Durham Undergraduate Bursary Scheme

The Durham Undergraduate Bursary is a non-repayable bursary for home undergraduate and PGCE students who:

do not already have an undergraduate degree;
whose household income as assessed by Student Finance England or equivalent in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales is below a certain amount ("the eligibility threshold").

If you are eligible, you will get your Durham Undergraduate Bursary as well as your government funding, and you won't have to pay it back.

Your household income is reassessed by Student Finance England every year. You will get a Durham Undergraduate Bursary for every year of your studies in which your household income is below the eligibility threshold. This includes years abroad and placement years.

2026/27 Durham Undergraduate Bursary Amounts by Household Income

Household Income	Bursary Amount
Less than £30,000	£2,721
Between £30,000 and £47,200	£2,720 and £851
Between £47,201 and £62,377	£714

You do not have to apply for a Durham Undergraduate Bursary. If we have your household income and if you are eligible we will e-mail your Durham University e-mail address. We start e-mailing students no later than 1st September each year.

If you are awarded a 2026/27 Durham Undergraduate Bursary you will be paid in three termly instalments.

Payment Date	% of your Bursary
November 2026	33%
January 2027	33%
May 2027	34%

"Stacking"

Students starting their studies in 2026/27, who are awarded certain other University-administered scholarships/bursaries/grants, will have their Durham Undergraduate Bursaries reduced.

When a student has another University-administered scholarship/bursary/grant as well as their Durham Undergraduate Bursary (or two University-administered scholarships/bursaries/grants), we call it "stacking".

Some University-administered scholarships/bursaries/grants are "stackable", which means that neither affects the amount of the other.

Other University-administered scholarships/bursaries/grants are "non-stackable", which means that if you are awarded both the amount of one of them is reduced.

Stackable Awards

These University-administered awards are stackable:

Independent Student Bursaries;
Grants from the Student Support Fund;
Any other hardship funding;
Grants from the Student Employability Fund.

If you are awarded one or more of these, the amount of your Durham Undergraduate Bursary will not change.

Non-Stackable Awards

These University-administered awards are non-stackable:

University-administered scholarships/bursaries/grants intended to help with your essential living and studying costs;
University-administered scholarships/bursaries/grants of over £500 intended to help with the costs of participating in University life (e.g. help with JCR costs, help with extra-curricular activities, help with ball tickets).

If you are awarded an University-administered scholarship/bursary/grant intended to help with your essential living and studying costs, your Durham Undergraduate Bursary will be reduced by the amount of that scholarship/bursary/grant (down to £0).

If you are awarded a University-administered scholarship/bursary/grant of over £500, which is intended to help with the costs of participating in University life, your Durham Undergraduate Bursary will be reduced by the amount by which your University-administered scholarship/bursary/grant exceeds £500.

All external funding is stackable.

Further Information for Prospective Students

If you have any queries about the Durham Undergraduate Bursary Scheme please contact us on grants.bursaries@durham.ac.uk.

Further Information for Current Students

Current students can find further information about the Durham Undergraduate Bursary Scheme here.