Santander travel bursaries
Through Keele’s long-standing partnership with Santander Universities, we are able to offer up to 30 travel grants for students undertaking language studies at Keele.
To qualify for a Santander Travel Grant you must be a full-time undergraduate or post-graduate student at Keele and must be enrolled in a language module offered by the Language Centre. The grant will enable students to attend intensive language summer schools or language teaching practicals at one of our partner universities abroad.
The value of awards will range from £200 to £1,400. The exact amount awarded will depend on the course cost and travel expenses.
Eligibility and selection criteria
Any full-time undergraduate or postgraduate student enrolled for a language or language-teaching module at Keele University is eligible to apply.
Priority will be given to the following groups of students:
- Students who have already successfully completed at least one language/language-teaching module at Keele University prior to application, with good results and exemplary attendance record.
- Students who
- have obtained full student funding as per their circumstances.
- are first generation in their family to attend university.
- are from low participation neighbourhoods (identified via POLAR methods).
- are from a BAME background.
- have a declared disability.
- are from vulnerable groups, e.g. care leavers, estranged students.
- Students who will still be enrolled as a Keele student at the time of travel.
- Students who have not previously received a Santander Travel grant.
Applications will be available at the start of the spring semester and should be completed via the official Santander BECAS portal. Applicants will need to register for an account before the form can be completed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each programme has its own cost with some being more expensive than others. Students should research the costs of their programmes by visiting the Modern Languages Information Board on the KLE and follow links to programme websites. Please note that every programme has its own cost breakdown and while some will provide accommodation or cultural programmes others will charge separately for these components or have additional registration fees.
Please research the cost thoroughly and ensure that you are familiar with your programme’s refund policy.
The Santander grant will be different for different courses. The aim is to allow students to travel and provide them with a significant part of the necessary funds.
The Santander grant will be an amount of money transferred into your bank account. You can use this money for any costs related to your course, including course fees, travel or accommodation and food.
No. You do not need to show us exactly how you spend your grant BUT you must submit evidence of completion of the course upon return to Keele. If you fail to do so you will be asked to pay the money back.
Yes. You will need to research and book your own travel to and from the country. Please make sure that you take into account time differences when you book flights, particularly to and from Asia. You should confirm arrival and departure dates directly with your host university.
No. Your contract is directly with the course provider who will have mechanisms in place to support you should problems arise. Keele recommends courses at partner universities where we are sure of the overall quality of the course and the support provided, but we have no direct input into your arrangements.
The Language Centre will endeavour to have grants deposited into students’ accounts as soon as possible. You will need to complete and return the Account Details form to languages@keele.ac.uk as soon as you receive the grant notification. If you do not return your account detail as acknowledgement of your acceptance of the grant within 1 week, the grant will be re-allocated to the next applicant on the waiting list.
We will send your details to the Keele Finance office for processing. It is normally a few weeks between the details being sent and the money being deposited in student accounts.
If you are planning to attend a programme that has not been recommended by the Language Centre, you will need to send us confirmation of your acceptance by the course provider before we will deposit the grant into your account.
Please note that some students may need to make payments before they have received their grants.
If you hold a current UK or EU passport and plan to travel to EU countries you normally do not need a visa. (Please note that this may change when the UK leaves the EU).
Visas are required for almost all other summer courses.
If you are an overseas student on a Tier 4 visa for the UK, you will require a separate visa for your summer course issued by the relevant embassy. Every country has its own unique visa immigration laws for different countries of origin and applicants should check government websites for guidance. Please be aware that some countries require applicants to have a minimum amount of funds in their bank account. These amounts can vary depending on your nationality. The Language Centre have no say in whether or not a visa application will be accepted and there is no guarantee that they will be. Please complete visa applications as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment and loss of fees.
Students on Tier 4 visas will also need to liaise with Visa Compliance at Keele to ensure their UK visa is not invalidated by the travel abroad.
If you are a Postgraduate student you will also need written permission from your main programme to attend a summer school while working on your dissertation.
The Language Centre will then contact successful applicants by Keele E-mail and you must send your bank details as soon as possible and no later than one week to indicate acceptance.
Following this you will be sent more details about what comes next. Some programmes have earlier deadlines than others so you may need to act fast to complete your course application. You will need to submit your application and supporting documents directly to your chosen programme abroad.
Please note that all grant holders are expected to complete a personal risk assessment form.
Yes. You need to sign up for Keele University travel insurance. This is free and will cover you for the duration of the course.
Yes. You can still attend a summer school as a self-funded student if places are not limited. Some programmes have a limited number of Keele places and priority will be given to students who have also applied for the grant, even if their grant application is unsuccessful.
If you want to attend a summer course as a self-funded student, please contact the Language Centre at languages@keele.ac.uk.
Yes. You are welcome to attend a different programme as long as it is verified by a member of the Language Centre as a suitable alternative. If you do this, you will need to provide evidence of your acceptance on to the programme before to grant is paid to you.
Should you be really unlucky with assessments that’s fine by us as long as you can provide written confirmation that you have fully attended the course. If you fail because of poor attendance you will be asked to pay the grant back.
If you do not to travel abroad and join the course, you will have to pay back the Santander grant. If you have good reason for not attending (e.g. illness or bereavement) your travel insurance should cover most of the loss (minus the policy excess). It is therefore important that you register for the free Keele insurance as soon as possible.
You must submit your course certificate and a short report about your experience by the start of the new academic year. If you fail to do so, you are required to pay back the grants received.
Our administrator Erin McAvoy-Postlethwaite will organise a drop-in session in February for students needing advice on how to submit the application, and procedural queries. A pre-departure meeting with Erin and/or your tutor is usually arranged for May to discuss general queries about travel to and life in the destination country. All queries about the course itself, arrival and accommodation should be directed to the course provider.