Funding priority groups

Queen Mary has an established priority group system for allocating all funding that is managed by the Global Opportunities (GO) team. This ensures that available funding first reaches students from backgrounds currently underrepresented in outgoing mobility from UK institutions, who are statistically less likely to spend a period abroad than their peers who are from more advantaged backgrounds.

Queen Mary students going abroad to participate in either a semester/year-long placement during term time or a summer/short-term programme who complete the GO-managed funding application process for their relevant programme(s) are considered for funding based on the highest priority group for which they would qualify (with priority group (1) being the highest), even where they qualify for more than one group. The GO team may request supporting evidence/documentation from a student where information cannot be verified by internal teams at Queen Mary.

^{Note: Students going to Switzerland are only eligible for Turing Scheme funding if they are in priority group (1).}

(1) Study and work placements* undertaken by students from a widening access background (as defined by the Turing Scheme):

• Students with an annual household income of £25,000 or less (only if means tested by Student Finance)
• Students receiving Universal Credit or income-related benefits
• Care leavers and students who are care-experienced
• Students who have caring responsibilities
• Estranged Students
• Refugees and asylum seekers

(2) Study and work placements* undertaken by students from widening access backgrounds (as further defined by Queen Mary):

• Students with an annual household income above £25,000 but below £35,000 annually (only if means tested by Student Finance)
• Students who, on entry to Queen Mary, lived in a UK neighbourhood or area which has a high level of financial, social or economic deprivation (this is defined by home postcode using ACORN groups K, L, M, O, P and Q)
• Students who were in receipt of Free School Meals in the UK prior to entering higher education (PENDING)

(3) Study and work placements* undertaken by students from underrepresented groups (as defined by the Turing Programme and in line with Queen Mary widening participation objectives):

• Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Students will have a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

(4) Study and work placements* undertaken by students from underrepresented groups (as defined by the Turing Programme and in line with Queen Mary widening participation objectives):

• Students who are the first in their family to attend university**

(5) Study and work placements* undertaken by students from underrepresented groups (as defined by the Turing Programme and in line with Queen Mary widening participation objectives):

• Students from an ethnic minority background

(6) Students who have not met criteria for any previous group (an additional application may be required by the GO team):

• Study placement or unpaid work placement

(7) Students who have not met criteria for any previous group (an additional application may be required by the GO team):

• Paid work placement

 

^{(*) Placement has to be an integral part of the degree or a summer school/short-term placement that is promoted to be eligible for GO managed funding.}

^{(**) This refers to students who are the first generation to go to university, even if the following have gone: sibling ** husband, wife or partner ** biological parents of students have been adopted ** a parent with whom the student has had no contact during their secondary and post-16 education (or longer) ** foster parents ** care workers ** uncles, aunts and other members of the student's extended family. A student would not be recognised as being first in the family if the following have gone to university or are currently doing so: parents ** stepparents, a parent’s unmarried partner living in the household and adoptive parents who throughout the three-year period prior to the start of their university course have been living in the same household as the student.}