Practical and financial placement advice

The Professional Training Year (PTY) Support Award aims to support undergraduate Home/UK students from under-represented and vulnerable groups, listed in the eligibility and categories section. The award aims to ensure that students from a Widening Participation background are sufficiently financed to undertake a PTY.

The award will provide approximately £4,000 to eligible Home/UK students during their PTY. The award can be received in addition to other University scholarships or any other bursary, prize and awards if eligible. The award will be given to 12 successful applicants.

Eligibility

1. Applicants must be undertaking their Professional Training Year during the 2026-2027 academic year and paying the full professional training year fees (therefore courses that do not offer a full Professional Training Year are not eligible).
2. Applicants do not need to have secured their placement to be able to apply for the award.  Awards will be confirmed in July 2026 only to students who have secured an approved placement by 30 June 2026 (applications submitted after the closing date of Tuesday 30 June 2026 will not be considered).
3. Applicants must fall into one or more of the specific Widening Participation categories which include:

• Students of Black heritage, students of South Asian heritage, or students from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller community
• Disabled Students
• Your household income must be less than £25,000 per year*
• Your home postcode (non term time address) must be in a IMD quintiles 1 or 2 area**

*You must be in receipt of support from Student Finance England for the current academic year. Please note you must:

• Be paying full UK tuition fees equalling £9,535 for the academic year (or £5,760 if applicable to certain Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences course)
• Have opted to be means-tested
• Have given consent for information to be shared with the University of Surrey

**IMD eligibility is based on the data the University has received from UCAS prior to commencing your university programme. This data will be used to assess eligibility. Students can check their postcode Quintile via https://outreach.surrey.ac.uk/eligibility-criteria/

How to apply

Please complete the online Microsoft Form by the closing date of Tuesday 30 June 2026. Successful applicants will be notified of their entitlement by the end of July 2026. Successful applicants will be notified of their entitlement by the end of July 2026. 

Applications submitted after the closing date of Tuesday 30th June 2026 will not be considered. 

If you are in financial difficulty during your Professional Training placement, you may be eligible to apply for our Hardship Fund.

For further information or advice, contact a Student Money Support Adviser. 

The Antonio Carluccio Foundation are providing scholarships of £4,000 each for undergraduate students undertaking their Professional Training Year (PTY) pursing a career in a restaurant, or within the food and beverage industry during 2025/2026.

Application deadline

Please apply by 2 June 2025 by completing the online application form.

The David Ebsworth Scholarship provides two scholarship opportunities of £5,000 to students doing their Professional Training Year (PTY) overseas. To apply you need to be from the School of Biosciences and planning on taking your PTY 2025/26.

Application deadline

Please apply for this scholarship opportunity by 2 June 2025 by completing this online application.

The Millett Award Scholarship provides multiple scholarship opportunities of £3,000 to undergraduate students undertaking their Professional Training Year (PTY) overseas during 2025/2026.

Application deadline

Please apply for this scholarship opportunity by 2 June 2025 by completing this online application.

Surrey students can receive international mobility grants and scholarships to enable access to a wide range of activities, including student exchanges and professional training year placements abroad. See study and work abroad funding for further details.

If you are attending a study placement or an unpaid research placement in an overseas higher education institution in excess of 30 weeks and three days (excluding vacations), you may receive additional monies.

For more information, visit the gov.uk website.

DSAs are available to students on unpaid work placements and part-year paid placements, but not full-year paid placements. Advice on benefits, including Personal Independence Payments (PIP), is available from the Disability and Neuroinclusion team.

If your disability-related support requires funding, please contact the Disability and Neuroinclusion team for further information.