Leicester and Santander Universities UK Partner on post-graduate scholarships

MoU Signing Leicester and Santander Universities UK

The University of Leicester is to receive more funding from Santander Universities UK, bringing the value of this three-year partnership to over £450,000.

This philanthropic support will directly benefit over 750 students through post-graduate scholarships, internships, travel awards, summer schools for pupils from local schools, and an annual lecture in creative writing lecture.

Lisa Davies, Development Manager at the University of Leicester, said “Our partnership with Santander Universities UK opens up transformative opportunities for students that they would otherwise not have — enabling them to pursue post-graduate degrees, make international study trips, or getting ”hands-on” experience in industry.”

The additional funding will significantly increase the number of three-month internships for students, worth £3000 each, to work with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) 40 students each year will now benefit from this invaluable opportunity.

Luis Juste, Director Santander Universities UK, said: “Our relationship with Leicester has matured into a partnership very near and dear to us. Both the University and the Bank have been working together for several years now to ensure that the funding goes towards the areas where is most needed, ultimately benefitting not only students but also staff and researchers. We are proud of the results achieved and we look forward to many more years of partnership with the University of Leicester.”

The University will also be able to offer six new scholarships worth a total of £16400 for students from Spain, Portugal and Latin America to study for a Master’s degree at the University. 19 Students will now benefit from scholarships in 2013/14.

Caroline Berry, Head of International Market Development at the University’s International Office, said: “We are very grateful to Santander Universities for the additional funding. The scholarships make a real difference, helping us to welcome even more talented postgraduate students from Latin America, Spain and Portugal to study here at the University of Leicester.

“We already have a diverse international student population at Leicester, but being able to attract more students from Latin America, Spain and Portugal greatly enhances the student experience here as well as our profile overseas”.