Competitive Scholarships

• The award is valued at £1,000 per academic year.
• The award is renewable for up to 3 additional years for qualified applicants, so four years or until a post-secondary degree or equivalent is earned.
• The number of new scholarships available each year is dependent on how many students continue with their studies and how many opt for a four-year course rather than three.
• You must complete an online renewal form each summer and continue to meet the eligibility requirements as outlined below:
  • Recipients must maintain a full-time undergraduate course of study
  • Recipients must remain in good academic standing and make satisfactory academic progress (as defined by the university) from year-to-year
  • Recipients must maintain an in-force Foresters membership as defined under “Who is eligible to apply” in the programme FAQs
  • Children, including children under the care of a legal guardian who is an in-force Foresters member, and grandchildren should be 24 years of age or younger at the time the renewal application is submitted through to the time of the payment
• The award must be used in the academic year in which it is issued, unless the recipient submits a formal request to have the award deferred.
• Award recipients must enrol at a university or institute of higher education in the UK for the 2020-2021 academic year with the intention of completing a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• You must submit proof of enrolment from your university in order to complete the award acceptance process.
• Recipients may transfer from one eligible institution to another and retain the award.
• You may receive financial aid – including additional scholarships – from other organisations.

Applicants must meet all the criteria points to be eligible for a scholarship:

• Applicants must be enrolling in a (minimum) two-year, full-time undergraduate programme of study at an accredited university or vocational or technical institutions in the United Kingdom in the Autumn of 2021.
• You, your parent, your legal guardian, your grandparent or your spouse must be a current UK Foresters member:
  • Dependent children, grandchildren, or children under the legal guardianship of members, can only apply if they are 24 years old or younger.
  • Members who are applying do not have to be 24 years old or younger but must meet all other eligibility requirements.
• Applicants completing secondary school must provide copies of certified exam results indicating minimum scores of B (A-levels/AS-levels), 4/C (GCSE) or equivalent. The amount of scores required is dependent on the university programme the applicant is enrolling in.
• Applicants currently enrolled at university must have a minimum weighted average mark/grade point average of 70% (or institutional equivalent).
• Applicants must have completed a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer experience from 1st March 2019 – 26th February 2021.
• Foresters membership must be in-force on the date of application for the Foresters Competitive Scholarship, and it must remain in-force in order for the applicant to accept the scholarship and receive payment.

Overall weighting of the application components:

• Volunteer experience, Reference letter and Essay: 65%
• Grades: 35%

Based on the number of people who apply each year, the competition for these scholarships can be high. The minimum requirements for volunteer hours, exam results, reference letter and the essay, are items all students need in order to just be considered for a scholarship. Meeting or exceeding these requirements does NOT guarantee that you will be chosen as a winner. Please keep in mind that only the top applicants from across the UK, as chosen by the Selection Committee, can be selected as winners.

Volunteer

All applicants must have performed a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer work in the 24 months leading up to the application deadline.

Preference will be given to applicants who have:

• Volunteered with Foresters in the past
• Been involved in volunteer activities that support family well-being, including public spaces, children’s health/wellness and other projects connected to a family togetherness
• Held leadership roles in their volunteer experience

Minimum Grades

Applicants completing secondary school must provide copies of certified exam results indicating scores of B (A-levels/AS-levels), 4/C (GCSE) or equivalent.

Applicants currently enrolled at university must have a minimum weighted average mark/grade point average of 70% (or institutional equivalent) in the last academic year of study before the year of the award.

If the applicant is considered a "Mature Student" as defined by the attending institution, academic eligibility for the entrance level will be based on proof of registration at an eligible institution. Such proof of registration will also be required if the candidate is awarded the scholarship.

References

All applicants must provide a recommendation from a person who is not related to the applicant and who is familiar with the applicant's volunteer experience.

The recommendation must be submitted by 5th March 2021. It is the applicant’s responsibility to follow up with the recommender to ensure that the recommendation is completed and submitted by the deadline.

Essay

In 250 words or less, all applicants will need to share a written response about their experience with a volunteer project where they gave back and supported a community. Why was it meaningful and how did it impact the community?

At Foresters we believe in enriching the lives of our members, their families and the communities where they live. Giving back and supporting local communities is part of our Purpose.

The following restrictions apply to the scholarship award:

• Applicants who have previously received a Foresters Competitive Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for a new scholarship.
• The scholarship will terminate at the end of any academic year in which the Foresters member, whether the scholarship recipient or the sponsoring member, ceases to be a member of Foresters.
• The scholarship is applicable only to the first post-secondary degree or diploma sought by the recipient.
• Membership status and eligibility is verified at different stages of the application period and throughout the year.
• Recipients of Orphan Scholarships are not also eligible to receive the Foresters Competitive Scholarship under the same membership. Our Orphan Scholarships are available to the child of a member who has died. This is a 4 year scholarship. If eligible you will be provided with this information by our Claims Department once you have made a
  claim.
• If the member dies after the scholarship is awarded, the relative of the member will continue their scholarship as long as the recipient is covered under another in-force Foresters membership as defined in the "Eligible Applicants" section AND the applicant continues to meet the renewal criteria.

Have any further questions? Take a look at our Scholarship Q&As >

For additional information regarding the scholarship programme or other member benefits, please contact Foresters Member Services by email at myforesters@foresters.com

For specific questions about the scholarship application, contact ISTS by email at Foresters-UK@applyISTS.com or by phone on 0800 4049806

Congratulations to all our recipients for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Below are some significant statistical information about the average achievement levels of the winners this year.

Community Service:

• Approximately 210 hours on average
• Most of the winners created their primary community service activities (either alone, with a group or they held a leadership position)

Foresters Competitive Scholarship Winners:

Miriam Carpenter | Rosemary Holman Award Recipient
Ella Clark
George Clements
Lara Connolly
Luke Cresswell
Claire Crook
Caite Durack | Student of the Year Awardee
Sophie Edwards
Benjamin Evans
Dominic Gillow
Aaron Goodall
Eleanor Hall
Rhiannon Hawkins
Thomas Howarth
Adam Hutchinson
William Laver
Christian Neal
Marcus Pengelly
Lucy Pringle
Phoebe Rowlinson-Housego
Daniel Shillaker