Examples of the types of activities that the Student Opportunity Fund can support include:

• Travel and accommodation costs required to undertake unpaid work experience or volunteering opportunities for up to a maximum of 30 days.
• Expenses to travel to and from interviews or assessment days (which are not covered by the employer).
• Representing the University at a conference, festival or event.
• Developing and making creative material, for example films, performances, readings and publications which are not a compulsory part of your coursework.

We can also consider applications for funding, which cover opportunities to travel abroad. This is only where this is arranged through an established partner of the University, with existing links with our International Office and where the University has a Memorandum of Understanding or similar in place. Opportunities to participate in Study China, funded by the UK Government’s Department for Education and Northern Ireland’s Department of the Economy, will also be considered.

Since there is a competitive application process for the Student Opportunity Fund, you are strongly advised not to commit to paying for your activity until you have been notified that your application has been successful.

A range of interview wear is also available for you to use, supported via the Student Opportunity Fund. There is no application process for the use of interview wear. Please contact our Scholarships team for more details and any queries.

Although UK universities are entitled to charge fees for sandwich years or years abroad, Edge Hill is waiving these charges to support students who wish to take up these valuable opportunities.

We will meet the cost of tuition fees, for either a sandwich year or an additional year spent studying abroad as part of your course, through the Student Opportunity Fund.

If you are spending a semester overseas, as part of the second year of a three-year degree or a four-year integrated Masters degree, standard tuition fees will apply (as if you spent the full academic year based at Edge Hill University), however half of these tuition fees meaning £4,625 for academic year 2023/24, will be paid for from the Student Opportunity Fund.

A placement bursary is also available through the Student Opportunity Fund for Sandwich Year students. Erasmus+ and Study Abroad students are not eligible for this bursary. The award amounts for eligible students will be determined by the location of your placement and your household income. Please note, there is no application process to access this bursary. Your eligibility will be automatically assessed.

The Student Opportunity Fund cannot be used to support:

• Core programme requirements, such as field trips, work placements or coursework, where these are compulsory, credit-bearing elements of a programme or module.
• Study Abroad opportunities where students are eligible for Erasmus+ or Turing funding.
• Paid work, for example with organisations such as Camp America.
• Fundraising activities.
• Costs of studying a qualification or course. The panel may, however, consider helping you with travel costs.
• Short-term elective placements.
• Aspects of opportunities such as cost of food, clothing, equipment, loss of earnings or insurance for specific items such as laptops and mobile phones.
• Activities with organisations such as Plan My Gap Year, International Citizen Service (ICS), Go For Life, SLV Global or similar initiatives.

The Fund encourages students’ employability through unique experiences and opportunities, therefore it would not support a continuation or extension of a previous successful application.

In addition to the above, the Fund cannot be applied retrospectively to activities which have commenced, or taken place, prior to the point of application. Group applications can not be accepted.

If your activity will be enterprise-based, please contact our Scholarships team prior to completing the application form, so we can advise you.

As part of your application, you will need to provide a breakdown of the budget for the activity and evidence for costing. You should:

• ensure the most cost effective options are selected
• use a railcard (if applicable) or advance/off-peak standard class tickets
• choose established companies
• include screenshots of all expenses, such as travel, transfers and parking
• provide all quotes in pound sterling and include screenshots of the prices as proof of costing

If claiming for petrol costs, the Fund will cover such costs at 20p per mile with effect from 1 April 2022. Evidence of the number of miles must be provided.

You should treat applying for the Student Opportunity Fund as you would a job application and answer all questions on the application form fully, providing thorough information of your activity/opportunity and a detailed risk assessment.

When you have completed your application, you should submit the form and supporting evidence by e-mail to [email protected]. Alternatively, you can submit by post or in person to the Catalyst building.

Applications are considered by a panel who meet on a weekly basis during term time. The outcome of your application will be communicated via email. The panel’s decision is final and no additional money will be awarded (including for exchange rate fluctuations) once a decision has been made. Full or partial costs may be awarded and, in some cases, means-tested criteria may be applied.