The Global Experience Bursary is in place to support undergraduate and postgraduate students in undertaking short-term study, research, work or volunteering opportunities abroad over the summer. It is open to all students currently enrolled at the University of Westminster, including Foundation and Apprenticeship students, to apply.
The Bursary process has been designed with the development of students’ employability skills at its core. Students can complete skills reflection tasks to help them articulate the skills developed during their Global Experience.
All students awarded the Bursary and successfully completing their Global Experience will be awarded a digital badge that can be displayed on their LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms.
Please note that we assess applications on an individual basis. Not all students who apply will be successful in their applications.
The funding is available to cover a range of activities, including the following:
- International summer schools – you might find a summer school you are interested on Blackboard
- International language programmes
- International research projects
- International work placements (including those undertaken as part of work based and placement learning requirements)
- International volunteering opportunities – you might find a volunteering opportunity you are in interested on Blackboard
- Certain self-led fieldwork activities
Amount
The amount that successful applicants receive is based on several factors including the location and the duration of the trip and whether they meet any of our criteria for students requiring additional support. These criteria can be found at the bottom of this page. As part of their application, students are asked to detail the breakdown of costs for their global experience. This is used to help the allocation of funds.
Please note that most students will be allocated a bursary that is only a contribution towards the total costs of the global experience.
Trips of 5–27 days
Students who meet the criteria for requiring additional support may be allocated up to £1,200. Those who don’t meet the criteria may be allocated up to £500.
Trips of 28 days or longer
If the trip is 28 days or longer, students may be allocated further funding through our allocation from the UK Government Turing scheme.
Eligibility
- You must be planning on undertaking a global opportunity that fits into one of the categories listed in the introduction. The global opportunity must also:
- be hosted by an organisation
- include a structured programme of activity
- support your professional development either academically or in relation to your employability
- The host must have processes in place to manage health and safety.
- Minimum duration: five days. Please note that the experience must be a minimum of five days, excluding any travel days. For example, if you are attending a summer school, the summer school itself must be a minimum of five days in duration..
- Location: in a country/region that is deemed safe to travel and does not include a warning against ‘all but essential travel’ according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). If COVID-related travel restrictions are currently in place, your funding offer will be conditional on the travel restrictions changing in advance of the start of your placement.
- You must be applying for an opportunity in advance of its start date. Retrospective funding is not permittable.
- You can only receive the Global Experience Bursary once per academic year.
- Priority will be given to students who haven’t received the bursary in previous academic years.
- Funding can only be offered up until 31 August and trips which start after this date cannot be funded. If the end date of your experience is after 31 August, but you take part in five full days before and including the 31 August then your application will still be considered.
- You can apply for the Global Experience Bursary if you are in your final year of studying, but you must apply before your graduation date.
- It is advisable that before you confirm your global experience and apply for a visa (if applicable to you), we recommend that you check all the travel restrictions carefully before making financial commitments to undertake an in-person placement as the University of Westminster will not be able to reimburse applicants for any programme fees lost.
- Please note that you cannot apply for the Global Experience Bursary to help fund the following opportunities:
- Westminster Working Culture trips
- semester or year-long exchanges/work placements
- academic led field trips which are funding by the university
- other opportunities which are already funded through the Global Opportunities Team
How to apply and next steps
We are now accepting applications for the second round of funding.
Please note that funding is only available for trips lasting 28 days or longer, and applications for trips of 28 days or over will only be considered.
The deadline to apply is 5 May 2025.
All applications will be assessed after the deadline of 5 May and students should receive the result of their application on or before the 16 May.
Applications will be assessed on an individual basis. The assessments will mainly be based on your answers to the questions in the ‘your motivation and skills’ section of the application form.
Successful applicants will receive an email outlining the next steps. Please note that successful applicants will need to complete a number of administrative tasks before they receive the funding. These tasks include:
- completing and signing a Grant Agreement
- providing evidence that you have secured a place on your chosen Global Experience
- completing a Risk Assessment form for your trip. Please note that this will take you some time to research and complete the answers. This will also need to be assessed and approved by our director
Some of these tasks will take some time to complete. If successful applicants complete these quickly then they may receive their funding approximately two months after submitting their application. If successful applicants take longer to complete these tasks then it will take longer for the funds to reach their accounts.
Application support
If you would like any support with your application, please come along to one of the Global Opportunities drop-in sessions held in the Global Mobility Centre, first floor, 115 New Cavendish Street on Mondays and Thursdays between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. Alternatively, please book an online Short-term Global Opportunity appointment.
Criteria for students requiring additional support
Students who fall under the following categories will be eligible for the additional funding for students who require additional support. You will self-identify during the application, and we may require you provide evidence to prove you fall into one of these categories:
- care leaver
- care experienced
- carer
- estranged student
- refugee/asylum seeker
- registered with the Disability Learning Support team
If you are a home student, i.e. you pay home rather than international fees, you will also be eligible for additional funding if you meet one of the following criteria:
- household or family income under £25,000
- on Universal Credit/benefits
- first generation in family to go to university
- Black, Asian, Mixed and/or Minority Ethnic including , Gypsy, Traveller and Roma backgrounds (which includes New Traveller, Showmen and Boater communities)
- mature student on an undergraduate course (over 21 years upon starting)
- accessed Higher Education via an access course or integrated degree
- home postcode (not term time address) is within an area of deprivation (decile 1 or 2 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation*)
* You can see if your home address is within an area of deprivation by entering your postcode into this 2019 deprivation data tool, downloading the results and finding your Index of Multiple Deprivation Decile result on column F of the spreadsheet.
If you are unclear on the criteria above, you can find descriptions on the Office for Students website.