Bursary Scheme
Our bursary scheme provides UK candidates in financial need with a voucher to cover the full test fee. You, or your parent/guardian, will need to meet the criteria set out below and provide the relevant documentary evidence.
Apply for a bursary Learn about elgitibility and criteria
Candidate Eligibility
You must be living permanently in the UK at the time of application, and planning to sit your test at a UK test centre.
You, or a parent/guardian, must be in receipt of one of the means-tested benefits below to qualify and be able to upload the required evidence, dated accordingly. Your parent/guardian must be living at the same address as you.
You can apply for one bursary code per UAT-UK test, per application cycle. If you are sitting both the ESAT and the TMUA, you will be provided with a voucher code for each. These are one-time voucher codes and must not be shared.
Bursary Criteria and Supporting Evidence
UAT-UK will accept evidence that demonstrates you, or your parent/guardian, are in receipt of a listed, means-tested benefit. The evidence must be dated as stipulated in the table below.
If you are over the age of 21 and no longer in full-time education, you must be personally in receipt of a qualifying award. You only need to provide evidence for one of the listed awards.
UAT-UK reserves the right to request additional evidence if, in its view, the initial supporting documentation is not sufficient to verify eligibility. On occasion we may consider alternative evidence on a case-by-case basis.
Please note that it can take up to five working days for UAT-UK to review an application for a bursary. You should apply for this as early as possible, and in advance of the registration deadline to ensure you can still book your test on time.
| Eligibility Criteria | Evidence Required |
|---|---|
|
The candidate is in receipt of: |
|
|
Free School Meals |
A recent letter ( dated no earlier than the 2023/24 academic year) from your school confirming your receipt of free school meals. |
|
16-19 Bursary / EMA |
Your official award letter with your name and date of award (no earlier than the 2023/24 academic year) |
|
The candidate, or parent/guardian, living at the same address is in receipt of: |
|
|
Universal credit (with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods) |
The first part of your or your parent/guardian’s universal credit statement dated within the last three months. This letter must show the name and address of the claimant, as well as the award amount. |
|
Working Tax Credit |
The first part of your or your parent/guardian’s award letter (dated no earlier than 2023/24). This letter must show the name and address of the claimant. |
|
Child Tax Credit, and have an annual gross income, of no more than £16,190 as assessed by HMRC |
The first part of your or your parent/guardian’s award letter (dated no earlier than 2023/24). This letter must show the name and address of the claimant. |
|
Income support, Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) |
ALL pages of your or your parent/guardian’s award letter (dated in 2024 only). This must be from UK Jobcentre plus and must be a means-tested award (specified on the last page of the letter). It must show the name and address of the claimant. |
|
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 |
ALL pages of your or your parent/guardian’s official award letter (dated in the last 12 months only). This letter must show the name and address of the claimant. |
|
The guarantee element of State Pension Credit |
ALL pages of your or your parent/guardian’s official award letter (dated in the last 12 months only). This letter must show the name and address of the claimant. |
The following awards/benefits or evidence are not accepted under any circumstances: scholarships, bursaries or free school meals at independent or fee-paying schools; Postgraduate Loan; Advanced Learner Loan; Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary; Personal Independence Payment (PIP); Council Tax or Housing Benefit; Child Benefit; Annual accounts or a P60 end of year certificate.
Key Dates 2024
| Event | Deadline Date |
|---|---|
|
Applications open for bursaries for October 2024 test sitting. |
3rd June 2024 |
|
Test registration opens for October 2024 test sitting. |
1st August 2024 |
|
Online test registration closes for the October 2024 test sitting. |
16th September 2024 |
|
Applications open for bursaries for January 2025 test sitting. |
23rd September 2024 |
|
Test registration opens for January 2025 test sitting. |
24th October 2024 |
|
Online test registration closes for the January 2025 test sitting. |
9th December 2024 |
Apply for a Bursary
Create a UAT-UK account with Pearson VUE
On the left-hand side of your dashboard, when you log into your UAT-UK account with Pearson VUE, you will see your UAT-UK candidate ID. You will need to provide this to us when applying for a bursary. If you are a returning candidate, you should use your existing candidate ID.
Applying with the correct supporting evidence.
Applications for bursaries open in advance of test registration. Applications can take up to five working days for UAT-UK to review, so you should apply in advance of the registration deadline for your intended test sitting. Please ensure you upload the correct evidence, as detailed above, to avoid your application being delayed.
Receive your bursary voucher code by email.
You will receive this from UAT-UK via email. This is a one-time voucher code that must not be shared. If you are sitting both the ESAT and the TMUA and have been granted a bursary, you will receive a separate code for each test.
Use your voucher code to book your test.
Please wait until you receive your code to book your test. We will not be able to reimburse candidates that pay for their test before they apply for a bursary. All voucher codes will cover the full cost of a test in the UK.