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Lemn Sissay Bursary

The Lemn Sissay Law Bursaries are available to Black African, Black Caribbean and Black-mixed heritage students starting one of our undergraduate Law programmes.

Key information

Award value
Paid directly to you
£3,000 per year
Award length
3 years
Academic years
2026/27 2027/28 2028/29
Study level
Undergraduate
Fee status
Home (UK)
Number of awards available
2
Student type
Current
Application deadline
No application required
Eligible students
Black students
Applicable subject areas
Law degree only

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

No need to apply. If eligible, you will receive this automatically.

The University of Manchester is proud to offer the Lemn Sissay Law Bursaries, formerly the Black Lawyers Matter initiative, which helps address financial challenges when starting university. Founded in 2017 and named after our former chancellor, the bursaries aim to address the low numbers of Black and Black-mixed heritage people in legal and criminal justice professions. They are particularly focused on supporting those from socio-economically underrepresented backgrounds, particularly in the Greater Manchester area.

Scheme eligibility

Essential criteria are criteria you must meet to be considered for this scheme. Students who do not meet this criteria will not be considered for this award. The essential criteria for this scheme are as follows:

To be eligible for this bursary, you must meet the following:

Identify as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups:

  • Black or Black British – Caribbean;
  • Black or Black British – African;
  • Mixed - White and Black Caribbean;
  • Mixed - White and Black African;
  • Other Black background.

Have accepted and enrolled in the 1st year of either the LLB Law, LLB Law with Criminology or the LLB Law with Politics degree programme;

Have been assessed for fee status as a 'home' student;

Be studying your first undergraduate degree

Priority criteria

Priority criteria are additional criteria we use based on the information you have provided us to make our final selection decisions. The priority criteria for this scheme are as follows:

Priority will be given to those who:

  • Live in Greater Manchester, or studied at an institution in Greater Manchester;
  • Have had experience of being in local authority care;
  • Live in a so-called 'disadvantaged' neighbourhood. This is defined by the applicants' home postcode using the University's contextual data eligibility checker;
  • Have been assessed for financial support through your regional funding authority with a verified household income of less than £25,000 per annum. The funding authorities are Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance NI and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

Application and selection process

How to apply

The University will automatically assess all eligible applicant.

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.

Understanding your fee status

This scheme uses your fee status as part of its eligibility criteria. Find out more about how the University of Manchester assesses tuition fee statuses here: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/tuition-fee-status/

Contact

For enquiries about this award, please contact us