Gateway To Work Experience Bursary

Gateway to Work Experience Bursary is designed to enable certain underrepresented undergraduate students to access work experience which they may otherwise be unable to afford.

Students may apply for the Gateway to Work Experience Bursary if they have secured a work experience placement or career-insight event which is low paid, or unpaid between October 2025 and August 2026 in the United Kingdom only.

The bursary can cover reasonable travel costs, required clothing if necessary (i.e. formal wear) and reasonable accommodation expenses, depending on location and evidence to support these requests.

The maximum request from the Gateway to Work Experience Bursary is £1,000.

Who can apply?

This year, we are encouraging applications from those with little to no work experience. Our full eligibility criteria follows:

The Gateway to Work Experience Bursary is open to:

• Birmingham Scholars, defined as:
  • Students in receipt of a Pathways to Birmingham - (P2B) which includes the programmes Access to Birmingham, Routes to the Professions, National Access Summer School
  • Students in receipt of a Realising Opportunities offer
  • Students in receipt of a Sanctuary Scholarship
  • Care experienced or Care Leavers
• And/or students who have a home address in an IMD Quintile 1 (indices of multiple deprivation, IMD Deciles 1 and 2, lowest 20%) neighbourhood*

*If your home address is in Northern Ireland you will need to contact us with your home postcode so that we can check your eligibility to apply.

You can use the post-code checker above to see whether you are eligible to apply.

Further information on the bursary including what it cannot be used for and its Terms and Conditions can be found on the Gateway To Work Experience Bursary webpage.

Eligible countries and nationalities

Applicants of any nationality from any country can apply.

How to Apply

Please visit the Gateway To Work Experience Bursary webpage for detailed information on how to apply and what documentation is required.