Santander Scholarship Programme
We’ve partnered with Santander Universities to offer two £5,000 scholarships to support our students during the 2025/26 academic year. This scholarship is designed to help with education-related costs – from tuition fees and course materials to accommodation and career development.
Applications for 2025/26 are open until Thursday 19 February 2026, 11.59pm GMT
Santander Scholarships 2025/26 is a new initiative designed to support current university students in reaching their full potential and enhancing their future career prospects with the support of £5,000 scholarships.
The scholarship will support students with the cost of education-related expenses such as tuition fees, course materials, accommodation, or other essential costs that help you to keep the focus on your studies and make your uni life that little bit easier.
There are two scholarships available in 2025/26 for current University of York students.
Applications are via the Santander Open Academy platform. Through Santander Open Academy, applicants can also access free on-demand courses and programmes from top global institutions to help you build skills for your studies and future career.
Eligibility
Open to UK (home) students only.
- Open to our current full-time students who are enrolled in any year of study during the 2025/26 academic year in undergraduate or postgraduate study
- Aged 18+, UK resident, and qualify as a Home Fee Status student
- Preference will be given to students who have participated in the following University of York Access & Outreach Programmes: Next Step York, Black Access or Realising Opportunities.
- No requirement to be a Santander customer
How to apply
Application deadline: Thursday 19 February 2026, 11.59pm GMT
Applications can only be made via the Santander Open Academy platform. You will be asked to consent to share information submitted on your application with your University as part of the application process.
You will be asked to share personal information, including your name and course of study, as well as indicating any additional Widening Participation criteria you are happy to share as part of your application, which apply to you.
You will be asked to answer the following question (you may want to prepare your answer before beginning your application): What impact would being awarded a Santander Scholarship have on your university education? (maximum 250 words)
You will be asked to confirm you meet the eligibility criteria for the scholarship, and that you consent to information submitted being shared with your University as part of the selection process.
Finally, you will be asked to complete an online assessment, exploring your responses to questions on Interpersonal Style, Thinking Style, Emotional Style, Motivation, Culture fit, and Response Style. Applicants will need to read each statement and say how it relates to them by telling us how much they agree with it. There are 5 ratings from strongly agree to strongly disagree. This assessment is mobile device, tablet, desktop PC and laptop compatible, and compatible across all operating systems and browsers.
Step-by-step process:
- Visit Santander Open Academy
- Review the scholarship application page and the frequently asked questions
- Review the applicant guide before starting your application
- Register on the Open Academy for free (if you haven’t already)
- Verify your email (check your inbox!)
- Log in, click ‘Get Started’
- Complete the application form (including providing your University of York student ID number).
- Complete the online assessment
Please contact oppa-stewardship@york.ac.uk with any questions.
How we allocate
Applications are shortlisted by Santander via the Open Academy Platform. University of York staff in the Office of Philanthropic Partnerships and Alumni (OPPA) will view application forms via the platform and verify shortlisted candidates by comparing responses with information about you on our student record system, as well as liaising with Access and Outreach staff to confirm any students who have taken part in an eligible access programme. All data and application forms will remain on the Santander Open Academy platform. The University of York will only use the following information to verify applications:
- Personal details (name, contact details, date of birth)
- Education details (including the start and end dates of your degree and current uniunversity course)
- Student ID number
- University email address
- Postcode of your primary residence before starting university
Final allocation of the scholarships will be made based on successful verification of eligible shortlisted candidates, with preference given to students who have participated in the following University of York Access & Outreach Programmes: Next Step York, Black Access or Realising Opportunities. Successful applicants will receive notification of the result by email from the Santander Open Academy platform. Selected scholarship students have 7 days to accept their award on the Santander Open Academy platform.
Terms and conditions
Shortlisting on the Santander Open Academy platform will apply the following criteria to applications:
- Applications must meet the admission criteria (set out in the eligibility of the Terms and Conditions)
- Applications will be ranked using the results of the online assessment
- Finally, applications must meet any additional criteria applied by your university (for the University of York, the additional criteria is a preference for students who have participated in a University of York Access & Outreach Programme (as detailed above)