Postgraduate bursary scheme is 'failing' students

Some students from Jersey have said government funding for postgraduate study is "not good enough" after they were rejected for a bursary.

Island residents studying for a masters or doctorate can apply for the Jersey Bursary to cover some of the costs.

But the process is competitive and some unsuccessful candidates, who said they were unsure if they could afford to complete their studies, have questioned whether a bursary is fair.

The Government of Jersey said the bursary was a non-statutory financial award of up to £10,000. A total of £120,000 was available in 2026 and 51 people applied. It said changes to the application criteria in 2025 included removing the need to hold a 2:1 degree.

Nicole Sheppard said she was hoping to study for a Masters in Fine Art at Goldsmiths in London. She earned a first class honours as an undergraduate, entitling her to 20 percent off the cost of the course that would still cost £22,000.

She applied for the Jersey Bursary to help fund her studies but said she was unsuccessful.

Sheppard said she was upset to be turned down as she did not realise how competitive the bursary was.

"I hadn't quite understood the extent of how competitive the bursary was, with less than 50% of applicants each year receiving funds. Even then its often insufficient funds for the whole course," she said.

Student finance is only available in Jersey for postgraduate courses which lead to a professional qualification, such as social work or teaching.

Other students are only eligible to apply for the bursary.

After making an initial bursary application, candidates are shortlisted by a panel before being invited to give a further presentation.

If successful, they receive payments to help with living costs and tuition fees.

Sheppard said she would be unable to start studying this year after her application was turned down.

"I can look to lower cost opportunities in Europe, but it's still likely that in 2027 I would not receive funding due to the low application success."

She said the bursary was "a fantastic opportunity for a select few".

"That's not good enough...more than 50% of applicants [are left] with nothing."

Annabel Woolley said she was hoping to study for a Masters at the University of Portsmouth, researching pollen levels in salt marshes and what they could reveal about historic sea-level changes.

She said the research would "definitely be useful" to Jersey but she received an email telling her she was unsuccessful in her bursary application.

"It was really quite upsetting. It was a very short email, just saying I had been rejected. There was no reason why, there's no appeal process, there's nothing I can do about it," she said.

Annabel contrasted her situation with postgraduate friends in the UK who had been able to access student loans.

"They don't have to prove their worth, they don't have to prove their course is necessary," said Woolley.

She said the system was "not fair at all" and it was not clear "what the panel believed a "good application should look like".

Annabel said she would need to get a loan in order to complete her studies and the experience left her uncertain about returning to Jersey to pursue her career.

"It does make me question if I want to stay, to be honest," she said.

Nicola Heath, who runs a student loans support group online described the level of funding as "absolutely appalling".

"They've got actually no idea how much they would get, even if they're successful, so it makes it difficult for them to financially plan. It's not always £10,000, it can be less".

"I think we need to do better, we should do better, and we're failing our students".

The government of Jersey said changes had been made to the application criteria for the Jersey Bursary in 2025.

"These changes included removing the need to possess a 2:1 degree, allowing candidates to provide one reference, and widening the scope to include part-time and distance-learning courses," it said.

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