The Lift College Second Chance Bursary
£1,000 for one UK adult who left school without a grade 4 in English or maths and is now studying again, at any college or university, at any level.
Open to any adult studying again
You do not need to be a Lift College learner. The bursary is for the people our college exists for: adults who did not get the grades first time and are doing something about it now.
- You live in the UK.
- You are aged 21 or over on the closing date.
- You left school without a grade 4 (or a grade C) in GCSE English or GCSE maths.
- You are now enrolled, or hold an offer, at a UK further education college, sixth form, university or regulated online college, on any course at any level.
- You are not an employee of Lift College Limited, or a member of an employee’s immediate family.
Four steps, no catch
Apply
Fill in the short form below with a statement of up to 400 words. No supporting documents are needed at this stage.
Applications close
Each round has a fixed application window. The closing point is shown on this page while a round is open.
Shortlist
We draw up a shortlist of five. Our judging panel reads every shortlisted statement in full and chooses the winner.
Winner announced and paid
We confirm enrolment, then pay £1,000 to the winner’s own UK bank account within 30 days of the decision.
Your statement, in your words
What happened first time
Tell us why you left school without those grades. There is no wrong answer. Illness, caring for someone, a school that did not work for you, or simply not being ready are all reasons we hear every week.
What you are studying now, and why
What is the course, where is it, and what made you go back? We are more interested in the decision than the subject.
What £1,000 would change
Be specific. Childcare for exam weeks, a laptop, travel to a placement, replacing lost shifts. The clearer the picture, the easier it is to see the difference the money would make.
Apply for the Second Chance Bursary
One form, one statement. We reply to every applicant once the round has closed.
Bursary terms
Terms of the Lift College Second Chance Bursary
- One award of £1,000 is made in each round.
- The decision of the judging panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Before payment the winner must provide proof of current enrolment or a confirmed offer, and details of a UK bank account in their own name.
- The award is paid as a single payment within 30 days of the decision.
- The winner may use the award for any purpose.
- With the winner's consent, Lift College may publish their first name, town and a short quotation. No other personal details are published.
- No purchase or enrolment with Lift College is required to apply, and applying does not affect any application to study with us.
- Employees of Lift College Limited and their immediate family are not eligible.
- Applications received outside the application window are not considered.
- Personal data is handled in line with the Lift College privacy notice and is used to run the bursary and for the anonymised research described below.
- Lift College may publish anonymised, aggregated findings from applications, for example the most common reasons adults left school without a grade 4 in English or maths. Nothing that could identify an applicant is ever published.
Who runs it and who to contact
Second time counts
If you are back in a classroom, a lecture hall or a kitchen table with a textbook, this is for you.