We open for applications on A-level results day each year. The deadline to submit your application will be the 25^th of November.

Please note that applications submitted after this date won't be accepted so please make sure you complete your application within good time. The earlier the better!

You can apply online. After passing our eligibility test below, you will be taken to the Portal Trust application form. We first need you to register, this is so you can log in and log out of the application and don't need to complete the form in one go; please also save your progress regularly.

Tell us as much about yourself as you can – this is your one chance to tell your story and why you need a bursary.

Once your application has been submitted, your application will be reviewed by our bursaries panel and the grants team will contact you in early December with either news that your application has been declined, or if we can continue with your application.

If you are selected to proceed we will then ask you for further information and documentation concerning your circumstances.

We will provide you with a link to upload your documents. You will need to do this before 31st December, please don't miss this deadline as documents submitted after this date won't be considered. Meanwhile, a member of the grants team will contact the reference you provided.

Please note, that being invited to submit documents is not a guarantee that you will be awarded a bursary.

All documents and your application will then be passed to our Chair of Grants for decisions in January, and we will aim to have a result for you in the first week of February.

You will most likely need to provide: proof of your student finance award, a front page of a bank statement with your account details and proof of enrolment to your course. We will also need contact details for an academic reference.

Additional documentation is likely to be required to support any other claims that you have made in your application, for example; Photo ID, immigration status, previous addresses, medical notes, care leaver status or financial concerns – we will let you know if so.

Portal Trust bursaries are typically awarded between £1,000 and £2,000 for each year of your course of study. Ultimately, however, awards are based upon the level of need, the budget available and the number of other successful applicants. Portal Trust grants are discretionary.

I already have an undergraduate degree, but I want another. Can you support me with this?

No. We don't award bursaries to people studying for qualifications at the same or a lower level than those they already possess, even if the subject(s) or module(s) being studied are different

Can I apply if I am studying for a MSc/MA or PhD? What about vocational courses or GCSEs?

Applications from students taking postgraduate courses, vocational courses and/or alternative course structures and levels may be considered in limited circumstances, provided you meet at least one of our priorities and satisfy our other criteria

Do I have to be starting the first year of a new course to apply for funding?

No, but if you are now entering your course's later years, we may want to know what has changed this year and how you funded yourself in previous years

Can I apply if I am retaking a year?

If you are retaking a whole year, you cannot apply until you have progressed to the following year of your course.

If you only need to re-sit some exams, you may still be eligible

My application has been rejected. Can I reapply?

You will be able to reapply next August for the following academic year, although if your circumstances have not changed significantly, the outcome is unlikely to differ.

What is the likelihood that my grant application will be successful?

We don't publish success rates as these vary year on year and are dependent on the number of applications we receive and the funds available. Please bear in mind that our funds are limited, and therefore it is a highly competitive process, and we receive many more applications than we could ever hope to fund.