RGU Carnegie Trust for the Universities in Scotland 2026

To be considered for this grant you must:

• Live in a low income household (see section on income thresholds below);
• Be ordinarily resident* in Scotland at the time of applying and have completed at least two full years of secondary schooling or college education in Scotland, OR be able to demonstrate (to CEF’s satisfaction) a substantial and recent connection to Scotland on the basis of residency, education (excluding university level education) or upbringing;
• Be entitled to remain indefinitely in the UK; OR
  • have Limited Leave to Remain under a visa that is valid for the entire duration of the course; OR
  • be an asylum seeker;
• Not be eligible for public funds (e.g. grants or loans) towards the cost of tuition fees, whether in Scotland, the UK or overseas;
• Not have already graduated with a university degree (if you are seeking support for a second undergraduate degree please refer to the section on 2nd degrees below)

* CEF employs the same definition of ordinarily resident used by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). To be considered ordinarily resident in Scotland a person must have made their home in Scotland intending to stay and live here. If you are just in Scotland to study, but otherwise would be living elsewhere, you are not considered ordinarily resident.

Notes:

• SAAS/SLC loans: Applicants eligible for a SAAS/Student Loans Company maintenance loan are expected to take full advantage of the loans available to them.
• SLC Loans: CEF will not consider an application if you are eligible for support (including loans) from Student Finance England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or any loan or grant from an overseas government or agency.
• Repeat years: in general CEF will not fund more than one repeat year for the same course and student.
• Successive applications for different courses: If you previously received funding from the Carnegie Education Fund for an undergraduate degree and now wish to start a different course, your application may not be considered – we reserve the right to ask for more information regarding your circumstances
• Part-time study: If you are a part-time student in receipt of tuition fee support from SAAS and are not eligible for any other grants, bursaries or loans, you may apply if the amount awarded by SAAS is less than the total amount of fees payable.
• Ties to Scotland: If you came to Scotland to study at university or college but have no experience of education in Scotland before that, and have no other ties to Scotland, you will not be considered eligible.
• 2nd Degrees: Exceptionally, applications from students who already have a university degree level qualification may be considered at the discretion of CEF. If you have graduated before, please check the heading below Second degrees or contact CEF to check your eligibility.
  If you experience any technical difficulties during the online application process, contact us by email: Grants@carnegie-trust.org