Cowrie Scholarship Foundation
We are proud to be the first arts institution to be joining the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation in supporting the next generation of Black British students.
The next deadline to apply for the Cowrie Scholarship at RCS is 23.59 BST on 13 June 2025.
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About the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation
The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation was set up to enable economically disadvantaged Black African and Caribbean heritage students to attend UK universities. Here you will find all the information needed in order to apply to the fund for support.
The Foundation was established in 2020 by Professor Richard OC Oreffo, who holds the chair of Musculoskeletal Science and is co-founder of the Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells & Regeneration at the University of Southampton.
Black British students are under-represented at many of our universities. Individuals from affluent areas are five times more likely than those from deprived areas to attend a high-tariff university ranked in the top third by entry requirements. While many issues are at play in why more Black British students do not enter university, the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation seeks to address one part of the jigsaw: the financial cost of university education.
The Award
Scotland’s national conservatoire is the first arts institution to partner with the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation (CSF), which aims to fund up to 100 disadvantaged Black British students through university in the next decade.
The scholarship will see the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland cover tuition fees for three students over the next ten years, enabling them to study at a world-class institution for performing and production arts education.
The scholarship will cover your home UK tuition fees and a maintenance stipend of up to £8,000 for each year of your course. Recipients will also receive bespoke mentoring for the full time of their studies. The scholarship is tenable for the duration of your programme of study, subject to satisfactory progression.
Access to university should not be limited by race or social class, unfortunately, this is not the case for all in our society. All should have access to an outstanding academic experience.
How to Apply
To be eligible to apply for the 2025 RCS Cowrie Scholarship, you must:
- Identify as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups:
- Black or Black British – Caribbean
- Black or Black British – African
- Mixed White and Black Caribbean
- Mixed White and Black African
- Other Black background
- Have firmly accepted an offer of a place by the relevant UCAS deadline on a first undergraduate full time degree programme at Royal Conservatoire Scotland commencing study in the 2025/26 academic year
- Have been assessed for fee status as a home student
- Have a household income of £25,000 per annum or less
- Have made an application to your regional student funding authority for income assessed UK government financial support for higher education students. The regional student funding authorities are: Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland
- Have received confirmation you will be in receipt of full financial support for the 2025/26 academic year
Please ensure you have given consent to share the information with the Conservatoire, as this information will be used to determine eligibility.
Applicants should submit:
- Completed application form (available to download below)
- Personal statement as requested in the application form
- Any other supporting materials
To rcsscholarships@rcs.ac.uk via email by 23:59 BST on 13 June 2025
Please note, applicants need to have received a conditional or unconditional offer from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in advance of applying.
Cowrie Scholarship Fund Values
Equality
We are committed to equality for Black British students and their representation in UK universities.
Diversity
We are committed to everyone, regardless of background, having equal access to education and its transformative force in their lives, our lives and the world we live in.
Inclusion
We are committed to eradicating the financial and racial barriers for socially and economically disadvantaged Black British students attending UK universities.