Bracken Scholarship

To help us to get to know you, we will ask you for a personal statement of 4000 characters answering the following questions:

Why would the scholarship be beneficial to your studies? How would you use the scholarship to enhance your studies?

What are your academic and career goals, and how would the scholarship help you to achieve these goals?

How will your education and career provide future benefit to the Liverpool City Region?

What achievements, academically or personally, are you most proud of?

The University of Liverpool is pleased to offer the Bracken Scholarship, made possible by the generosity of Mike Bracken. This scholarship will support two students from the Liverpool City Region to pursue postgraduate education in Data Science.

The award

The scholarship will be open to two students in the 2026/27 academic year and is worth £5,000. Students must be studying a postgraduate course at the University of Liverpool. Those on data science or coding courses may be given priority.

We are looking for students who are aspiring to careers using data and digital skills within the public sector, or within public missions, including health, renewable energy or climate change. The scholarship aims to support students into careers which benefit the public good.

Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK and be commencing postgraduate study for the first time, in the academic year 2025/26.

If you are awarded the scholarship, you'll also have the opportunity to be mentored by Mike Bracken and will be provided with employability support throughout your studies.

Eligibility criteria

Please check your eligibility before making an application for this scholarship. Awards may be withdrawn if we later become aware that successful students have not met the eligibility criteria or have provided false information.

Applicants must satisfy all of the following to be considered for this scholarship:

Permanently reside in the Liverpool City Region. This is defined as a student who attended secondary school and college in the Liverpool City Region (defined as the boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Wirral, St. Helens, Runcorn and Sefton) and have applied for your undergraduate student finance from a postcode in the Liverpool City Region

Have accepted an offer of a place at the University of Liverpool for a postgraduate course, to commence study in the 2026/27 academic year

This must be your first postgraduate degree, and you must not already hold an equivalent qualification

You must have made an application to Student Finance England for a Postgraduate Master's Loan

You must have been assessed for fee status as a 'Home' student, or expect to be assessed as a 'Home' student.

You must have been considered a student from a widening participation background during your undergraduate degree. Please see below for information on what qualifies as a widening participation background.