Aspire Travel Scholarships
Guidance Notes 2024-25
Who can apply for these schemes?
For all of the schemes in this group of scholarships, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be registered on a first full time undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham (UK Campus)
- Not be receiving external sponsorship for your course e.g. from industry/employers (University bursaries and Government grants do not affect your eligibility)
In addition to this core criteria there are additional criteria specific to each scheme (see scholarship specific information below).
Can I get more than one of these awards?
Applicants will not normally receive more than one award from this range of scholarships. This is in order to maximise the impact of these funds by ensuring that as many individual students as possible receive help.
When is the closing date and when will I know if I’ve been made an award?
The closing date for submitting this form is 16th May 2025. Applications will be looked at once the closing date has passed and all applicants will be informed by email to their University email account of the outcome of their application within 4 weeks of the closing date.
What is a Home student (Question10)?
Your student finance company (i.e. Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Student Awards Agency for Scotland—SAAS) will decide your residency status. To be classed as a Home student you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the three year period prior to the start of your course. Students granted refugee status and European migrant workers may also be eligible. If you are unsure of your status contact Student Finance for further information.
What counts as “previous study” (Question 11)?
The aim of these awards is to assist students who are entering Higher Education for the first time. Anyone that has undertaken previous studies that resulted in a Certificate or Diploma level qualification being awarded or who has studied at the Open University for Level 2 courses or above, is ineligible for these awards. Any false starts on such courses (i.e. where less than a year of study was completed) will not be counted as previous study.
What is “Household Income” (Question 13)?
Your household income is the gross income of all those in your household (e.g. your parents or your partner) before tax and national insurance deductions but minus a few allowable deductions. These can include pension payments and allowances for other dependant children. More information is available from www.gov.uk/student-finance. Your household income will be calculated when you apply for your government support funding (Student Loans and Grants).
What should be included in your “Supporting Statement”?
As these Scholarships are competitive you should use this opportunity to highlight any extra responsibilities or commitments you have (e.g. Having to care for a family member, voluntary/charity work) and/or any specific difficulties/challenges which you have faced or expect to have to overcome as you work towards your degree (e.g. Ill health, a disability, financial difficulties). Your should also highlight any information which relates to the “additional factors considered” (see below) of the fund/s for which you’re applying.
How to appeal
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your application, you should initially contact the Funding & Financial Support team to discuss your concerns (see contact details above). If after an explanation of the assessment you believe there has been an error or procedural inconsistency and you wish to appeal you should email the Funding Manager detailing the basis of your appeal. Please send your email to john.hudson@nottingham.ac.uk and copy in financialsupport@nottingham.ac.uk
Appeals must be lodged within 2 weeks of the date of the email notifying you of the initial outcome. You will be contacted within 7 working days of receipt of the appeal with confirmation of the outcome of the appeal. Please note that the Funding & Financial Support Management’s decision on appeals is final.
Details about the Funding & Financial Support appeal process can be requested from the team at any point and this does not affect your right to raise an official complaint. Further details can also be found at:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/support/financialsupport/Appeals.aspx
Data Protection and Confidentiality:
All information and supporting documentation supplied by you with this application will be used for the sole purpose of assessing your application. Your application and some related information, including the outcome of the application, will be held and maintained in accordance with the provisions of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The data will not be passed to any other third party without your consent, except when the University is required to do so by law.
For our full Data Protection and Confidentiality Statement, please see https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/support/financialsupport/data-protection.aspx
If you have any questions about completing the application form or want more information about any area of student support funding then please contact us. We can provide information and advice on all aspects of student finance including Government and University student support funds.
Funding and Financial Support team contact details:
https://student-enquiries.nottingham.ac.uk/
www.nottingham.ac.uk/financialsupport
You can also find information on the comprehensive range of support services offered by the University of Nottingham at www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices
The Scholarships: Information and Additional Criteria
The N Horton Smith & Aspire Travel Scholarship
The N Horton Smith & Aspire Travelling Scholarship was established in 1987 in memory of N Horton Smith, who joined the University in 1946 as assistant Lecturer in German and retired in 1979 as Professor of German, to assist with travel abroad related to their studies. Award amounts vary, but typically this fund provides three awards of £500 each.
Additional eligibility criteria:
- The Scholarship shall be open to all undergraduates of the University and is awarded annually, but no more than once to the same person.
- Applicants must be undertaking travel related to study.
- No award will be made unless applications of sufficient merit are received.
Additional factors considered:
- Interest and ability in languages, music and/or fine art.
The Oblath International Enrichment Scholarship
The Oblath International Enrichment Scholarship is a fund for year 2, 3 and 4 *home full time undergraduate students who are participating in an international travel opportunity as part or related to their study.
There will be 6 awards. Award amounts vary depending on the strength of the application, but typically this fund provides awards ranging from £750—£1000.
Additional eligibility criteria. Applicants must:
- Be a home undergraduate student at the University of Nottingham in year 2, 3 or 4 of study.
- Have completed at least one year of study at the University of Nottingham and be on track for a minimum grade of 2:1 in their studies so far.
- Be travelling abroad in the subsequent academic year as part of study or related to study.
- Have a household income of below £35,000 as assessed by Student Finance.
The Catherine Williamson Travel Scholarship
Established in 1968, the aim of the travelling scholarship is to provide funding for current and former residents of Willoughby Hall to assist with travel abroad related to their university studies in the following academic year.
Award amounts vary depending on the strength of the successful application, but typically this fund provides awards ranging from £200 to £1,000.
Additional eligibility criteria. Applicants must:
- Be a resident, or former resident, of Willoughby Hall.
- Have Home funding status (see note on page 1).
- Be registered on a first full time undergraduate course at The University of Nottingham.
- Be in financial need due to travelling aboard in the following academic year.
The Monica Partridge Travel Scholarship
The Monica Partridge Travel Scholarship was established in 2015 in memory of Monica Partridge who joined the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies at the University in 1947 and retired in 1980 as Professor of Slavonic Studies.
This fund is to assist students with travel abroad related to their studies and will provide two awards of £500 each.
Additional eligibility criteria. Applicants must:
- Have Home funding status.
- Be a registered student on an undergraduate language course with an element of Russian or Serbian/Croatian.
- Be in the second year of the degree course.
- Be taking compulsory study abroad in the subsequent academic year.
- Be eligible for full UK government student financial support (i.e. assessed household income below £25,000)
Where more than two applicants meet the criteria, assessment will be on the basis of household income. In the event of applicants having the same household income figure their average mark from the previous academic year will be used to determine the outcome.
Apply here - https://forms.office.com/e/M8HGsdCWqf
What happens if I am successful but subsequently do not undertake my travel abroad?
These awards are conditional on the applicant undertaking travel abroad. Should the applicant not undertake the relevant travel abroad, they will no longer be eligible for the award and should advise the Financial Support team at the earliest available opportunity. If the award has already been paid the applicant may be required to repay the award in full.