equivalent document) for the tax year ending April 2024, or the last three pay slips for:

• the applicant if over 25, as well as for the applicant’s spouse or partner (if cohabiting);
• the applicant’s parent(s) or guardian(s) if aged 25 or under.

Acceptable formats for supporting evidence

The supporting evidence can be submitted in the following formats:

• scanned copies;
• images taken on a mobile if you do not have a scanner.

Note: there is a 5MB size limit on each file you submit online.

Regulations

Tuition fee guidance