As a social enterprise, The Scholarship Hub is dedicated to reinvesting money back in to developing new scholarships, and we are delighted to launch our first scholarship programme to help two deserving students pay for their university textbooks.
According to a poll conducted on our website this year, almost two out of three students (64%) are sacrificing essentials, including food, and sometimes paying household bills late in order to buy course books.
Furthermore, 92% of the students questioned felt that having the necessary books is important for achieving success in their studies, but eight out of ten (84%) say they are unable to afford all the books they need.
Students are also unable to rely on university libraries with nearly three quarters (74%) saying that the library did not have enough copies of the required texts; and less than half (40%) of the students surveyed got help from parents to buy books.
High tuition fees are widely seen as the major stumbling block for students but because these are paid directly by the student loan company to the university and aren’t re-payable until the student is earning over £21,000, they surprisingly don’t affect a student’s day-to-day life, but what does is a lack of funds to cover their basic living costs and expenses
The Money for Books Scholarship opens for applications on 1 September 2015 and all UK students studying at a UK university during the 2015/16 academic year, are eligible to apply. Two successful applicants will receive a £250 book scholarship each. Students can apply online at www.thescholarshiphub.org.uk/book-scholarship. The closing date is February 1st 2016.
