Sport Scholarships

As well as a reputation for academic excellence, we also have a history of sporting success. We provide financial and specialist support to student-athletes, to help maximise their sporting potential whilst studying at the University of Portsmouth.

We get that as a student-athlete you’ll need to balance your training and competition, along with the pressure of achieving a high-quality degree. We try to help you with this through the support of our sport scholarship programme.

If you are competing at national standard or above in your sport, you may be eligible for funding. Around 25 student-athletes are awarded bursaries between £250-£3000 per year.

The programme is open to all students, irrespective of nationality, year of study or academic course. Applications open in January each year, and scholarships are awarded at the start of the academic year in September. Focus is given to sports within the BUCS programme and Olympic and Paralympic sports, with other sports considered on a case-by-case basis.

To be eligible for a sports scholarship, applicants must:

Be of national standard or above in your sport
Fulfil the normal entry requirements for the course of which you are applying for/currently studying.
Be currently enrolled on an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course at the University of Portsmouth, or in the process of applying to become a University of Portsmouth student for the next academic year.
Be committed to playing a full part in Team UOP, and, wherever possible, be prepared to represent the University of Portsmouth in BUCS competitions.

To give better guidance on 'national level', if you are an athlete from an individual sport such as athletics, swimming, martial arts etc, we are looking for you to ideally be in the top 10 of your age group category for your discipline. If you are an athlete from a team sport, we are looking for you to be playing for a club that is at national league level, and / or in a performance programme with your NGB or country. Please note that while we consider applicants who are at this level, it doesn't guarantee you a scholarship. The number of spaces available each year can change, and success is dependent on other applicants, their sport, and their performance level.

Sports Scholarship Programme 2023

Rachel Robilliard: We've got a sport scholarship programme for our student athletes who are competing nationally or internationally in their sport while they're studying here at the University of Portsmouth.

[The Sport Scholarship Progamme at the University of Portsmouth is a dual-career accredited by the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS)]

Derrick Osadolor: Before the scholarship I would struggle to balance my studies and my boxing, and there's no one really pointing you at the right direction to go, and no one really guiding you. But with the scholarship programme, there's someone actually guiding you and actually helping you follow the right route.

Taylor-Lei Mohan: Most people in the sports scholarship program travel and train internationally. Trying to balance that in with lectures and part-time work, you do want to make sure you have a really good schedule to kind of fill that all in, because you don't want to burn yourself out.

Sam Millard: All these external pressures that they have, it's about those life skills we try and get them up skilled with in terms of time management, prioritising certain things, just helping them understand how to appropriately manage that.

Finlay Morgan: Having a sports scholarship at the University of Portsmouth has helped me in so many different ways and they've given me loads of support.

[Educational workshops, strength and conditioning, nutritionists, financial support, physiotherapy and mentoring]

Finlay Morgan: There's always just someone to talk to if I need help with my sport or studies.

Taylor-Lei Mohan: Having someone that you can always message or talk to, even if it's not about your sport, if you're just feeling stressed about anything, so I think that's a really good aspect of the programme.

Derrick Osadolor: It does get a lot because when you're boxing at a high level, you're always out, you're always training, so you don't always have time for your uni studies. So what they do is they schedule times for you to do your uni work when I don't have training.

Rachel Robilliard: To have access to the support, while you're studying, is a massive benefit to the students because if they didn't have that it's really hard, it's really expensive to get access to these things.

Finlay Morgan: The financial support I get from the university is a huge part of the scholarship scheme. It's really helped me take away a bit of stress.

Sam Millard: It takes some of those pressures away so they can focus on being athletes.

Finlay Morgan: I was invited to an England squad trial to compete at the northern European championships, which is a really great experience and having the scholarship scheme line up with getting onto the England squad, whilst also being able to manage my studies and hit those deadlines, worked well. With them taking a lot of stress over my studies helped so much to make sure that I was always ready for the competition.

Derrick Osadolor: I feel like the scholarship has just changed my life completely. The athlete I became from the scholarship is completely different from the athlete I was before. It's not changing me into something else, it's adapting me from a soldier to a super soldier. I honestly recommend it, it's turned me into a better boxer.

[University of Portsmouth]

What could you get as a sports scholar?

There are many benefits to being a sports scholar at the University of Portsmouth, the fantastic support you'll receive, the community of like-minded student-athletes you'll be a part of and some of the following as well:

Financial bursaries up to £3,000
1-to-1 Strength and conditioning sessions
Expert sports nutrition advice
Free gym membership and access to facilities
Free physio and sports massage
Media promotion and experience
Expert sports psychology advice
BUCS affiliation for your sports club
Regular 1-to-1 mentoring
Academic support and flexibility
Lifestyle support
University of Portsmouth branded sports kit

Tass Dual Career Accreditation

"We are committed to supporting student-athletes to reach their potential in education, alongside achieving success in their sport, and this has been formally recognised by being awarded with Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) Dual-Career accreditation."

TASS is a Sport England funded partnership between talented athletes, delivery sites and national governing bodies, who work together to bring the best out of the country's most exciting young talent. The Dual Career accreditation highlights our dedication to providing an environment where talented athletes can meet their academic and sporting potential.

Apply for a Scholarship

Applications for the 2024/25 academic year are now open, the deadline for applications is 23:59, Sunday 28 July, 2024. If you need support in completing this form please email sportscholarships@port.ac.uk.

"Each scholar has a competition, exam and assignment tracker helping to identify if support is needed. This really helps me, I once had two assignments due the week of a national competition and struggled to balance my training and work. The staff within the programme spoke to my personal tutor and allowed me to have a deadline extension so I could compete."

Taylor-Lei Mohan, BMX Sports Scholar

Sport scholars

Lauren Steadman previous sport scholar with gold Paralympic medal

You must be enrolled or enrolling onto either an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course at the University of Portsmouth to apply for sport scholarships.
If you intend to study in the following academic year, your application will also be considered.
You must be of national standard or above in your sport, or demonstrate the ability for future potential. The level of scholarship awarded will be determined by the performance level you are at in your specific sport, and the number of applicants we have who are eligible.
The scheme is open to all students, irrespective of nationality or academic course.
Scholarships are awarded annually and applications are welcomed by students in any year of study.
Focus is given to sports within the BUCS programme as well as Olympic and Paralympic sports, with other sports considered on a case by case basis.

To apply for scholarship, please complete the application form on this page by the 31st July.

You will be notified that we have received your application form through an automatic email.
If you meet the criteria, your initial application may be followed up with an interview with one of our team members, or a trial process either prior to coming to university or during pre-season.
If successful at the interview stage, your application will be considered after the deadline, where our panel will meet to select and award scholarships. The panel consist of a broad spectrum of sport staff and student representatives.
Successful scholars will be contacted via email / phone to discuss the next steps of the programme.

If you wish to be part of the Sports Scholarship Programme for the 2023-24 academic year, please apply before the deadline (31st July 2023).
Applications will be open from December 2022 - June 2023. Applications received after the deadline may not be considered.
If you are considering applying, we would encourage you to complete the application form as soon as it is available, or soon after you mark the University of Portsmouth as your final UCAS choice.

Yes, our Sports Scholarship Scheme is open to all students, regardless of their year of study.
If you are a prospective student for the next academic year we would encourage you to apply before, or soon after, you mark the University of Portsmouth as your final UCAS choice.

All recipients will be expected to sign an agreement accepting the terms and conditions of the programme.

As a Sports Scholar, you will be a representative of the University of Portsmouth. As such, you must:

demonstrate a commitment towards your academic studies
fully commit to representing the University of Portsmouth in BUCS competitions and wherever possible
meet with the Scholarship Programme Manager at least twice a term
keep us informed of your progress and achievements, including any success such as national or international selection
be available for a number of press and PR opportunities over the course of the academic year
promote the sport scholarship programme through attending events such as University Open Days, and through your social media accounts
engage with academic and lifestyle support workshops throughout the programme
wear Sport Scholarship clothing as provided for University of Portsmouth fixtures and other appropriate opportunities.

If you’d like to speak with someone about our Sports Scholarship Programme, or ask a question which isn’t answered by this page, please contact us using the details below to arrange a casual chat or a visit to our facilities:

Staff Contact: Rachel Robilliard

Telephone: +44 (0) 2392 84 5555
E-mail: sportscholarships@port.ac.uk
Address: Ravelin Sports Centre, Cambridge Road, Portsmouth. PO1 2SE

Sport Scholarships

Helping you excel in your studies and your sport