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Sadler Core Bursary

The Sadler Core Bursary supports care leavers and care-experienced students to succeed and thrive whilst studying at The University of Manchester.

Key information

Award value
Paid directly to you
£10,000 per year
Award length
3 years
Academic years
2026/27
Study level
Undergraduate
Fee status
Home (UK)
Number of awards available
12
Student type
Prospective
Eligible students
Care experienced or Care Leaver Independent / Estranged students
Applicable subject areas
All undergraduate degrees

Still unsure if this is for you? Then please contact us

Applications are currently closed.

Thanks to a generous donation in 2024 from alumnus and Chair of Blackpool FC, Simon Sadler, the Sadler Bursary was created. The Bursary provides a maintenance bursary for up to 36 care leavers or care-experienced students, to support them for up to three years of their degree at The University of Manchester.

Scheme eligibility

Essential criteria are conditions you must meet to be considered for this scheme. Students who do not meet these criteria will not be considered for this award. To be eligible, you must meet the following:

Care leaver: a care leaver is generally someone who has been in the care of their local authority for a period of 13 weeks or more around their 16th birthday.

Care-experienced: care-experienced includes all students who can be reasonably verified as having been in care at any stage up to the age of 18 – and includes those who were adopted (from care) before the age of 18*.

*We recognise kinship care as being a significant source of care within the UK Care System, and that many young people in Kinship Care have a care order and/or are known to the local authority. Your local authority will need to provide a letter to evidence this in order to be eligible for the Sadler Bursary.

Priority criteria

Priority criteria is additional information about you that will be used to make our final selection decisions. Priority will be given to students who:

We'll use additional information to shortlist applicants, including:

Application and selection process

How to apply

Students must complete the application form to be considered for this award. The application link will be posted here when live.

What you need to apply

You will need to provide:

  • A letter from your local authority (or social worker) confirming the following:

The dates you were / have been in care for (start and end dates, where appropriate)
The number of home placements you’ve had
The number of primary school placements you’ve had
The number of secondary school placements you’ve had

  • Evidence that you've lived in Blackpool or the North West at any point since 1 September 2022, including bank statements, letters, or school verification.
  • Evidence that you are/were under the care of a local authority in Blackpool or the North West.

Selection process

We will use the information provided in your application form, your supporting statement and your UCAS application to prioritise the applicants.
We will prioritise students based on the number and nature of the priority criteria that you meet.

Terms and conditions

Breaks in funding

This award is not provided during study years abroad, placement years, or if a student takes a study interruption.

Your course offer and this scheme

Receipt of this award is subject to you meeting you course offer commitments and registering at the University of Manchester in the year of entry specified in the application form.

Engaging with donors

This scheme is generously supported by a donor. Successful applicants will be expected to provide regular updates on their progress to the donor and meet with them as part of the terms and conditions of receiving the award.

Application and Selection process

Completing an application does not guarantee you will receive this award

Verifying your eligibilty

Applicants must meet eligibility criteria and be in a position to verify their circumstances in order to apply. Applicants who do not meet the criteria will not be considered for an award

Contact

For enquiries about this award, please contact us