Most schools use bursaries based on the student's earnings or financial position to help maintain a diversity of intake.
It does hand out bursaries based on need, but, says David Simpson, the school's admissions officer, this is not necessarily the priority, as there are plenty of loans available for those who need a helping hand.
While postgraduates are not eligible for a second loan, most healthcare students are entitled to an NHS bursary – although this is based on your parent's income.
Bursaries Up to £1,000 a year, based on household income.
4) Scholarships and bursaries Scholarships and bursaries are awarded by universities to students based on a set criteria.
Newcastle Business School offers a number of £1,000 bursaries, awarded during the application process, and based on an individual's academic achievement and work experience.
Bursaries Many universities provide non-repayable bursaries for poorer students, ranging from £500 to £3,000 a year, again based on parental income.
In Zambia, advocacy efforts led to the Ministry of Education allocating 25 per cent of all bursaries to female students at the university level, with the remaining 75 per cent awarded based on equal competition between girls and boys.
Scholarships The York St John bursary offers a range of scholarships, including £1,000 to the 50 highest achieving UK full-time undergraduate entrants, based on A-level (or equivalent) performance.
The school, which charged day fees of £8,350 per term and boarding fees of £11,375 per term in 2013-14, awarded scholarships to 259 students (based on educational merit and potential), with 76 of these also qualifying for a means-tested bursary.
The commission claims its assessments are based on everything that schools do, including partnerships with local communities and state schools, and that there is "no formula" for the number of bursaries that they must offer poor pupils.
