Applying for scholarships at Goodenough College

For an overview of the Goodenough awarded Scholarships and some of awards offered separately by our partner organisations please see the main Scholarship page.

Understanding the selection criteria for Goodenough administered Scholarships

The Scholarship Panel decides the level to award each successful applicant. Alumni of the College have donated many of our Scholarships and some have specific criteria to reflect their wishes, such as “to be allocated to a student studying climate change”. Scholarships are allocated against accommodation costs and cannot be used for tuition fees.

Selection for the Goodenough administered Scholarships is made primarily based on financial need. When completing your application you will be asked to submit details of:

• How you will pay your tuition fees
• How you will fund your maintenance and living costs
• Details of loans you will take out to help with these costs
• Any regular income you will receive while you are studying
• Income that you expect during the time you will be studying, i.e. are you expecting to work? The panel will expect you to be working, even modestly, in addition to your studies unless there are compelling reasons why you cannot work
• Your partners income if they will be living with you at the College
• Parent, guardian or partner’s contribution towards your study costs
• Savings
• Your income for the last 12 months
• Total amount available to you to cover your living and maintenance costs
• Any other funding available or unusual expenses
• How you funded your undergraduate or previous degrees

In addition, the Scholarship Panel would like to learn, through your application and community contribution statement, about:

• How living at Goodenough College would enhance your time in London and contribute to the success of your studies
• An inspirational thing you have done
• How being awarded a Scholarship will make a difference

What the Scholarship Panel is looking for

The Scholarship Panel is made up of staff at the College and sometimes the Alumni who donated a scholarship are also involved in the selection of their successful candidate. The Selection Panel wants to award Scholarships to those for whom it would make a difference to being able to live at Goodenough College or to study in London. These are normally candidates in financial need, who have had fewer opportunities, are from a low or medium HDI country or who would otherwise not be able to study in London.

The factors that the Panel will consider when looking at Scholarship applications include:

• The type of room or flat you have selected. If you have applied for a more expensive room type the Panel will question whether this is necessary or personal choice. If there is a specific reason why it is necessary for you to live in a more expensive room type then do give details. For instance, if you have a medical condition that means that it would be easier or necessary for you to live in an en suite room. The Panel look less favourably on those choosing more expensive accommodation options as a personal choice, assuming the Scholarship money will cover this. If the Scholarships are allocated to those in the cheaper accommodation types they benefit more people.
• The money you already have available to you for your studies. Listing no funding for tuition or living expenses would mean that you are less likely to be able to take up a place on the course and so the Panel may look at other candidates. Having found funding or partial funding for your course is more impressive to the Panel than not having any funding available. Being awarded a Scholarship elsewhere does not preclude you from being considered for a Goodenough Scholarship, especially if the value of that award will not fully meet your living expenses at the College.
• How the money will be used. The Scholarship money is for you and cannot be used to support other family Members who are not resident with you at the College.
• Whether you have access to loans and family support. If you are from a lower socio-economic background or you have had a difficult upbringing then you should mention this in your application. The information is confidential, with only the Selectors having access to this information.
• What you will add to the College. The Panel asks you to describe something inspirational that you have done. This does not have to be raising a million pounds for an orphanage by circumnavigating the globe five times in a canoe! Responses to this question can be much more modest. Is there a time when you helped someone and it made a real difference in their life? Did you coordinate something which went well? Did you overcome some obstacle to achieve something?
• An honest and open application with compelling reasons why the Panel should fund you instead of another applicant. You can tell us if you have experienced difficulty or lack of opportunity. The panel will consider this confidentially and compassionately.

You should complete the sections about how being awarded a Scholarship will make a difference fully and with as much detail as possible. The Panel wants to hear about you, your life and aspirations.

We do not operate a waiting or reserve list for our Scholarships but we do review all applicants if we have awards that another candidate will not be able to use.

The Panel has found in the past that applicants have failed to mention or explain in detail important information on their application, for instance, explaining an impoverished childhood, lack of opportunities, overcoming adversity or specific special needs. You should take time and care submitting your Scholarship application as the Panel will not consider appeals under any circumstances.