There’s just over two weeks remaining to grab the opportunity of a lifetime, and apply for the 2023 Millennium Point Trust Scholarship and help is at hand for any students in need of support to complete their application.
Submissions close on March 23rd for the chance to win a fully paid-for degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). The programme, now in its ninth year, offers one lucky undergraduate complete funding for their degree, from a choice of over 20 courses at the faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University (BCU). The scholarship is the flagship initiative from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust and is fully funded by the charity.
A shortlist of candidates will be invited to present to a panel of judges at an Assessment Day, with the winner announced a few weeks later.
The Millennium Point Trust team is on hand to help any students looking to apply – simply email [email protected].
We asked our previous winners for tips
We have also enlisted the assistance of former scholarship winners, who have been through the process and know a few ‘tricks of the trade’.
Ryan Dowell, who won the scholarship in 2018, graduated with a first-class honours degree in Civil Engineering, in 2021. He is currently working in Dublin, on the graduate programme at Ireland’s leading builder and contractor John Sisk and Son. Ryan has already worked on the landmark Fibonacci Square project for Meta, and is now working on 4 Park Place, in the heart of the Irish capital.
Ryan commented: “The scholarship was a key point in my development – before this point I had not delivered a presentation to a large group. I can confidently say that the experience helped build my confidence when speaking to people who I do not know. The location and people I have met have also made the choice to attend BCU one of the best I made.”
Ryan’s top tips for applicants:
- Make sure you are open and honest when you are writing your application. Show who you truly are and what this opportunity will mean to you.
- When choosing your topic – first and foremost – elect for a topic that you find interesting. Having a specific topic, you are passionate about will motivate you to find those little bits of information that will elevate your presentation.
- Keep your presentation simple, adding in some key terms and jargon is all well and good but you will be relying on remembering your words. Having a streamlined and simple presentation will help you in remembering and delivering a cohesive and collected presentation.
- Practise several times until you can remember your key overarching points well.
Asima Adnan from Dudley, the 2021 Scholarship winner, is currently in her second year of studying for a degree in Planning at BCU. She commented: “Winning the scholarship was a wonderful surprise. It allowed me as a single mom to concentrate on building myself as a strong academic individual rather than to worry about how to financially pay back for what I have achieved. Millennium Point has given me the financial and emotional support I need to continue progressing into achieving my degree.”
Applications are only being accepted from students in the West Midlands region, who cannot already be studying for an undergraduate degree. Submissions are particularly being encouraged from traditionally marginalised groups in the field of STEM.
All of the commercial activity that takes place in the Millennium Point building feeds back into the Millennium Point Charitable Trust, enabling the charity to donate, invest and facilitate more than £3.25m to STEM related organisations, projects and initiatives in the West Midlands, during 2022.
For more information, visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship
We were excited to welcome 250 school children from Hodge Hill for the launch of Generation Earthshot in February.
Led by Liam Byrne MP, Generation Earthshot is an East Birmingham version of Prince William’s ‘Earthshot Prize’ to raise awareness of the climate change challenge and encourage young people’s creativity in providing solutions. Hodge Hill schools will pick one of the below five climate challenges and develop a practical solution that can be implemented locally.
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean Our Air
- Revive Our Water
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix Our Climate
“Our young people are amazing. And right now, we need their passion, creativity and their brainpower to help us save the planet. I don’t think there’s anywhere better to unlock this genius than here in Birmingham. Centuries ago, we were the home of the industrial revolution. Now we must become the home of the green revolution.”
Liam Byrne MP Birmingham Hodge Hill
To help inspire their imagination, the children were joined by Liam, Millennium Point CEO Abbie Vlahakis, and industry leaders and experts from companies such as Wildlife Trust Birmingham & Black Country, Severn Trent Water, and Tyseley Energy.
‘I’m thrilled that Millennium Point is supporting Generation Earthshot and it’s mission to empower young people to create a greener future. The team at Millennium Point is constantly investigating ways to be more sustainable and so I’m excited to hear the students’ ideas for protecting our planet.’
Abbie Vlahakis CEO Millennium Point
The school children are now developing their solutions to present in the final at Millennium Point this summer. Thousands of pounds in prizes will be awarded to the schools whose teams produce the best projects so that their proposals can be turned into reality. We can’t wait to hear their ideas!
Why Millennium Point get involved
As a multi-award-winning charity in the heart of Birmingham who champion STEM education, it is vital we play our part in supporting initiatives like Generation Earthshot.
This is just one of the ways we support STEM and schools in the West Midlands. Discover more on how we support education in the West Midlands in our brochure.
Hall Green School is a secondary school located in Birmingham, with a track record of high standards and inclusivity for pupils of all backgrounds and abilities.
The challenge
The school’s budget had become stretched with increasingly less money available for significant investment in equipment. They realised that, even with a money-saving plan, only basic equipment could be purchased which risked leaving their pupils uninspired.
Hall Green wanted to use the Millennium Point Trust Grant to fund their STEM week. Their aim was to inspire young people to learn about STEM careers such as engineering, science and other jobs that they may have never thought were accessible to them.
What impact has it made?
The Grant paid for workshops throughout the week including hiring a planetarium so students could travel through the stars in an immersive environment.
Hall Green School also launched a stargazing club for interested students who could learn about space, physics, and other astronomy topics.
Tying in with STEM week the school ran a competition to create a project on space with STEM prizes on offer. Talented students created posters, dioramas, and essays all around space and technology. The winner created a model of an astronaut walking on the moon and wrote a story about an alien visiting Earth for the first time. Four talented runners up also won prizes including a telescope, museum tickets and a light-up model of the moon.
Why did they receive a Grant?
When visiting Hall Green it was instantly reaffirmed why they deserved the Grant. The teachers who were strong ambassadors of STEM wanted to promote why knowing about space was important in the curriculum. They spoke about how in the future there is a possibility that people will visit the Moon again, as well as potentially voyage to Mars. This generation of students will most likely be the people working on these projects in their careers, heightening the importance of teaching it as a career option and school topic now.
Discover more about Millennium Point Trust
Our multi-award-winning charitable trust invests more than £3m each year towards furthering STEM education within the West Midlands.
Over the years we have provided funding to Scholarships, Grants and projects that benefit the region. Find out more about our Trust in our brand new brochure here.
Applications are open for our life changing Scholarship programme. The programme, now in its ninth year, offers one lucky undergraduate complete funding for their degree, from a choice of over 20 courses at the faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University.
With many courses to choose from, we understand there’s a lot to take in, below we have broken these down to give you an insight into what’s available and what career paths you can take with each subject.
Engineering
A degree in engineering welcomes you to an ever evolving and diverse industry. This exciting opportunity offers lots of career paths where you can innovate and shape the world we live in.
Engineering courses available:
- Automotive Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Digital Technology
The digital industry is forever evolving, offering lots of opportunities within the film industry, gaming, music and visual effects. If you’re creative and like being at the centre of digital innovation, a career in digital technology is for you.
Digital Technology courses available:
- Digital Media Computing
- Digital Film Production
- Visual Effects
- Music Technology
- Sound Engineering and Production
Computing
Computing is at the centre of most industries in some shape or form. With this brings multiple opportunities across a number of computing specialisms, ranging from computer science to digital forensics.
Computing courses available:
- Business Information Technology
- Computer Games Technology
- Computer Networks and Security
- Computer Science
- Digital Forensics
- Computing and Information Technology
- Cyber Security
- Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence
Built Environment
Birmingham has seen some exciting developments over recent years, with plenty more in the pipeline. Want to be part of future planning and developments that innovate and enhance cities across the UK? Then a career in Built Environment is just for you.
Built Environment courses available:
- Architectural Technology
- Building Surveying
- Construction Management
- Quantity Surveying
- Real Estate
Begin your journey by applying for a Scholarship
Applications are straight forward and can be done by visiting our dedicated application page here. In order to apply you must live in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and be 18 years of age by, and looking to start an undergraduate degree in September 2023. Applications close on Friday 17th March 2023.
Our team are here to help every step of the way
We want everyone to have the best chance of success when applying for our Scholarship scheme, and realise ‘bigging yourself up’ can be a little daunting. That’s why we have created a helpful guide to aid you through your application.
You can always contact our friendly Trust team for any other enquiries you may have.
Grant funding is a great opportunity for businesses and organisations to start a project that they would struggle to fund with their own money.
Grants can be given for different types of projects including education and environment led work. At Millennium Point we offer grant funding for STEM-related projects to help encourage children to pursue a career within the industry.
So what is grant funding and how could it help you?
What is grant funding?
Grant funding helps encourage companies to take risks and drive growth, through giving them the opportunity to invest in projects that may have been too risky or expensive for them to invest in themselves.
For example, £15.5 million of the Levelling Up Fund is going to be used to restore Moseley Road Baths heritage funding. The fund will also help make it more accessible and prevent further decline.
The baths originally opened in 1907 and have been a part of the Balsall Heath community for 115 years. This highlights the huge positive impacts grant funding can have on both organisations and buildings, as well as communities.
To learn more about the Levelling Up Funding going into the Moseley Road Baths, visit the government website.
How does grant funding work?
Grant funding works differently depending on the funding body’s application progress. For example their could be various stages such as:
- Expression of interest
- Multi-stage application forms
- Interviews
How to find the right grant funding opportunity
Applying to grants can be extremely time consuming, even when the grant may not be offering a large sum of money.
Due to this and the fact that grant funding opportunities can have low success rates, you want to make sure that you read grant guidelines carefully and understand what they’re offering so that you don’t waste your time.
What should you look out for?
When applying for grant funding opportunities, you should look out for:
- Eligibility criteria – Such as location, organisation size or project aim.
- Any exclusions – These could be based on location or annual income.
- The objectives the grant aims to achieve – This could be objectives like funding opportunities to further education or buying equipment to improve people’s lives.
Examples of criteria you may need to meet
Grants may require you to meet a number of criteria, such as:
- Where you’re located.
- Your annual business income.
- The type of organisation you are.
- The total cost of your proposed project.
- The size of the grant you need.
- The length of time your organisation has been running for.
Further research
When looking at grant funding opportunities, it’s important to further research the grant and the funding body offering it, so that you fully understand what you’re applying for and whether it meets your needs.
You can do this by:
- Visiting their website and looking at previous projects.
- Looking at their website to see if they have published any annual reports of previous projects.
- Call or email the funding body to ask any questions and find out more information.
Grant funding opportunities at Millennium Point
Every year the Millennium Point Charitable Trust provides funding to not-for-profit organisations, schools and colleges across the West Midlands combined area.
Applicants can apply for up to £20,000 to fund their STEM-related projects, depending on whether they meet eligibility criteria.
Over the last 5 years, The Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2,100,706 to help fund STEM-related projects.
Visit our website today to learn more about our grant opportunities.
How has Millennium Point supported groups through their grant funding opportunities?
Millennium Point has supported a multitude of businesses in funding their STEM-related projects, helping to improve STEM teaching for children of all ages, across the West Midlands combined area.
Below are 3 examples of not-for-profit organisations and schools Millennium Point have supported through their grant.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust’s grant opportunities allowed the Botanical Gardens to introduce their sensational science sessions that give children the opportunity to undertake science experiments they may not be able to do at school.
This has helped to get children further involved in science and the Botanical gardens as well, helping to improve the standard of teaching within the STEM curriculum.
To learn more about how Millennium Point supported the Botanical Gardens, visit our Youtube channel today.
Ark Trindal Primary
The grant from Millennium Point’s Charitable Trust allowed Ark Trindal to bring the science curriculum to life with an outdoor teaching space, which included a science garden with a renewable energy area. This has helped the school make teaching science more fun and hands-on, enabling children to learn through sight and touch.
Ark Trindal Primary found the grant really quick and simple to apply for and has helped the school out massively in terms of teaching and engaging students in the science curriculum.
To learn more about Ark Trindal’s project and how Millennium Point supported them, watch our short video today.
King Solomon School: Breaking barriers
The grant Millennium Point provided for King Solomon School enabled them to create their project, ‘breaking the barriers of STEM’.
The project included building a sensory garden and utilising an old car park that was a part of their playground and turning it into a safe, quiet and peaceful area where children can engage with outdoor learning.
The grant has allowed the school to develop areas for children to engage in science lessons in a physical way, while bringing the community of parents and grandparents together through them donating plants to the schools sensory garden.
To learn more about King Solomon School’s breaking the barriers of STEM project, visit our YouTube channel today.
Get in touch with Millennium Point today!
Here at Millennium Point we want to support as many people and children as possible and encourage them to pursue further education and careers within the STEM industries, highlighting why we started our grant funding opportunities.
To discover more about whether Millennium Point’s Charitable Trust grant can help you, get in touch today!
It’s already widely known that females are massively underrepresented in STEM education, but what is being done to change this? Currently females make up 28% of the science, engineering, technology and maths workforce, highlighting that males outnumber females in the STEM industry.
What is STEM Education?
STEM education is all about teaching students science, technology, engineering and maths.
Rather than teaching these subjects separately, STEM uses a combined applied approach to encourage and better equip students to consider careers within STEM.
Why is there a lack of females in STEM Education?
There is a noticeable difference between the amount of females and males in STEM education that decreases continually after GCSE level education. After GCSEs, only 35% of females choose to study STEM subjects, with this decreasing to 25% of females choosing to study them at university.
Students, and people more generally, are often misled into thinking that STEM subjects are ‘meant for boys’ which can therefore be off-putting for girls to apply for or sit in classes where they may be one of a few girls or even the only girl in the class.
How can we change this and encourage more girls to apply for STEM subjects and consider a career in the industry?
Improve job satisfaction
Research shows that 1 in 10 girls want a job that makes a contribution to society. Due to this, more should be done to highlight that studying STEM subjects can lead to a career where girls can meet their ambitions to make a contribution to society. This will help close the gender gap by encouraging more girls to study STEM subjects relating to their aspirations.
Showcase more role models in STEM industries
Showcasing more female role models in STEM industries will help encourage girls to consider STEM subjects and careers as they can be inspired by someone more like them. This could be done by including more female role models in school career days.
Furthermore, universities could have more female lecturers, helping encourage girls to pursue university degrees, by providing a female role model that understands the career path they want to pursue.
What problems do females face in STEM industries?
Over half of females in a male dominated STEM workplace have felt some kind of discrimination while at work.
Furthermore, 1 in 5 women stated that, before the Me Too movement, they felt being female had held them back from succeeding at work and gaining promotions.
Women also face problems such as:
- Not receiving promotions – 40% of women have missed out on a promotion that was given to a less qualified male. As a result, women have considered changing employers to attain a promotion.
- Not receiving a good work life balance – Women understand that keeping a work life balance is hard, but they would like more opportunities to balance working and spending time with their family.
- Not receiving equal pay – Men and women tend not to receive equal pay in tech. If they were paid equally, STEM education and careers may attract more women.
What can education and not for profit leaders do to close the gender gap?
Education and not for profit leaders can make small changes to the way schools deliver STEM education to females to help close the gender gap.
For example education and not for profit leaders could:
Generate excitement
Generating excitement around the creative opportunities STEM education can give to females could help encourage them to further study science, technology, engineering and maths.
Excitement can be generated by:
- Decorating classrooms with posters and displays that show how creativity can be utilised within STEM.
- Experiment with ways to debunk myths about STEM and highlight the relevance it has to the real world.
- Share any interesting news, classes, competitions or case studies relating to STEM with students.
Provide hands-on experience
With 47% of women saying they learn best with hands-on experience, it’s important to mix theory with hands-on learning. This allows all types of learners to access teaching in the way that best suits them, helping them thrive in STEM education and making them more likely to study these subjects in further education.
Hands on experience can be provided by:
- Introducing STEM and computer science at an early age.
- Offering STEM clubs and activities during and after school, such as coding and science clubs.
- Offering school trips to STEM related centres and museums.
Encourage a growth mindset
Encouraging a growth mindset among both students and teachers will help to open doors into the STEM industry and encourage teachers to do more to support students going into STEM related subjects.
Encouraging a growth mindset could be done by:
- Encouraging teachers to support students through all areas of the learning process, including asking questions and failures.
- Exploring different ways to implement STEM subjects into learning models, for example including computer science in the learning curriculum.
- Including ‘learn by doing’ apps into classes and homework tasks.
- Reaching out to other schools that are leading the way in STEM education to ask for advice or collaborate on teaching and holding after school STEM related clubs.
How have female positions in STEM education changed since 2015?
In physical sciences and engineering and tech, the percentage of female graduates has increased since 2015, however there has only been a tiny improvement. Similarly, female graduates in mathematical sciences decreased by 1% in 2018/2019 compared to 2015/16. However, female graduates in computer science dropped between 2016 and 2017, but increased to 16% of graduates in 2018/2019.
While it’s great that we’re seeing an increase in female graduates in STEM related subjects, it’s clear that there’s a lot more educators and not for profit organisations can be doing to help encourage more females to enter STEM related subjects.
How can Millennium Point help close the gender gap in STEM education?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust has created the STEM roundtable to help bring together STEM industries, primary and secondary education, further education and not-for-profits in STEM sectors.
What’s the purpose of the working group?
- To provide a platform for support and communication to facilitate the sharing of ideas and cross-collaboration for the development of STEM projects.
- To shape the future of STEM learning, starting in the West Midlands by making affirmative action that creates positive change in STEM education and industry.
- To reverse current negative STEM trends by bridging the skills gap and ensuring every child has an opportunity to develop a career in STEM.
- To increase home grown STEM talent by creating a legacy that will nurture local and national talent that will allow the UK to be a major competitor on the global stage.
Millennium Point’s 2024 Scholarship application is now open. For more information on how to apply or get involved in the Scholarship program please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we thought we would share our special offer to treat that special person in your life this year.
Whether it’s a friend, partner, or family, purchase tickets to our Greatest Showman with Wine event before the 17th February and we’ll give each guest a mini bottle of prosecco to enjoy before the event. What’s not to love?
Millennium Point have once again teamed up with innovative event specialists The Wine & Events Company to present a fun and unique showing of the smash hit musical, The Greatest Showman, alongside five wines and a very big screen.
Tickets are just £33.95 (plus fees) and takes place Saturday 22nd April at 7pm and available for purchase on Eventbrite.
‘So why don’t we rewrite the stars?’
Orphaned, penniless, but ambitious -and with a mind crammed with imagination and fresh ideas, the American entertainer, Phineas Taylor Barnum (Hugh Jackman), will always be remembered as the Mn with the gift to blue the line between reality and fiction. Thirsty for innovation and hungry for success, the son of a tailor manages to open a wax museum; however, he soon shifts focus to the unique and the peculiar, introducing extraordinary, never-seen-before, live acts on the circus stage. Now, some people call Barnum’s rich collection of oddities, an outright freakshow, but when Phineas, obsessed for cheers and respectability, gambles everything on the opera singer, Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), to appeal to a high-brow audience, he will lose sight of the most crucial aspect of his life, his family. Will Barnum, the greatest showman, risk it all to be accepted?
‘I wish for happiness like this forever’, you after five wines, probably
Tickets are priced at £33.95 (plus fees) and you’ll get more than just a screening!
The Greatest Showman on a very big screen
Hosted in our giant screen Auditorium – previously the region’s biggest and best IMAX – our host Tony Elvin, from film geeks The Wine and Events Company, will be providing entertainment and movie trivia throughout. For example, did you know Zendaya did all her own trapeze stunts? We definitely won’t be trying that on the night!
Along with all of this, the film will be paused at intervals so you can enjoy five themed wines.
Getting to Millennium Point
Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5 minutes’ walk from Moor Street and 15 minutes’ walk from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to get to regardless of how you travel. For more information, please click here.
Feel the love this Valentines Day when booking your event with 20% off room hire when booking with Millennium Point.
With a versatile range of both public and private spaces for hire, Millennium Point is the ideal location for exhibition and networking, launches and banqueting, and interviews and performances. The five-storey central Atrium provides a modern public setting with high footfall, whilst connect provides a discreet setting for private meetings and events, and our auditorium is the perfect location for film screenings, award ceremonies, conferences, lectures, product launches, and AGM’s.
T&C’s – Event bookings must take place between 10th July and 30th September 2023. All bookings must be confirmed by the 31st March 2023. To apply the discount quote MPLOVE23 in your enquiry.
Loved by our customers, Auditorium
A great alternative to cabaret and accommodating up to 354 delegates, Auditorium at Millennium Point is the perfect location for conferences, lectures, product launches, AGM’s, award ceremonies and film screenings. Featuring a 30m2 stage and a giant screen with a projector that can show up to 4k, this space is perfect for making a big impression. With tiered seating, your guests will always have clear sight of the stage ensuring they won’t miss anything during your event.
The space has multiple branding opportunities such as changing light settings to match your brand colours to truly make it tailored to you. In addition to your booking add digital screen sets to your event to really promote your brand during the event.
Auditorium is also equipped with the latest range of hybrid and live streaming capabilities. By choosing the Auditorium Hybrid Conference package you widen the scope, impact, and profit of your event by increasing the number of delegates beyond the physical capacity of the venue. Your event can reach out to new audiences who can engage with your event wherever they are around the globe.
Ask a member of our friendly events team for a site visit and bring your laptop, we guarantee that seeing your content on our giant screen will blow your mind.
Build a partnership in Connect
Connect is a mini venue all on its own. There is Connect Event Space and Connect 1-3. Hire them all or pick and choose what works for your event.
Connect Event Space is a truly flexible approach to meetings and conferences, Connect Event Space provides the latest in AV and presentation facilities and high speed wi-fi for up to 85 guests. There are different set ups available and seating arrangements allowing you to be able to reach your audience how you want.
The retractable walls ensure you can create the ideal solution for presentations, meetings, workshops, training, and away days.
On the opposite side of the welcome space is the flexible Connect 1-3 Meeting Rooms. They offer a high-end environment for a range of events including board meetings, interviews, seminars, and away days. The three interconnected rooms offer a selection of layouts for up to 40 guests as well as benefiting from integrated screen and presentation facilities. Moveable walls allow you to create the space you need for your event; each section has their own doors and presentation facilities.
Impress your guests in Atrium
Atrium is a visually impressive, open-plan public space, ideal for exhibitions, career fairs, product displays, brand activation and pop-up performances. Located on the ground floor of Millennium Point, the 420 square metre contemporary space provides the perfect backdrop for your event.
Atrium is perfect for exhibition stands creating a nice space for footfall to flow through. Previous events have seen footfall of 2,000 in one day, giving your event the exposure to make it an event to remember. Atrium can host up to 50 exhibition stands, 350 banqueting or 500 standing.
Truly versatile, depending on when you book your event, Atrium will give guests a different experience. In the past Atrium has been home to a 39ft Christmas tree, creating the perfect scene for festive and end of year events. More recently a seven meter in diameter art installation of the world gave guests an out of this world experience. These are just some of the things Millennium Point do to give your events the extra wow factor. But at its core, Atrium can be customised and transformed to make your event your very own.
Let’s talk
Millennium Point offer a range of flexible packages to suit the requirements, scale, and budget of clients, including healthier and more sustainable catering options.
With over 40 years combined experience, the events team ensures clients are supported for a smooth experience from start to finish.
Get in touch with the team today by emailing e[email protected] or call on 0121 202 2200 and see how they can make your next event a success.
Bursaries and scholarships are both great ways to support students financially while they’re at university, however bursaries and scholarships are often confused as being the same thing.
Both scholarships and bursaries are given out to help students financially without the need for them to pay them back.
This blog will explore the difference between a scholarship and a bursary and how you can make the most of them.
What’s a scholarship?
Scholarships usually come from independent third parties and universities to help students accelerate their education by offering financial aid. They often place focus on academic excellence.
Eligibility may include:
- Academic achievements.
- Personal circumstances, such as where you live or religious background.
- Musical achievements.
- Sporting achievements.
What’s a bursary?
Bursaries are usually offered to those with financial needs to help cover education costs or one off payments to help with living costs.
Criteria students need to meet to receive a bursary:
- They are a home or EU student.
- Their income is less than £25,000.
- They’re household income is between £25,001 – £42,611.
- They have a disability or long term health condition where Disability Living Allowance (DLA) isn’t available.
- They’re working or studying away from their university.
- They have previously been in care.
- They’re a carer for an adult or child.
- They’re living in a hostel or student accommodation.
Despite this criteria, some bursaries may not be available to:
- Part time students.
- Postgraduate students.
- NHS sponsored or funded students.
- Students on placement years, years abroad or sandwich years.
- Students who are paying reduced tuition fees.
Tips on applying for a scholarship or bursary
Applying for a scholarship or bursary can be very stressful, as you want to get everything right. But with these 7 tips, you’ll find applying for a scholarship or bursary easier than ever.
Consider your chances
When applying for a scholarship or bursary it’s important to consider your chances. For example, if your parents earn a high income you’re unlikely to receive a bursary. However you may be eligible for scholarships relating to academic or musical achievements.
You should also look at the value of the award and how many are available, to help you understand how likely you are to receive it.
Check if you need to apply and whether there’s a deadline
Scholarships often require you to fill out an application to see whether you’re eligible and a good fit for the award. However bursaries tend to be automatically awarded as a result of personal circumstances or grade achievements.
If you need to fill out an application for an award, then you’re likely to need to have a place confirmed at a university. Due to this you should keep an eye on application deadlines to ensure you apply on time and give yourself the best possible chance.
Look at key dates and when you may be successful
When you’re applying to a scholarship you should look at the eligibility, how to apply and when you’re meant to hear if you’re successful.
In terms of bursaries depending on income or personal circumstances, you’re likely to know whether you’re eligible for a bursary when you get your student finance assessment.
Share your information with student finance
When you apply for your student loan you should tick the box that allows student finance to share your information with universities. This allows them to judge whether you’re eligible for any scholarships or bursaries.
Look out for other opportunities
You can keep an eye out for any new scholarships or bursaries when you visit university open days or interviews. Clearing is also a great time to look out for scholarships or bursaries as some universities may make increases to fill application places.
Take pride in your application
When completing an application it’s important that you take the time and effort to fill it out properly. You should check for any errors and ensure you answer all questions honestly and accurately.
Furthermore, if you’re having difficulty answering or understanding any questions in the application, there’s no harm in contacting the university or provider for help.
Be realistic
When applying or thinking about applying for a bursary or grant you should consider whether you want to attend a university because you like it or because you like the award they offer. If it’s the latter, it isn’t wise to attend a university you’re not interested in and you should consider other options.
Types of scholarship or bursary
Scholarships are usually awarded for merit based and talent based achievements, whereas bursaries are usually awarded on a need basis.
Types of scholarships
- Musical scholarships
- Sport scholarships
- Personal circumstance scholarships
- Vocational scholarships (offered by businesses)
Types of bursary
- Bursaries based on grade achievements
- Personal circumstance bursaries, such as those with difficult backgrounds or live in a low income household.
Benefits
Scholarships tend to offer an automatic reduction or cover entire tuition fees and can also offer discounts alongside annual, term-wise or one-off payments for living costs.
Whereas bursaries offer money to cover education costs or one off payments to help with living costs.
Despite scholarships and bursaries offering awards for different reasons they have a number of similar benefits, such as:
- Reduced financial burden.
- Ability to focus on education without worrying about income.
- They show that you’re hard working and determined.
- They highlight that you’re accomplished and make your CV stand out.
Millennium Point’s scholarship
Millennium Point Trust has partnered with Birmingham City University to offer a scholarship where one undergraduate degree is paid for each year.
With over 20 courses included in the scholarship there’s lots to choose from. However the application deadline closes on the 17th March 2023. To apply for the scholarship, visit our website today.
How to apply
You’re eligible to apply to the scholarship if you’re 18 and planning on starting university by September 2023. You must be within the West Midlands Combined Authority and looking to start a degree included within the scholarship list.
Eligible degree courses include:
Engineering
- Automotive Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Built environment
- Architectural Technology
- Building Surveying
- Construction Management
- Quantity Surveying
- Real Estate
Digital Technology
- Digital Media Computing
- Digital Film Production
- Visual Effects
- Music Technology
- Sound Engineering and Production
Computing
- Business Information Technology
- Computer Games Technology
- Computer Networks and Security
- Computer Science
- Digital Forensics
- Computing and Information Technology
- Cyber Security
- Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence
The application has two stages with the second stage being an assessment day where you’ll participate in developmental workshops.
For further advice on applying for a scholarship, read our helpful guide here.
Going to university can be really expensive and it can be really hard to fund your university experience. However, scholarships are a great way to help students by supporting them financially.
If you’re a student and looking for extra financial support during your university years, you may have assumed that you’re not eligible for a scholarship, however you may be surprised at the types of scholarships some organisations offer.
This blog will explore everything you need to know about scholarships and how you can apply.
What is a scholarship?
Scholarships are a form of financial aid given to students to help accelerate their education. They usually come from independent third parties and universities and students don’t need to pay them back.
Who can apply for a scholarship?
There are various reasons why you may be able to apply for a scholarship, including:
- If you’ve done well in your exams or other academic work.
- If you have an extracurricular talent such as a musical instrument or sport.
- If you’re the first person in your family to go to university.
- If you’re in financial need.
- If you have a disability.
Types of scholarships you can apply for
It’s often assumed that scholarships are only for typically academic subjects, however this isn’t true. Scholarships are available for a variety of reasons and subjects.
Here are some examples of the types of scholarships available:
- Academic Excellence Scholarships – Some universities offer money for achieving certain A-level grades to help support students further.
- Musical Scholarships – offered for those with musical talents.
- Personal circumstances – This can be based on where you live, where you go to school and what your parents do.
- Financial need – offers money for those who are in financial need and may not be able to attend university without it.
- Sporting achievement – Usually offered to those with high achievements in sport to help universities attract the best talent.
Scholarships at Millennium Point
Millennium Point has partnered with Birmingham City University to give a fully funded Undergraduate degree at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.
Visit our website to apply for the 2023/2024 applications today.
Key dates
- Application open date update – 9th January 2023
- Scholarship Application deadline – 17th March 2023
- Assessment day at Millennium Point – To be confirmed
What courses are included?
Multiple courses are included in our scholarship partnership with Birmingham City University, such as:
- Engineering
- Built Environment
- Digital Technology
- Computing
Are you eligible?
To be eligible for our scholarship you’ll need to meet the following criteria:
- You live in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) of the United Kingdom.
- You will be 18 and looking to start an undergraduate degree in September 2023.
- Your course is included in our list.
- You don’t already have an undergraduate or above qualification.
- You’re not currently studying an undergraduate or above qualification.
- You meet the entry requirements for your chosen course – you can find this out on the BCU website.
How can you apply for the scholarship?
You are currently able to apply for the scholarship through our online application form. The form will consist of a few questions about you and why you think you should be chosen for our scholarship in partnership with Birmingham City University.
The application process has two stages, with the final stage being an assessment day and the chosen candidate getting their university tuition paid for in the form of a grant.
Visit our website today to learn more about the application process and whether you’re eligible.