Heriot-Watt’s £1,500 ‘Travel Home’ bursary only offered to rUK students, excluding Scots and internationals

Heriot-Watt University offers ‘Travel Home’ bursaries for first-year students identified as rUK fee-payers (students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The bursary, deemed “no strings attached”, is automatically awarded to students identified as rUK with payments processed through Student Loan Company systems but funded with no restrictions on how it can be spent.

The university explains on its funding page: “Moving away from home is a big transition. If you’re from England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, we don’t want this to be a barrier. That’s why we created the no-strings-attached £1,500 bursary that you will get in your first year.”

In the fund overview, the university states: “The Travel Home Bursary of £1,500 will be paid to all new students beginning their studies in September 2022 onwards, identified as an rUK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) student for fee status purposes. This includes direct entrants to Year 2 or 3.”

The university continues to promote the bursary for its 2025 intake, with a sponsored Facebook ad stating: “Get a £1,500 travel home bursary when you study at Heriot-Watt.”

No travel bursaries are available to Scottish students as they are registered under a separate Scottish funding body (SAAS). Scots can apply for separate means-tested bursaries like the Access bursary of up to £3,100, but nothing is allocated automatically for travel.

Similarly, international students may be eligible for various tuition scholarships, but there is no option for automatic enrollment in travel funds. This applies to students from the EU who are now classed as international fee-payers after Brexit.

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The bursary is not means-tested, meaning that any rUK student is eligible regardless of income status.

Did you know if you're starting Heriot-Watt in your first year of study from anywhere in the UK outside of Scotland you will be eligible for the Heriot-Watt travel bursary?

Find out more here: https://t.co/VaxXfi3hep#HWClearing #TheClearChoice #Clearing #Clearing22 pic.twitter.com/kAYapvA1vh

— Heriot-Watt University (@HeriotWattUni) July 22, 2022

“Heriot-Watt University appreciates that moving away from home for the first time can be daunting. This bursary should allow you to return home at several points throughout the academic year.”

Students who withdraw from their studies during the year may be required to repay a portion of the bursary. It is only available for one year, with most students being awarded it in the first year, but direct entrants to the second or third year are eligible.

A spokesperson for Heriot-Watt University told The Tab Edinburgh “The Travel Home Bursary was introduced after research showed that being able to return home regularly is really important for many new first-year undergraduate students.

“While free bus travel in Scotland is available for all students under 22, it does not cover longer journeys across the UK. The University helps bridge that gap, supporting students who need to travel further to stay connected with home in their first year of study.

“Heriot-Watt also provides a broad range of scholarships and bursaries to Scottish, Rest of UK, and international students, of which this Bursary is just one example.”