BAFTA Scholarships for Post-Graduate Study

BAFTA is now taking applications for three UK based post-graduate scholarships in film, TV and Games (and animation, of course) worth up to £12,000 each. The deadline is May 26.

The BAFTA scholarships are supported by Warner Bros and the Duke of Cambridge, and include a work placement and also free access to BAFTA events. They can also be used to help finance post-graduate study in the creative arts.

What is the BNU Hardship Fund?

For our students in financial trouble, it's important to remember that Bucks New University does have a Hardship Fund, which is open to all our students.

The fund can provide emergency payments for unexpected financial crises. To find the BNU Hardship fund, which gives discretionary grants, follow this link.

There are also many charities which offer grants and funding for higher education. To find these charities, read this blog post. 

Education Charities and How to Find Them

One question we often get asked at Bucks is what kind of scholarships are available for study. We don't have a dedicated scholarship for studying animation at Bucks (perhaps we should) but there are many other ways to finance your studies.

As well as the existing system of loans and grants put in place by the Government a few years ago for the funding of higher education, there are also many other sources of charitable funding out there.

You'd be surprised how many charities and trusts provide grants for educational study.

One great place to look is the Guide to Educational Grants, published by the NUS (National Union of Students), and which is updated every year.

Government Funding for Post-Graduate Study in the UK

There is good news this year for students in the UK hoping to secure funding for post-graduate study, including our pioneering Online MA in 3D Animation - the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Prospective students will soon (from this summer) be able to secure Government funding for postgraduate study through loans, studentships, bursaries and grants.

If you are a UK-based student and you start a full-time or part-time master’s degree after 1 August 2016, you can now apply for a Postgraduate Loan. You will be able to borrow up to £10,000 to pay your fees and also help with living costs. So, how does the system work?

Nickelodeon Launches Animation Scholarship Worth $25,000

New scholarship for animators

Nickelodeon is launching a new animation scholarship worth $25,000. Nick has partnered with the US non-profit organisation Get Schooled, which was co-founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — to award an innovative animator with a $25,000 scholarship by creating an original animated short.

Postgraduate Bursaries for Studying at Bucks Worth £10,000

Scholarships! Image: Wikipedia

The Postgraduate Bursary Fund for 2015-16 academic year is now open for applications. What does this mean? It means financial support for post-graduate students at Bucks, worth up to £10,000. So if you are interested in doing a post-graduate degree here at Bucks, get your application in now!

£10,000 Scholarships for Post-Graduate Study at Bucks!

Image: Wikipedia

Bucks is offering nineteen postgraduate bursaries to support students progressing directly from their undergraduate degree course and starting a postgraduate programme at Bucks in September 2015 or early 2016. Each bursary will be worth up to £10,000.  What are you waiting for? Apply now!

What Does The End of Student Number Control Mean for Bucks?

Animation classroom at Bucks. What makes us special?

Student Number Control is the system by which the Government used to regulate how many students each university in the UK could accept.  Every university had a quota, which it could not exceed. But from September 2015, Student Number Control will be gone. So what does this mean, and does it even matter? The answer is yes - it matters a lot.  Big changes are ahead for universities across the UK. Here at Bucks, it means we have to try even harder to be the very best Animation and Visual Effects Course in the country. Because second best just isn't an option.

New Government Loans for Students Hoping to Do an MA in 2016

Government Piggy Bank - now available for post-graduate study. Photo: Wikipedia

A new student loan system for postgraduate master's degrees starting in 2016 has been announced in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. George Osborne said the new loans would "revolutionise" access to postgraduate university courses - this is very good news indeed for any of our students who would like to go on to do an MA in animation or related fields in digital media.

Bucks New University Animation & VFX Goes to Poland

Bydgoszcz ("Bidgosh"). Image: Wikipedia

This week I am touring schools with a specialism in art and design in Poland, talking to students about the possibility of studying in the UK. There are many schools and colleges in Poland which train students in the visual arts, and many talented students who probably don't realise what a great career they could have in digital media. The animation and visual effects industry is not yet well developed in Poland, but it is a growing industry, and Students from Poland have the right to work anywhere in the EU, including the UK.

Need financial help to study in September? Apply by 30 June for the National Scholarship Program

NSP offers help to students from less well-off families. Photo: Wikipedia

The National Scholarship Programme is one of the many means by which higher education in the UK receives public support and funding. Here at Bucks New University, we participate in the Government's National Scholarship Programme (NSP), which is targeted towards students from less affluent families who need a bit of extra help. So, how in practice does the system work?

BAFTA Scholarship worth up to £20,000

BAFTA is offering a new Hong Kong Scholarship scheme, supporting UK-Asia cross-cultural exchange by inviting UK nationals to study a postgraduate course in film, television or games in Hong Kong. The scholarship is worth up to £20,000 and is an opportunity to study overseas, get a master's degree, and generally further your education.

Money, tuition fees, and student loans - how the new system works

Start saving your pennies

As pretty much everyone now knows, higher education is getting much, more expensive. For good or ill, the present Government is gradually retreating from direct funding of university education, and the UK is moving towards a more market-based system.

Maybe things will change in a few years under the next government, maybe they won't. In the meantime, government funding for courses at Bucks and other universities does still exist, albeit in the form of loans rather than direct grants.

Here is how the new system works: