Rewarding Excellence

Academic Excellence Award

These awards recognise the talents of our brightest students, raising the bar for their peers. Awarded in each of our six faculties to the student who has scored the highest average mark in the first year, the awards are a huge confidence boost and a spur to continuing achievement. With your help we hope to be able to recognise and reward the excellence of second and third year students.

Case Study

Like many of us, it took Callum Holgate a while to realise what he really wanted to do in life. With a degree already under his belt and a secure job, it took immense courage and conviction to pursue his dream of studying Architecture. With 7 years of study and placements ahead of him, and no prospect of a loan to cover his fees and living expenses, Callum took a huge leap of faith. His courage paid off when at the end of his first year of study, Callum was awarded the Ulster University Fund’s Academic Excellence Award for the highest overall marks in his entire Faculty. This award helped to alleviate some of Callum’s financial worries, enabling him to spend more time studying and validated the decision to follow his passion. The confidence gained from winning this award cannot be overstated as Callum has now secured a full Scholarship on the British Council's Shandong Scholarship programme, one of only 20 in the UK. Callum will now be undertaking an academic year of study in China which is a fantastic opportunity!

 
“…it’s fantastic to get this level of recognition and to know that I am on the right track. The financial pressure of supporting myself is always there in the background and the award has given me some breathing space to concentrate on study, which I love.’’