Scholarships and bursaries handled by the Student Funding Unit

Information on scholarships and bursaries handled by the Student Funding Unit

students on campus

Rest of UK (RUK) scholarships and bursaries

The Student Funding Unit distributes the following RUK scholarships and bursaries:

  • Rest of UK Academic Excellence Scholarship
  • Rest of UK Institutional Bursary
  • Rest of UK Discover Dundee Scholarship
  • Rest of UK Discover Nursing at Dundee Scholarship

Students eligible to receive any or all of the above will be emailed after matriculation in September (using their @dundee.ac.uk email account) by the Student Funding Unit explaining their entitlement.

Payment dates for all continuing students eligible for rUK scholarships are at the

  • end of November
  • end of February
  • end of April (if applicable).

If you have not responded to our emails by April and provided us with the information we need to pay your scholarship(s), your entitlement to any of the above will be removed.

For students starting in academic year 2024/25, your first payment for all of the RUK scholarships will be the end of December 2024, with the remaining instalments paid at the

  •  end of February 2025
  • end of April 2025 (if applicable).

To receive any payment, you need to ensure that you return your completed payment form by the closing date detailed in the email sent by Student Funding. You will receive this email after you have registered on your programme, from October to November. If you feel that you should be eligible for one of these scholarships, but have not received an email from us by the end of November, please contact us by email.

For the RUK Institutional Bursary, eligibility is based on the household income declared to the SLC (Student Loans Company). Any delay in the assessment of your funding by your funding body will mean that payment of this bursary will be delayed.

To be eligible for this bursary, you must submit parental income details to your funding body, even if you only take out the non-income assessed student loan, your household income must be recorded by the SLC for us to access this information and subsequently award you the RUK Institutional Bursary. 

Terms and conditions 

Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG)

Dental students in Scotland can apply for a Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG) of £4,000 a year to help with the cost of their studies. 

You can apply for a DSSG if you:

  • are enrolled for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at Aberdeen, Dundee, or Glasgow University
  • have an annual household income of less than £34,000 per year
  • are allowed to live and work in Scotland after graduation
  • are at level 2 of your BDS programme

When to apply

  • You must apply by 31 December in each academic year you want to claim a grant.
  • You can apply when the academic year starts – please do not submit applications before you have matriculated for the current academic year.

How to apply

Once processed, the SFU will distribute your DSSG in two instalments: £2000 asap and £2000 at the end of January.

Robertson Trust

The Robertson Trust work in partnership with Scottish universities and are interested in strengthening links with widening participation programmes across Scotland. Currently, all applications are made through Scottish secondary schools and universities.

At the heart of their bursary awards, is a dedicated training and mentoring programme called Journey to Success, devised to ensure scholars are able to maximise their potential at university and compete successfully for graduate level jobs.

Once applicants have met the Robertson's Trust eligibility criteria they are expected to demonstrate a clear commitment to their ongoing personal development.

The Student Funding Unit disburses the university's element of the bursary awards from the Robertson Trust to nominated students, and will be emailed in Semester 1 advising payments dates and amounts.

Batchelor Trust Hardship Fund

If you are struggling with your finances and it’s effecting your studies, you may be eligible to apply to the Batchelor Trust Hardship Fund. To check you are eligible please see the criteria below.

Eligible criteria

  • Entered your first year in September 2025, studying an undergraduate degree, full-time (includes direct entry into 2nd year).
  • Your degree must fall into one of the schools listed below:
    • School of Art and Design
    • School of Health Science
    • School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
    • School of Science and Engineering
  • Residing in Dundee, Angus or Fife.
  • You are a 2025 school leaver or mature student re-entering education for a new career

Buttle UK

The Chances for Children Campaign

Buttle UK is a charity dedicated to helping children and young people in the UK who have experienced crisis, living in financial hardship and dealing with multiple challenging social issues. We provide support designed to improve emotional, educational and social outcomes through our Chances for Children grants.

Buttle UK’s grants:

Are specifically designed to support young people facing multiple challenges due to trauma, in particular those who are estranged from their families and studying in higher education.

Chances for Children can award grants of up to £2,400. These are intended to meet needs that cannot be met by statutory funding, such as:

  • Essential household items (furniture, appliances, or "starter packs" for moving into independent housing).
  • Educational equipment (laptops or specialist course materials).
  • Emotional wellbeing (support for mental health or social connections).

Find full details on the application process and eligibility criteria.

The City of Dundee Educational Trust

Who can apply

  • Applicants can apply if they belong to Dundee and have lived in the city for at least five years.
  • Moving to Dundee to study at a college or university alone is an insufficient connection to merit an award.
  • Although applicants must belong to Dundee they can be studying at any college or university in the UK or abroad.
  • If you are repeating a level of study, you are not eligible to apply eg. Currently undertaking a Postgraduate programme but already have a PG qualification.

Award of Bursary

  • Successful applicants will be contacted within 48 hours of each quarterly meeting at which time you must produce evidence that you are attending the relevant course of study.
  • Applicants are only eligible to obtain one bursary in each academic year; the maximum award is usually £500.
  • Unsuccessful applicants will receive a standard reply. To reduce administrative costs, feedback as to why an application has been unsuccessful is not usually given.

How to make an application

The Angus Educational Trust

University undergraduates

The Angus Educational Trust provides:

  • grants to Angus residents for undergraduate university courses
  • travel grants to those studying higher education courses out with Scotland
  • financial assistance to young people travelling abroad for educational purposes

To be eligible for funding the applicant or their parents must live in Angus.