New UCOL scholarships open for applications

The UCOL campus in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley

In response to the needs of students, the Universal College of Learning (UCOL), which has campuses in Palmerston North, Levin and Whanganui, has announced the creation of two scholarships designed to help students stay in their studies and thrive.

This initiative follows the winding up of the Association of Students at UCOL and ensures the remaining funds are utilised to empower and support students for many years.

There was $180,000 in funding available to donate to UCOL when the previous student association was dissolved. The new scholarships — the UCOL Student Success Scholarship and the UCOL Empowerment Scholarship — will run until 2032, awarding up to $24,000 of scholarships each year.

UCOL student success senior manager Victoria Blockley-Powell said her team worked with students daily and saw first hand how financial challenges could be a significant barrier to accessing education.

“This funding is intended to help further remove barriers and will help to provide the necessary means for students to succeed.”

Blockley-Powell said the Student Success Scholarship would be used to holistically support students who are consistent in their efforts and achievements, but might need a helping hand.

“While academic performance is an important factor, we also recognise the accomplishments inherent in the journey of studying. For example, we want to acknowledge students who may not be achieving top grades, but are balancing their studies with responsibilities like raising children or managing part-time jobs. We value their perseverance and will consider both their individual circumstances and academic performance when making decisions.”

She said the demands on students were much higher than at any time.

“Our team currently supports students in need with a comprehensive range of hardship services including free food, clothing, and vouchers for supermarkets and petrol. This scholarship will expand our support, allowing us to assess a wider range of circumstances that students may encounter.

“We occasionally receive requests from students who don’t qualify for other forms of assistance. These new funds are designed to provide help when other options aren’t available, and we will evaluate each case individually.”

Blockley-Powell said UCOL was taking a future-focused approach, and the UCOL Empowerment Scholarship was able to be used towards expanding a recipient’s horizons in terms of extracurricular activities and personal and career development, along with further education, research or fellowships.

UCOL operations lead Jasmine Groves said, “The wider UCOL scholarships portfolio is well supported each year. The generous contributions from our donors and partners, combined with these new scholarships from our former student association, will enable our scholarships portfolio to disburse over $200,000 in funding to ākonga.”

The scholarships are now open for application and will close on April 30.