Fees and Funding

Scholarships and funding

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Scholarships and bursaries

I am ordinarily a resident in: 

European Union

Scholarship / bursary name Valid year of entry Who it's for
Early Bird Discount 2026-2027 International students studying at UG, PGT or PGR level who pay their fees in full, early.
EU Scholarship 2026-2027
Students from the EU who are classified as international fee paying students.
International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarship 2026-2027 Students with excellent International Baccalaureate results.
Sports scholarships and bursaries 2025-2026, 2026-2027
Students with outstanding sporting ability.
TCTO Referral Bursary
2026-2027 Current University of Essex students or alumni of the FdA Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations course.

Overseas

Scholarship / bursary name Valid year of entry Who it's for
Early Bird Discount 2026-2027
International students studying at UG, PGT or PGR level who pay their fees in full, early.
Essex Undergraduate Transfer Link Early Bird Discount 2026-2027 For international students studying at one of our listed global channel partners in Malaysia.
International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarship 2026-2027 Students with excellent International Baccalaureate results.
International Undergraduate Scholarship
2026-2027 International students from specified countries seeking to join our University as an undergraduate student.
Sports scholarships and bursaries 2025-2026, 2026-2027
Students with outstanding sporting ability.
TCTO Referral Bursary
2026-2027 Current University of Essex students or alumni of the FdA Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations course.
Hong Kong Undergraduate Scholarship
2026-2027 Students from Hong Kong who are classified as international students for fees purposes.

United Kingdom

Scholarship / bursary name Valid year of entry Who it's for
Access Essex Scholarship  2026-2027  We are offering 10 UK/Home Fee undergraduate students entering the University in 2026-2027 the opportunity for a 100% tuition fee waiver for the first year of study.
Essex Futures Bursary  2026-2027  UK Students with a household income of £35,000 or under (as assessed by Student Finance England), who are starting a three-year undergraduate course in 2026-2027.
Schools Membership Staff TCTO Fee Discount  2026-2027 A discount offered to members of staff at our Schools Membership institutions who wish to undertake the FdA Therapeutic Communications and Therapeutic Organisations course, based either at our Colchester Campus or online.
Schools and Colleges Membership Bursary  2026-2027 £1000 cash bursary to support students from School membership schools and colleges progressing into higher education.
International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarship 2026-2027 Students with excellent International Baccalaureate results.
Sports scholarships and bursaries 2025-2026, 2026-2027
Students with outstanding sporting ability.
TCTO Referral Bursary
2026-2027 Current University of Essex students or alumni of the FdA Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations course.

External Awards

Please see below a list of organisations who have previously provided scholarships / bursaries to Essex students. You will need to check the webpages of each organisation to check if scholarships / bursaries are offered for the current academic year. 

 Scholarship / bursary name  Who it's for
WU Scholars Students holding an offer of an undergraduate place within science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business/entrepreneurship
NHS Learning Support Fund Funding support to healthcare students

Schwab & Westheimer Trust Scholarships

For students who are asylum seekers

Other sources of funding

EU student funding

We offer a wide range of discounts, bursaries and scholarships to make funding your studies easier, including our Undergraduate EU Scholarship worth £5000. There are also additional scholarships and funding sources available for some countries, please check the webpage for your country for further information.

International student funding sources 

There are country-specific funding opportunities, please see our country pages for more information.

If you're from the United States, you may be eligible for a federal direct loan from the US Department of Education.

Study abroad

There are a range of scholarships and funding opportunities available to give you a helping hand if you choose to study abroad. Find out what's available to you.

Charitable trusts and grants

Information about charities and trusts that offer awards and sponsorship to students and their application procedures can be found in the Educational Grants Directory and The Grants Register. Copies of these are available in our Albert Sloman Library, as well as in most public libraries.

You can also try a grants search at Turn2us. Use the keyword "higher education" and then narrow your search by filling in other information about yourself.

Many charities and trusts are only able to award a small number of grants each year, so competition can be fierce. To be in with the best chance of receiving an award it is a good idea to:

  • research charities and trusts carefully as they may have eligibility requirements (e.g. based on your area of residence, family background and subject area)
  • apply as soon as possible (many give deadlines for applications)

East 15 Acting School - charitable trusts and grants

Funding for Acting and Drama courses can be limited and competition for grants is fierce, but it’s worth looking at the sources of funding above as well as these, which are aimed specifically at students in your field:

For ideas of how to secure additional funding take a look at Damian Gaskin’s booklet ‘How to Raise £40,000 and train at Drama School’ (.pdf). (The author has asked you to bear in mind that this was written in 1996, well before all the fundraising advances that the internet and social media have given you and so needs to be read in that context. Please do not contact the author himself for sponsorship!)

You can also take a look at Degrees For Free which has some useful and interesting ideas for fundraising and money-saving. (There is a book of the same name, but don’t feel compelled to buy it, the website is useful in its own right!)

Students with children, carers and care leavers

We provide information for parents, carers and care leavers, including additional sources of funding that you may be eligible for.

Financial support for students in difficulty

We and the Students' Union offer financial support if you are experiencing difficulty with your finances in the form of a bursaries, grants or loans depending on your situation. Have a look on our Financial Support page for more information.

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