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Sadler Core Bursary

The Sadler core bursary supports care-experienced and care leaver students to succeed and thrive whilst studying at University of Manchester.

Key information

Award value
Paid directly to you
£10,000 per year
Award length
3 years
Study level
Undergraduate
Fee status
Home (UK)
Number of awards available
12
Student type
Prospective
Application deadline
26 April 2026
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 for this award have closed.

Thanks to a generous donation in 2024 from alumnus and Chair of Blackpool FC, Simon Sadler, we're able to provide a maintenance bursary to up to 36 care-experienced or care leaver students to support them for up to three years of their degree at the University of Manchester

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:

You must meet all of the following to apply:

  • be a care leaver or care experienced (as per our definition below);
  • have applied to study an undergraduate degree at The University of Manchester starting in September 2026;
  • have been assessed for fee status as a ‘home’ student;
  • be aged 24 years or under on 1 September 2026.

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 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:

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

  • how long you've been in care for;
  • at what age you went into care;
  • how many school placements you have had;
  • if your local authority is in Blackpool or North West England;
  • if you've lived in Blackpool or North West England since September 2022.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Students must complete the application form to be considered for this award.

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 and the evidence provided, along with your supporting statement and the information provided by UCAS 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

Completing an application for this award does not guarantee you will receive this award

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