{"id":17925,"date":"2021-03-18T11:42:16","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=17925"},"modified":"2021-03-18T11:42:16","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:42:16","slug":"scholarship-and-bursary-support-for-carers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/around-ou\/scholarship-and-bursary-support-for-carers\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship and bursary support for Carers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Open University’s Carers Scholarships Fund<\/a>, which offers 10 successful applicants with funding to complete a full undergraduate qualification* of their choice, opens for applications from today. This year also sees the introduction of the Carers Bursary <\/a>\u2013 a \u00a3250 award to support registered students with study costs.<\/p>\n

Carers Scholarships Fund<\/h2>\n

The pandemic has seen a rise in people taking on the role of carer, with Carers UK<\/a> reporting that 13.6 million people in the UK now care for a friend or family member. The tasks that carers perform can be unexpected and difficult to plan around; disrupting everyday life, from relationships and health to finances and work.<\/p>\n

The practicalities of studying can also be challenging, with carers often feeling guilty about going to university or finding it difficult to commit to a timetable because of their responsibilities. The OU is the ideal place for carers to study, as it has an open access entry policy and a distance learning model that provides a flexible way to learn. In addition, registered carers have on-hand help with the OU’s highly-skilled Student Support Team<\/a>, which has dedicated advisors that have been trained to understand the demands that carers may face.<\/p>\n

\"Man

Richard with his daughters<\/p><\/div>\n

OU alumni, Richard recently completed his BA (Hons) Open Degree<\/a>, whilst caring for his terminally ill daughter, Ella.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fulfilled my childhood dream of studying writing with The Open University, now I need to use my skills to realise a new dream. <\/em><\/p>\n

“Looking back, I feel I always had the ability, but never the belief and The Open University helped me to believe.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read Richard’s full story: https:\/\/ounews.co\/student-stories\/the-ou-was-there-when-life-seemed-impossible\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dr

Dr Mary Larkin, Professor of Care, Carers and Caring<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr Mary Larkin<\/a>, Professor of Care, Carers and Caring and Chair of the Carer Research and Knowledge Exchange Network (CAREN)<\/a>, added:<\/p>\n

“The Carers Scholarships Fund is a helping hand for those who spend so much of their time looking after others, day in and day out.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Carers Scholarships Fund is supported by Carers Trust, <\/a>Carers UK <\/a>and CareTech Foundation<\/a>. To apply for the next cohort, with studies starting in Autumn 2021, please visit: http:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/courses\/fees-and-funding\/carers-scholarship-fund<\/a><\/p>\n

Applications close at midnight<\/strong> on 21 August 2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

OU students in Scotland with a personal income of \u00a325,000 or less may be eligible to study for free with a part-time fee grant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*Full undergraduate qualification includes, CertHE, DipHE, Honours Degree, Foundation Degree or Open University Certificate. For further information, please visit\u00a0http:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/courses\/types<\/a><\/p>\n

Carer Bursary<\/h2>\n

This year, the OU has also established a \u00a3250 bursary for carers. With 2000 awards available, the bursary is open to registered OU students to support with study costs.<\/p>\n

To qualify, you\u2019ll need to meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n