HSBC Student Bursary Awards - Last chance to apply

HSBC is providing £120,000 in university bursaries to help four promising students realise their potential and make the most of their time at university.

The bursaries will be awarded to the four students in November 2009, with £10,000 made available every year for three years. To enter, students need to complete a short online application by 9 October 2009 explaining why they chose their degree and how they plan to use the funding.

The applications will then be short listed and the final decision made by a panel of judges, including:

Aaron Porter, Vice President, NUS (National Union of Students)
Joe Garner, Group General Manager, HSBC Bank plc
Emerson Osmond, Commercial Manager, yougofurther.co.uk brought to you by UCAS

Lucy Payne, HSBC's Youth and Student Manager said: "This is the second year we have made bursaries available and we are delighted to be able to do so again. With the high cost of going to university being widely reported at the moment, students will no doubt be worrying about how they're going to cover all their expenses. HSBC invests heavily in financial education and literacy, focusing a lot of attention on helping young people and students to be responsible with their finances."

In 2008, HSBC awarded four bursaries to students from a wide range of disciplines. Imogen Cornick, who received one of the bursaries, is studying Sports Science & Material Technology at Birmingham University. Commenting on how the bursary has helped her during her first year, Imogen said: "The money has been an enormous help and has opened the door to many opportunities. All the money I had before was spent on fees and living expenses; now I even have the funds to go on trips run by the university. I have also been able to cancel my student maintenance loan, which means I will graduate with no debt; a definite advantage."

The four students who were awarded bursaries in the 2008 HSBC Student Bursary Awards are:

Mira Athanassouli, studying German and Modern Greek at Kings College in London;
Zac Imam, studying MSci Geophysics at Imperial College in London;
Chandni Patel, studying Medical Genetics at Queen Mary's College, University of London; and
Imogen Cornick, studying Sports Science & Material Technology at Birmingham University.