Ulster University Student Fund - Broadening Horizons Travel Bursary
Guidance Notes
Background
Funded by graduates, staff and friends of Ulster University, the Broadening Horizons Travel Bursary assists students with the cost of travelling outside Northern Ireland to consult material, conduct research, or carry out project work (within this academic year) which will substantially enhance their studies at Ulster or significantly develop skills for their chosen career.
Criteria
The Bursary is available to registered postgraduate and undergraduate students who are in good academic standing at Ulster.
Broadening Horizons Travel Bursaries will not be awarded to undergraduate students where the travel to work or study outside Northern Ireland is a mandatory part of their course of study.
Bursaries are for all travel related costs, based on:
- the cost of the cheapest fare between the student’s campus and the place to be visited,
- a daily amount as contribution towards accommodation costs, local transport and food*,
- related conference / workshop costs.
The student will be reimbursed for their travel on providing receipts and a report on the travel within four weeks of returning.
Bursaries will not exceed a maximum of £500 within the same academic year. The amount awarded will be at the discretion of the Disbursement Committee, students may not receive the full amount requested.
*Recipients are expected to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum. We reserve the right to cap costs if deemed to be excessive.
Application Form Deadline
Please complete this application form online and submit to the Ulster University Student Fund by midday on Friday 13 October 2017. Applications received after this time will not be considered in this round of funding.
Application Form and Assessment
It is your responsibility to ensure that all sections of the form are completed. If there is any information missing when the deadline passes, your application will not be considered by the Ulster University Student Fund Disbursement Committee.
Applications will be assessed solely on the information provided in this form, therefore please ensure that all relevant information is included and that your answers are as comprehensive as possible.
All applications will be subject to an initial assessment conducted by the Student Fund staff. The Regular Giving Officer will contact your Course Director/Supervisor to confirm that: you are in good academic standing; and the travel is beneficial for your course of study. Therefore it would be encouraged to inform your Course Director/Supervisor that you have applied for this award. Applications shortlisted will be reviewed by a University-wide Disbursement Committee for further assessment.
Applications are submitted directly online. It is strongly advised that applicants familiarise themselves with the questions and formulate their answers prior to filling out their application forms online as application forms cannot be saved and submitted at a later stage.
Your application will remain confidential between you, Student Fund staff and members of the Disbursement Committee.
The award of the Bursary is dependent upon funds being available and will be at the discretion of the awarding Disbursement Committee.
Competition for the Bursary will be high, so unfortunately meeting the eligibility criteria does not mean you are guaranteed an award.
Please provide contact details for your Course Director or Supervisor who can confirm that: you are in good academic standing; and the travel is directly relevant to your course of study.
Travel destination?
Please provide dates of your travel (From/To)? (Please note that the bursary is available for this academic year only)
Please provide a brief description of your proposed travel and how it relates to your studies or your career ambitions.
(Min 450 - Max 600 words)
In answering this question please ensure that your responses are clear and unambiguous and avoid technical jargon that your assessment panel may not easily grasp. Please ensure that you articulate clearly:
- explain how the travel will benefit your course/project and what makes it distinctive;
- its constituent elements;
- who will benefit and how;
- the specific KPIs or measures which will be used to assess the impact/success of the project;
- the long-term impact/legacy above and beyond the funding period (if appropriate).
What will be the impact of not receiving the Broadening Horizons Travel Bursary?
(Min 200 - Max 250 words)
In answering this question please ensure that you articulate clearly:
- Whether this project can proceed without funding;
- If it doesn’t proceed, the impact this will have on potential beneficiaries;
- If the project is time bound i.e. if postponed, could it take place at a later date.
Please outline expected travel related costs in the following sections:
- Travel to destination (using cheapest form of transport)
- Related costs* – accommodation, food, local transport (per day & number of days at destination)
- Conference / workshop / entry fees (only if applicable)
- Total Cost of travel
In answering this question please state the expected costs of your trip in the 4 sections as requested. In order to receive your Bursary you will need to provide actual receipts on return, this is expected to show as close to actual cost as possible. The Bursary granted will not be for more than you budget in this answer and Bursaries will not exceed £500 each.
* Recipients are expected to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum. We reserve the right to cap costs if deemed to be excessive.
Presentation of Bursaries
The successful applicant will be notified by Wednesday 22 November 2017. The Broadening Horizons Travel Bursary will be presented at an Awards ceremony on Friday 15th December 2017 (successful applicants will be provided with details of the Awards ceremony in November). The recipient of the Bursary will be required to attend the presentation.
As a condition of the Bursary, the successful applicant may be asked to advocate for the Student Fund upon request and will be required to provide a testimonial on the Broadening Horizons Travel Bursary.
If you have any queries regarding this award you can email your question to studentfund@ulster.ac.uk allowing two full working days for a response.