POSTGRADUATE BURSARY SCHEME
The Stationers' Foundation bursary programme provides financial and mentoring support for young people on a wide variety of MA/MSc courses leading to a career in the Content and Communications industries.
These range from digital media to data science to data journalism, from book publishing to typography and book design, from magazine to news journalism, and from archive management to library studies.
Bursary winners in Awards ceremony in 2021.
Postgraduate Bursary Scheme 2023
The Foundation offers up to 16 Bursaries each year to postgraduate students on specific courses that support entry to and progression in the Communication and Content industries. Successful students will each receive a bursary of up to £9,000 and every effort will be made to offer the opportunity to receive mentoring during their studies from an appropriate member of the Stationers’ Company, taking into account the specific interests of the student.
On successful completion of their Masters programme the award winners will be presented with the Freedom of the Stationers’ Company and it is expected that they will participate in the life of the Company. Payment of the annual membership fee will be waived for the following three years.
Criteria and participating institutions
Applicants must normally be under 30 on 1st September 2023, resident in the UK, and classified as paying UK tuition fees. Applicants must hold a conditional or unconditional offer for one of the identified courses below.
British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF)
MSc Management to be awarded by the University of South Wales
Cardiff University
MA News Journalism
Cardiff University
MSc Computational and Data Journalism
City, University of London
MA Magazine Journalism
City, University of London
MA Publishing
Goldsmiths
MA Digital Media
Kingston University, London
MA Publishing
London College of Communication - University of the Arts London
MA Publishing
Oxford Brookes University
MA Publishing Media & MA Digital Publishing
University College London
MA Library and Information Studies
University College London
MA Publishing
University College London
MA Archives and Records Management
University of Reading
MA Communication Design (to include the four Design Pathways of Book/Information/Typeface/Graphic
University of Salford
MA Journalism
Queen Mary University of London
MSc Big Data Science
Application process
The application form should be submitted to the relevant Course Administrator by Friday, 26th May 2023 if your institution is inverviewing in June 2023 or Monday, 26th June 2023 if your institution is interviewing in July 2023. Applications must be supported by two references, one academic and one personal from someone of standing who can support the financial statements made in the application. The course team will draw up a shortlist of up to three students from each university whose names will be submitted to the Foundation. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to interview at Stationers’ Hall in London in the weeks commencing 26th June and 17th July 2023. It is essential that applicants are available for these interviews. Each relevant course director will be part of the interview panel.
Please note that we welcome applications from first generation students.
Please complete the Application Form (which is a Word document) and then insert your 2 references and any financial backup documentation directly into your Application Form and then just submit ONE document.
Download the Application Guidelines
Applicants for Goldsmiths - University of London should send their applications direct to the Programme Director, Sarah Kember, on s.kember@gold.ac.uk and the Course Administrator, Ben Craggs, on b.craggs@gold.ac.uk
Applicants for Kingston University should send their applications direct to the Senior Lecturer, Publishing, Emma Tait, E.Tait@kingston.ac.uk
Applicants for University of Salford should send their applications direct to the Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Andrew Lindsay, A.Lindsay@salford.ac.uk
Interested applicants for City University should write to Dr Patrick Brindle, Programme Director, Publishing Studies, patrick.brindle.2@city.ac.uk
Interested applicants for City University should write to Dr Ben Falk, Programme Director, Magazine Journalism Studies, Ben.Falk@city.ac.uk
Applicants for London College of Communication - University of the Arts London, should send their applications direct to the acting course leader for Publishing, Dr Anna Klamet, a.klamet@lcc.arts.ac.uk and to the Course Support Administrator, Matt Lynch, CSAGroup@arts.co.uk
The bursaries for Goldsmiths and BPIF are funded with support from The Printing Charity.
Criteria for awards
Short-listing will take place based on the following criteria:
- Academic merit
- Financial need
- The quality of the application
Award decisions will be based on performance in interviews at Stationers' Hall or online. Candidates will have the opportunity to make a presentation (a maximum of 10 minutes) in support of their application and show examples of their work. The interview panel will be made up of at least two Foundation Trustees and the Course Director from the candidate's postgraduate course. Please note we particularly welcome first generation students.
Timetable for awards
Application forms should be submitted to the relevant Course Administrator by Friday, 26th May 2023 for interviews scheduled in June 2023 and by Monday, 26th June 2023 for interviews scheduled in July 2023.
Each university will send its shortlisted applications (maximum 3) by Wednesday, 31st May 2023 for interviews scheduled in June 2023 and by Friday, 30th June 2023 for interviews in July 2023 to:-
Mrs Pamela Butler, The Stationers’ Foundation, Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London, EC4M 7DD
Tel: 020 7246 0990
Email: foundation@stationers.org
Final decisions will be communicated to the candidates as soon as possible. Bursary funds will be transferred to each university in early September and then passed on to each award winner after the course fees have been deducted (if appropriate). The selection panel's judgement is final and no correspondence whatsoever will be entered into concerning the decision that is based on performance at the interview at Stationers’ Hall.
There will also be an Awards Ceremony at Stationers’ Hall at which all the award winners and representatives from each university will be present. It is essential that award winners are able to attend this event. Award winners will also be asked to submit termly reports to their Company supporters.
Contact details for participating institutions
Each university will send its shortlisted applications to:
Mrs Pamela Butler, The Stationers' Foundation, Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London, EC4M 7DD
Tel: 020 7246 0990
Email: foundation@stationers.org
Any further enquiries about the scheme should be directed to Pamela Butler at the above address or email foundation@stationers.org
The relevant Trustee of the Stationers' Foundation is Nicholas Brealey who can be emailed on
2014 Bursary recipients - for details click here.
2015 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2016 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2017 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2018 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2019 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2020 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2021 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2022 Bursary recipients - for details click here
2020-21 Bursary Recipient Report - University of the Arts London - click here