The OptiGene Foundation Engineering Scholarship

To apply for this scholarship, the applicant must:

Be a Home/UK student.
Be a first-year student beginning their studies in September 2026 at the University of Surrey, studying:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Automotive Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Have a household income of less than £35,000.
Meet at least one of the following Widening Participation (WP) criteria as listed below:

• Students from Low Participation Neighbourhoods (LPNs, defined as POLAR4 Quintiles 1 and 2 by OfS*
• Students from an area of high deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation, IMD) Quintiles 1 and 2*
• Students from a low-income family (eligible for Free School Meals in last six years)
• Care leavers and students in local authority care
• From families where parents/carers are in non-professional households (NS-SEC groups 4-8)
• From families with no parental history of HE participation
• Students classified as having a disability
• Young carers
• Mature learners
• Refugees and asylum seekers
• Students estranged from their families
• Students who have a parent/carer who has served in the armed forces or reserves
• Students from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic backgrounds
• Students from Gypsy, Roma or Irish Traveller (GRT) communities
• Students who identify as a New Traveller, Boater, Bargee or Showperson.