Funding Opportunities

£10,000 up for grabs with Santander’s Brighter Futures Grants!

This spring, we’re excited to support Queen Margaret University students with the return of the Brighter Futures Grants programme in partnership with Santander. 

We’re giving away 10 grants of £1,000 each. All of you are eligible, including undergraduates, postgraduates, part-time and full-time students. Whilst this initiative is run in partnership with Santander, you also don’t need to bank with them to participate!

There are no strings attached. You can use the funds on anything you need - from textbooks and tech upgrades to everyday expenses like rent, bills and groceries. 

Entering is quick and easy; just follow the steps below and you can complete tour application in a matter of minutes:

1. Register for Santander Open Academy, a free online learning platform (if you haven’t already)
2. Click the verification link in your confirmation email
3. Log in and choose ‘Get Started’ to complete your entry into the Brighter Futures Grants programme. Select 
[University name] from the menu. 
4. Submit your entry by 11pm on 15 May 2025.
What are you waiting for? Don’t miss the chance to enhance your academic journey with a Brighter Futures Grant. 
Enter by 15 May 2025 for your chance to win. T&Cs apply!

Apply here

Santander Universities Mobility Funding is open to all Undergraduate (UG), Postgraduate (PG) and Research students.  The fund supports research or study opportunities proposed by students as part of their programme of study.  It can also be used to help with the costs of attending and presenting at international conferences.

See our case studies of previous funding recipients.

For further information contact: Santander@qmu.ac.uk

The Santander Universities Enterprise Fund supports QMU students and graduates to achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions, with awards ranging from £1,000 - £2,500.

 It is open to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, as well as recent graduates of QMU (those who graduated within the past 48 months).

 For more information regarding eligibility criteria and the competition process, please refer to the Guidelines For Applicants.

Please contact santander@qmu.ac.uk with any questions.

The Edinburgh Merchant Company Enterprise Fund offers funding of £500 - £5,000, along with invaluable mentorship opportunities, to enable QMU students, staff and graduates to progress their businesses.

For more information regarding eligibility criteria and the competition process, please refer to the Guidelines For Applicants.

Please contact rkedu@qmu.ac.uk with any questions.

The Santander Universities Employability Scheme is open to all Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) students as well as recent graduates of QMU. We offer a variety of paid internships with SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises).

These internships offer students and graduates the chance to gain valuable experience in the workplace, to work on live projects, and put theoretical knowledge into practice. Previous internships have been in the areas of business, events, finance, healthcare, marketing and media.

See our current opportunities.  

For more information contact: Santander@qmu.ac.uk

Are you a QMU student looking to take a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025? 

Then the Emerging Creatives Fund is for you. 

For this year (2024/2025), the Fund will support the full early-bird registration fee for shows that current QMU students (individuals and groups) are taking to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025. The Fund will support up to 4 shows in Fringe 2025.

Find out more and apply now

The 2024/2025 Emerging Creatives Fund is now closed. 

Queen Margaret University and the Lord Forte Foundation are pleased to offer six scholarships to 3rd and 4th year students studying an undergraduate degree programme in events, hospitality and tourism management.

How much are the Lord Forte Foundation Scholarships?

The Scholarships are worth £2,500. This is paid to the successful applicants in instalments of £1,250 each academic semester, subject to satisfactory academic progress.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applications are invited from students in year 3 or year 4 of an undergraduate degree programme in events, hospitality and tourism management in 2024/25.

There are 3 main criteria for this award.

• Academic performance – Students should be averaging a 2:1 or above.
• Financial need – students should demonstrate that the scholarship would make a real difference to their living costs as well as other costs associated with studying.
• Motivation to work within the hotel sector in the UK – students should document their career aspirations and any current achievements within the hotel industry.

When must I apply by?

The 2024/2025 scholarships fund is now closed.     

Request the application form by emailing development@qmu.ac.uk

The Alison Scott Scholarship is a chance for Undergraduate QMU students, who identify as female, to learn a second language alongside their QMU studies (for the duration of their undergraduate degree).  

The scholarship also includes mentoring and career coaching, and works towards a chance to apply for further funding to attend a language school for your chosen European language later in your studies. 

The 2024/25 Alison Scott Scholarships fund is now closed. 

The Susan Smith IHTEM Student Development Fund supports QMU students, studying a hospitality or events related degree e.g. BA (Hons) International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management, to enhance their student experience at QMU.

The Fund will support activity such as extracurricular student projects, dissertation activity, UK-based placement/internship opportunities and other similar personal development activities. It can also help support international travel costs for those who choose to partake in overseas placements/internships.  

The Fund runs in conjunction with the Vice Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund, using the same application form and with decisions made at the same panel. On top of this, all applicants studying a hospitality or events related degree will automatically be considered for both the Susan Smith IHTEM Student Development Fund and the Vice Chancellor & Student Development Fund.

Awards will not usually exceed £750. However, at the University’s discretion, awards of up to £1,500 can be made.

Applications to the Susan Smith IHTEM Student Development Fund should be made by completing and submitting the Vice Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund application form.

Fund Guidance Notes                                           

This Fund is a sub-fund of the Vice Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund and complies with the Vice-Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund’s terms and conditions.

Deadline for applications: The 2024/2025 Fund is now closed.  

For further information contact: development@qmu.ac.uk

The Vice-Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund is open to all Undergraduate (UG), Postgraduate (PG) and research students of QMU.

Awards of up to £750 are available to support students achieve their academic, personal or vocational goals.  

These student-led projects can be based in the UK or overseas, and must demonstrate to have a positive benefit to the student, the University or the local community. 

Fund Guidance Notes

Deadline for applications: The 2024/2025 Vice-Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund is now closed. 

For further information contact: development@qmu.ac.uk

For the creative production of digital media to celebrate our agricultural and food heritage in the Lothians.

QMU have partnered with the Papple Steading to offer the opportunity for emerging digital content creators to use their medium to tell stories about the contributions made to global agriculture in the 18^th, 19^th and early 20^th centuries by Lothian’s and Scotland’s people and their agricultural innovations.

Criteria: 

• Applications should be groups which consist of:
  • QMU 4^th year UG students, PG QMU students or recent QMU graduates (graduating within the last four-years);
  • Multidisciplinary groups, from at least two different courses*, are encouraged but not mandatory
  • A mixture of creativity and technically minded to ensure the project can be undertaken by the group.
  • At least one member of the group being available on 19 June 2023 to deliver a live
    pitch.

Prize:

• There will be a prize of £4,500 to undertake the work submitted.
• The winning work will be used at the Papple Steading and may also be shown as part of the annual QMU graduate showcase.

For more information, to submit a note of interest, or to apply, please email development@qmu.ac.uk

Applications for the Papple Steading Digital Media Prize are currently closed.  

*This competition is open to all programmes of study. eg: Groups could include students from Film and Media, Acting and costume; other examples could be students from Film and Media, dietetics and gastronomy. Note these are just examples. In order to use the QMU Digital Editing Suites and equipment, groups must include a QMU student or recent graduate who has already been trained to use the suites. With this, it is anticipated that groups will include at least one Film and Media student/graduate (this is only essential if the QMU Digital Editing Suites and equipment are to be used).