Guidance notes - Technology Undergraduate Bursary

Applications are now closed for 2015

 

About the Bursary

The Royal Television Society is keen to encourage the most talented Computer and Engineering undergraduates to consider a career in television. Competition to recruit highly skilled graduates in these fields is strong, and many may be unaware of the career opportunities that television and broadcast services have to offer. 

We are therefore launching our second undergraduate bursary programme, offering both funds to support living expenses and a unique opportunity to get to know more about the world of television whilst studying.

There are five bursaries available this year. Bursaries are available to new students from households with an income of less than £25,000 a year, with a firm offer for one of the courses listed below. They are to support living expenses and will be paid in 3 instalments of £1,000 cash a year for the duration of the course.

As a bursary scholar you will also benefit from free membership of the Royal Television Society and membership of The Hospital Club while studying, one year’s free membership of the Royal Television Society when you graduate, and in the final year of your course we will aim to set up a mentoring or placement opportunity with one of our many industry members.

These awards are discretionary. The Royal Television Society will bring together a panel of industry experts, who will decide the awards based on their judgement of the students who will most benefit from this investment. They will use the criteria listed below when making their decisions. Please make sure you read these and use them to make your application. There are a limited number of bursaries available, and the decision of the panel is final.

 

The Award in Summary

  • £1,000 per annum
  • Paid over three years in instalments of £1,000 in the February of each academic year for the duration of the course.
  • The bursary is to support your living costs while you are studying.
  • Free Royal Television Society membership and membership of the Hospital Club whilst studying
  • One year free membership of the Royal Television Society after graduation
  • Offer of placement or mentoring in your final year

 

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible for this award you need to meet all the criteria listed below. If you are not sure what we mean please see our Frequently Asked Questions for further information

 

  • The RTS bursary is for people who are new to higher education, if you have previously studied a higher education course you will not be eligible for this scholarship.
  • This bursary is for ‘Home’ full-time undergraduate students starting in Autumn 2015. Students from the EU and from Overseas are not eligible for this scheme
  • You must have accepted an offer as your ‘firm choice’ to study full time on one of the undergraduate programmes listed within these Guidance Notes.
  • You must have a household income of £25,000 or less. You will not need to provide evidence of this at the point of application, but bursary awards will not be confirmed until you have sent us confirmation from the Student Finance (or relevant body for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) that your household income is below £25,000 per annum. The evidence we will normally require is notification of your entitlement to a loan or maintenance grant.
  • You must apply for this bursary by the application deadline of midday 15 June 2015.
  • You must have applied to Student Finance before you submit your application

How Do I Apply?

You will need to complete the application form on the Royal Television Society website, which includes your UCAS personal statement. You may also include a link to an example of your work or attach a file. The application form also asks you for contact details for a referee who would support your application. This should be a school or college tutor or someone you have worked for. Family members are not acceptable. You will need to get the referee’s agreement to put their details on this form.

Please note, all applications must be submitted electronically. If for any reason this is not possible please see the further advice listed in our Frequently Asked Questions at the web address above.

Applications must be received by midday on 15 June 2015. Any applications received after this deadline will not be eligible for consideration for this award. Please do not leave this until the last minute, as IT systems are likely to be busy, and it may take some time to upload your application.

Consent to Retention and Use of Personal Data

The Royal Television Society will retain your name and contact details, which they may use to stay in contact with you during your studies and after graduation. We will also wish to publicise the names and courses studied of successful applicants. Application for this award will require your consent to the retention by Royal Television Society of your application and personal details and their use for this purpose.

On the application form we ask you to write a statement explaining why you want to study the course you have chosen, why the Royal Television Society should invest in you and the difference this bursary would make. Please read the short-listing criteria below and use these as a guide to writing your paragraph.

Short-listing Criteria

We want to invest in talented applicants from diverse backgrounds who intend to pursue a career in Television. We will shortlist eligible applications against the following criteria, based on the information provided in your application form, any additional evidence submitted, and your UCAS personal statement

  • Academic Achievement and Ability to Study

Please tell us about any ways in which you have demonstrated your academic ability and commitment to study. This must include GCSE grades (or equivalent), predicted A Level grades (or equivalent), and any success in school or external prizes or competitions.

  • Interest in Television

We would like to know about your interest in television and broadcast media.  Please tell us what attracts you to this Bursary scheme, and whether you have any thoughts about a future career in this field.

  • Motivation

We want to support individuals who will make best use of the opportunities presented by this bursary and who are keen to be active members of the Royal Television Society. Please tell us about a situation where you have made best use of an opportunity presented to you.

Please submit your application by midday on 15 June 2015. Please remember to attach a copy of your UCAS Personal Statement also.

 What Happens Next?

  • The Royal Television Society will assess applications against the eligibility and short-listing criteria listed within these Guidance Notes. We may contact your referee for further information at this stage. We may also contact you to arrange a short telephone interview.
  • The top 5 applications as determined by our panel will be awarded the bursaries, subject to confirmation of household income, meeting the conditions of any University offers, and successfully enrolling on their undergraduate programme in Autumn 2015. We will also create a reserve list. Where students from the shortlist do not meet the conditions for the offer of a bursary, these will be offered to students from the reserve list. If you are on the shortlist for a bursary we will contact you about providing confirmation of your place and household income. Please note: We will expect you to provide both of these by 30 September 2015 at the latest. If these are not provided, we may withdraw the offer of a bursary
  • We will inform all applicants of the outcome of their bursary application by 31 October 2015. Successful applicants will receive the first instalment of their bursary payments in February 2016.

Please note The Royal Television Society have a limited number of bursaries during the academic year 2015/16, therefore meeting the eligibility criteria and applying for a bursary does not guarantee that an application will be successful.

 

Eligible Institutions and Courses 

We will only consider students enrolling for full time study on the following programmes with an Autumn 2015 start date for this bursary. Students enrolling on any other course that is not listed below would not be eligible to apply.

Every effort is made to ensure that all details included in these Guidance Notes are correct at the time of writing. They are intended to act as an information source for potential bursary applicants and in no way should they be considered to be legally binding or guarantee an award of a bursary. The Royal Television Society will not be deemed to be in breach of any Terms and Conditions due to changes to eligibility criteria beyond their reasonable control. It should be noted that these Guidance Notes will be regularly reviewed and may be subject to change from time to time. The decision of the award panel is final, and there is no appeal against the decision of the panel on the award of bursaries. We regret that we are unlikely to be able to provide individual feedback, as we anticipate receiving many applications for these awards.