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Welcome back, returning candidates

Get everything you need to reapply for a Competitive Scholarship.

Competitive Scholarship

If you have applied for a scholarship in the past and you meet the eligibility requirements for returning candidates, we encourage you to apply again for a Competitive Scholarship award. Whether you are a previous scholarship award winner or had an application declined, the information below will help you understand how to apply as a returning candidate.

This scholarship is competitive. The minimum requirements of volunteer hours and academic grades are eligibility requirements students must meet to be considered for a scholarship.

Meeting or exceeding these requirements does not guarantee you will be chosen as a Scholarship recipient.



The returning candidate application must be completed by students who:

  • Had applied for a scholarship previously as new scholarship applicants and were declined or;
  • Those who are previous scholarship award recipients or;
  • Are current scholarship award recipients.

Application Period: 27 June 2023 to 29 August 2023

Scholarship Recipients Notified: By 2 October 2023

Scholarship Funds Issued: By 23 October 2023

  1. The award is valued at up to £1,000 per academic year.
  2. The scholarship can be awarded up to three consecutive years after the first application for qualified applicants.
  3. The scholarships will be applied to undergraduate study at accredited, non-profit three or four-year programme at colleges/universities or vocational/technical institutes in the UK.
  4. Students are given one award per academic year.
  5. The award must be used for the academic year it was awarded, unless winners submit a formal request to have the award deferred.
  6. The number of scholarships available each year is dependent on how many students reapply to continue with their studies and the length of their post-secondary programme.
  7. Award recipients must enrol at a university or institute of higher education in the UK for the 2022-2023 academic year with the intention of completing a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
  8. Recipients may transfer from one eligible post-secondary institution to another and retain the award so long as they have proof of transcript from their current institution.
  9. You may receive financial aid – including additional scholarships – from other organisations.

Applicant must complete an online returning candidate application form during the Application Period and continue to meet the eligibility requirements as outlined below:

Part A

Meet the following criteria:

  1. You, your parent, your legal guardian, your grandparent or your spouse must be a current UK Foresters member1

Part B

Meet ALL the criteria:

  1. Applicants must be of the age 24 years or under at the time of the application through to the time payment is issued. Members who are applying do not have to be 24 years old or younger but must meet all other eligibility requirements.
  2. Applicants must be enrolled in full time studies in the academic year they are applying as a returning candidate.
  3. Applicants must be enrolled full time in the Autumn.
  4. Applicants must have a minimum module mark of 55-59 (or institutional equivalent). This must be reflected on your current transcript.
  5. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service within the last 12 months of the returning candidate application deadline.

Overall weighting of the application components:

  • Volunteer Experience: 65%
  • Grades: 35%

Based on the number of applicants, the competition for these scholarships is high. The minimum requirements for volunteer hours and grades are items all students need in order to just be considered for a scholarship. Please be mindful that at any time during the selection period, you may be asked to submit proof for the number of volunteer hours worked. Meeting or exceeding these requirements does not mean or guarantee that you will be chosen as a Scholarship recipient.

Note: up to 75 applicants from the UK, will be chosen by the Selection Committee, as scholarship winners. This includes Returning Candidate scholarship recipients.

 

Volunteer Work

All applicants must have performed a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer work2 within the last 12 months (1 September 2022 – 29 August 2023) leading up to the returning candidate application deadline.

Preference will be given to applicants who have:

  • Been involved in volunteer activities that support family well-being, including playgrounds/public space cleanup, children’s health/wellness and other projects connected to family togetherness.
  • Held leadership roles in their volunteer work.

Competitive Scholarship encourages students to support a wide range of volunteer activities and types of projects and programmes. While each application will be evaluated holistically on its own merits, Competitive Scholarship will not accept partisan, political or direct religious volunteer activities.

 

Minimum Grades

All eligible applicants must have a minimum module mark of 55-59 (or institutional equivalent) in their last academic year of study before the year in which they will receive the award. Applicants will be ranked/scored based on their level of performance above and beyond the minimum of requirement.

The following restrictions apply to the Competitive Scholarship member benefit:

  1. New applicants whose applications have been declined or accepted are able to apply for a Competitive Scholarship up to three consecutive times by completing the returning candidate application until such time as the recipient’s first post-secondary degree or equivalent is earned at which point applicants will no longer be eligible for a Competitive Scholarship.
  2. The scholarship is applicable only to the first post-secondary degree or diploma sought by the recipient.
  3. If the sponsoring member passes away after the scholarship is awarded, the recipient will still receive the scholarship if he/she meets the requirements under Parts A and B of the “Eligibility” Section of these guidelines for new candidates and, in subsequent years, meets the criteria for returning candidates.
  4. 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.
  5. Membership status and eligibility is verified at different stages of the application period and throughout the year.
  6. Recipients of Orphan Scholarships and the Foresters Renew grant are not eligible to apply for the Foresters Competitive Scholarship.

Current scholarship award recipients will receive an email from ISTS with detailed instructions on how to reapply as returning candidates for the scholarship close to the Spring application period.

Foresters and International Scholarship and Tuition Services (ISTS) are not responsible for information that is late, unsuccessfully submitted or inaccurately completed.

If you have changed your email address after creating your account, it is your responsibility to immediately update your My Profile page at https://foresters.applyISTS.net to ensure that you continue to receive email notifications about your scholarship renewal.

If you have any questions about the returning candidate application, please contact ISTS at 0800 4049806 or Foresters-UK@applyISTS.com.

Q: How many times can I apply for a Competitive Scholarship?

After your first submission as a New Applicant, you are eligible to reapply up to three consecutive times as a returning candidate. Applicants who have previously received their first Foresters Competitive Scholarship and have surpassed their three attempts as returning candidate will not be eligible to apply for a new scholarship. Please refer to the table under the Applications section for further explanation.

 

Q: Under the circumstances that I’ve applied for a scholarship with my parent/grandparent/legal guardian’s Foresters membership status, and they pass away, am I still entitled to my scholarship award?

If a member passes away after the scholarship is awarded, the scholarship will continue as long as you are covered under another in-force Foresters membership as defined above, AND you continue to meet the criteria as a returning candidate.

 

Q: What if my parent/grandparent/legal guardian ceases to be a Foresters member during the year I receive my scholarship award?

The scholarship will terminate at the end of any academic year in which the Foresters member, whether it be the scholarship recipient or sponsoring member, ceases to be a Foresters member.

 

Q: My Foresters plan/policy is coming up for expiry and I need to renew it before applying for the scholarship award. What should I do?

If your Plan is approaching maturity or end of term, contact Customer Services immediately by email at service@foresters.co.uk. If you have made changes to your plan/policy, (i.e. address change, new term, switching to another Foresters plan/policy etc) check with the Customer Service to ensure the status of your plan/policy, is in-force.


If….

Then…

You are a first-time scholarship applicant in

  • First year
  • Second year
  • Third year

Complete the New Scholarship application

You had applied for a scholarship previously as a new Applicant and were declined

Complete the Returning Candidate application

You are currently a scholarship award recipient and will be applying for another scholarship award for the following school year

Complete the Returning Candidate application

You are a student whose scholarship application has been declined 4 consecutive times

You are no longer able to apply for another scholarship


Q: If my Foresters membership is under my parents/grandparents/legal guardian, do they have to apply on my behalf?

No, all applicants are encouraged to apply for a Competitive Scholarship on their own behalf.

 

Q: Who do I contact for specific questions about my application?

For questions about the returning candidate application, please contact International Scholarship and Tuition Service Inc (ISTS) directly.

 

Email: Foresters-UK@applyISTS.com

Phone: 0800 4049806

 

Q: Who can I contact about my scholarship application?

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

For additional information regarding the Competitive Scholarship benefit or other member benefits, please contact Foresters Member Services by email at MyForesters@Foresters.com.

For more information, please download the FAQ.

This programme is available to eligible members only. Foresters Competitive Scholarship Programme is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS). Foresters Financial member benefits are non-contractual, subject to benefit specific eligibility requirements, definitions and limitations and may be changed or cancelled without notice or are no longer available.

1 Member must be a Plan holder of a savings product, with a profits plan and/or protection product.

2 Volunteer work is volunteering for any community-based organisation, registered non-profit, or registered charity.

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