Alumni Progression Scholarship Funding

Overview The Alumni Progression Scholarship and Alumni Progression Discount schemes are available from 2024 entry onwards and are two distinct routes:

• a £1,000 Alumni Progression Scholarship for eligible International and UK Newcastle University alumni (not available for students receiving the 20% Alumni Progression Discount)
• a 20% Alumni Progression Discount for eligible UK Newcastle University alumni from underrepresented backgrounds* The eligibility criteria below are for both the Alumni Progression Scholarship and the Alumni Progression Discount routes.

This scheme replaces the 20% Alumni Discount scheme.

• refers to graduates who participated in PARTNERS, Realising Opportunities, Sutton Trust programmes, or received a Contextual Offer, prior to commencing their undergraduate degree.

Start Date Varies by individual course start date.

Award Duration The £1,000 Progression Scholarship is applied as a discount against your payment/s at the start of the course. The 20% Alumni Progression Discount will apply for all full years of study.

How To Apply You do not need to complete a separate application form for either route. Instead, you must provide the following information in the University's Apply to Newcastle Portal. You must:

• Detail your current/previous study at the University
• Attach a copy of your previous qualification from the University if you have it available
• You should also try and ensure that your postgraduate application is processed using your previous student number (you are asked to provide this number when you apply)

If you are eligible, the £1,000 Alumni Progression Scholarship or 20% Alumni Progression Discount will be applied when you register at the University. If this has not been applied when you register, contact the Postgraduate Admissions Service.

You must:

1. Hold an offer and register on a degree-awarding postgraduate course at Newcastle University, eg:

• PhD or another doctoral level programme
• Master's course
• PG Diploma
• PG Certificate (including Primary, Secondary and Schools Direct PGCE courses)
• Most courses qualify for the award, but please check the exception list below.

2. Be a graduate of Newcastle University. That is, you must have qualified (or be due to qualify) from an undergraduate or postgraduate degree eg:

• BA
• BSc
• BEng
• LLB
• LLM
• MA
• MSc
• MPhil
• PhD
• MLitt
• MEd
• MEng
• MChem
• MMath
• MPharm (including students graduating with an MPharm from Durham University from 2018 onwards)

3. Be wholly or partially self-financing for the tuition fee element of your course.

4. Eligible alumni will be awarded the £1,000 discount unless they meet the criteria for the 20% Alumni Progression Discount for eligible UK Newcastle University alumni from underrepresented backgrounds. You will have been assessed for this as part of your undergraduate application.

If you are eligible, the £1,000 Alumni Progression Scholarship or 20% Alumni Progression Discount will be applied when you register at the University. If this has not been applied when you register, contact the Postgraduate Admissions Service (see details below).

What does wholly self-financing mean? You are self-financing if you are paying all your tuition fees yourself. This includes:

• support from a friend or relative i- f you are in receipt of a loan, eg the UK government's Postgraduate Master's Loan Scheme

What does partially self-financing mean? It means that you are in receipt of partial funding towards your studies. This funding includes:

• scholarships (*)
• other tuition fee discounts (*)
• bursaries (*)
• any other contribution towards your study costs.

(*) Some exclusions apply. It is not always possible to combine the Alumni Progression Scholarship and other sources of partial funding. See ‘Funding that disqualifies you from the Alumni Progression Scholarship' below for a list of non-eligible University schemes.

Eligible students in receipt of such funding support will normally receive the Alumni Progression Discount on the balance of the tuition fee not covered by the funding support.

The £1,000 Progression Scholarship is applied as a discount against your payment/s at the start of the course.

4. Meet other regulations pertaining to the Alumni Progression Scholarship or Alumni Progression Discount. These are:

• The Alumni Progression Scholarship or Alumni Progression Discount are available to students who commence a new programme of study at the University.
• Awards cannot be made retrospectively and must be awarded during the admission process or the first year of study.
• If the Alumni Progression Scholarship or Alumni Progression Discount change part way through your degree, you will remain on the Scholarship applied at the start of your degree.
• The Alumni Progression Scholarship or Alumni Progression Discount are valid only when candidates register for studies during the academic year specified in their offer letter.
• The 20% Alumni Progression Discount will apply for all full years of study, whether your degree course is studied full or part-time.
• The 20% Alumni Progression Discount route applies only to the net fee that a student would otherwise pay – that is after any other scholarships or awards have been deducted. To illustrate this:

Alumnus A is to study a course where the normal fee is £10,000. Alumnus A is successful in winning a scholarship of £1,300. The net fee is therefore £8,700. The 20% discount is then applied. (20% of £8,700 = £1,740). Alumnus A is required to pay £8,700 - £1,740 = £6,960.

Alumnus B is to study a course where the normal fee is £10,000. Alumnus B is given a bursary of £1,500. The net fee is therefore £8,500. The 20% Alumni Tuition Fee Discount is then applied (20% of £8,500 = £1,700). Alumnus B is required to pay £8,500 - £1,700 = £6,800. Alumnus B chooses to pay their annual fees early and therefore qualifies for a further 2% early payment discount. The 2% discount is then applied. (2% of £6,800 = £136). Alumnus B is required to pay £8,500 - £1,700 - £136 = £6,664.

Alumnus C is to study a course where the normal fee is £10,000. Alumnus C is given a tuition fee discount of £800. The net fee is therefore £9,200. The 20% Alumni Tuition Fee Discount is then applied. (20% of £9,200 = £1,840). Alumnus C is required to pay £9,200 - £1,840 = £7,360.

g. Neither of the Alumni Progression Funding routes are transferable. The University does not permit the Scholarship to be used for any other purpose.

h. It is the duty of the student to advise the University (on the Apply to Newcastle Portal) if s/he has applied for or has been obtained funding for his/her tuition fees. It is the duty of the student to inform the Postgraduate Admissions Service if s/he has obtained funding for his/her tuition fees after the Apply to Newcastle Portal application has been submitted to the University. If a student is found to be in breach of this regulation, the University is entitled to immediately suspend any further discount and may seek to recover any or all amounts of previous payments made.

i. The University reserves the right to vary or withdraw the Alumni Progression Scholarship and Alumni Progression Discount at its sole discretion.

Exceptions

Courses that are not eligible for the Alumni Progression Scholarship Funding:

a. The Alumni Progression Scholarship Funding is not applied to any course of study that does not lead to a degree. This includes pre-sessional programmes in English Language, English Language Foundation Programmes, Pre-Masters’ programmes, occasional study programmes, exchange programmes, or any continuing professional development programme.

b. The discount does not apply to:

• Diploma or certificate courses that are below level 7, which are sub-degree courses
• Staff candidates
• The following courses that are part of professional training programmes:
• Architecture, MArch
• Architectural Practice and Management, PGDip
• Conscious Sedation in Dentistry PGCert
• Endodontics MClinDent
• Prosthodontics MClinDent
• Periodontics MClinDent