Information Guidelines, Terms and Conditions

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Postgraduate Bursaries are designed to provide support for eligible UK students i.e. those who are (or who are connected with) Commercial Travellers, Grocers or Chemists, in financial need undertaking full-time Postgraduate degree courses at institutions in the United Kingdom, leading to recognised qualifications (e.g. PhD/MSc). The information guidelines describe the terms of reference of the awards, and the following terms and conditions apply to all bursaries.

1.	Eligible students: Applicants should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom and either be (or be the son or daughter, spouse, widow or widower of) a commercial traveller, chemist, or grocer, according to the definitions (“the eligible individual”).
2.	Eligible courses: Any full-time postgraduate degree course at a higher or further education institution in the UK, being either a body recognised by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for the award of a degree or a body providing courses in preparation for a degree to be granted by a recognised body.
3.	Eligible costs: Funds are intended for those in financial hardship requiring funds for tuition and examination fees, travel costs, study materials and accommodation.
4.	Financial need: Applicants must provide justification for their reasons for applying for a bursary, they must also submit with their application form the "Declaration and Justification of need" form signed by the eligible individual.
5.	Value: The maximum value of any bursary is £5,000 per annum, but the sum awarded may be adjusted downwards according to individual circumstances, need and the funds available.
6.	Duration: Bursaries will generally be awarded for the balance or whole duration of a postgraduate course but not for periods prior to the granting of the award. The continuation of a bursary is dependent upon the student’s continuing his/her full-time registration, satisfactory academic performance and there being no material change in the recipient’s financial circumstances.
7.	Application procedure: Completed application forms must be submitted to the student’s institution and not to the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust. The institution must countersign each form and then ensure that this reaches the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust, 1 Pemberton Row, London, EC4A 3BG.
	APPLICATION FORMS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THIS WEBSITE.
	Institutions may assist with distributing application forms to potential applicants who do not have access to a computer and who may meet the qualifying criteria regarding eligibility and financial need.
	If an application is approved by the Trust an offer letter will be sent to the institution and the institution will be asked to write accepting this and confirming the student’s acceptance. The institution should also confirm its responsibility for administering and accounting for the award.
8.	Closing dates:
	i) Applications must reach the Trade Charities Trust by the closing date of 1^st October. Application forms must be completed by the student and countersigned by an appropriate officer of the institution (e.g. the Registrar and not the student’s personal tutor). It is hoped to be able to notify institutions of the outcome of applications by the end of October.
	ii) Declaration and Justification of Financial Need forms must be completed and signed by the eligible individual.
9.	Administration of funds awarded: Bursaries will be paid to the institution not the student against an invoice or letter requesting funds for each bursary holder once a year on the anniversary of the award, funds will not be automatically forwarded to the university. The institution should indicate the period for which each amount is being claimed. If a student abandons a course mid-way or if the institution decides to terminate a grant for any reason, the institution should return any unspent monies. As cheques are drawn only once a month (on the first working day of the month) institutions should bear in mind when requesting the payment of bursary funds. Bursaries are not backdated but are effective from the start of the term nearest to the date of the offer letter of the bursary.
10.	Reports: The institution should send a brief report by 1st September following the end of the academic year to confirm the following: that the bursary holders are still registered for the courses for which funding has been awarded; that academic progress has been satisfactory in the last year; that the student’s financial needs are unchanged (as far as known); that the institution is willing to continue to administer the funds awarded and to keep the Trust informed of any changes.
11.	Decision: The Trust's decision on applications is final.