BURSARIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1937, Page 10

BURSARIES

NEW REGULATIONS

FEES AND BOARD

MINISTER'S REVIEW

I New regulations governing univer-1 sity national bursaries were gazetted last night. They provide for a more generous scale and boarding allowances are to be granted on certain grounds. The Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) explained that in order to give effect to this change of policy, the regulations gazetted on August 18, 1932, governing the award of national bursaries, have now been revoked, and new regulations have been gazetted in their place. "The general effect of the new regulations is to make provision for the award of bursaries on a much more generous scale than has been the case during the last four years," said the Minister. "In addition to this an entirely new departure in policy with regard to these university national bursaries is the further provision for granting boarding allowances on certain grounds (chiefly those of distance from a university college or of hardship). "The regulations just revoked made the initial qualification for bursaries somewhat more difficult of attainment than was the case previously. Moreover, during the last four years, no amount in excess of £10 annually was paid for tuition fees. It was found that the assistance given was not great enough to enable country students' to- take up bursaries.. Thus the number of new bursars showed a t'alling-oft. and since 1933 has not exceeded 110. MAXIMUM PAYMENTS. "The regulations recently gazetted provide for.two kinds of national bursaries for this: and for subsequent years, to be known as 'ordinary bursaries', and .'boairding bursataies' respectively.. An ordinary: bursary will entitle the holder to free university tuition in connection with an approved course of study up to a maximum of £20.yearly. A boarding bursary entitles the holder to an annual boarding allowance up to a maximum of £30, in addition to the payment of tuition fees of an amount not exceeding £20 annually. . The term of currency of a bursary is to be in general three years, but provision has been made for extension in certain circumstances. In the case of a student following a medical course, the normal term of a bursary will be four years. "Ordinary bursaries may be awarded to holders of higher-leaving certificates. This certificate was the qualification required for university bursaries prior to 1933, when the regulations recently revoked came into force. Boarding bursaries may be awarded to applicants selected in order of merit on the results of the university entrance scholarships examination, with the same provisions as at present in regard to the number of subjects offered. "Although there is to be no limit to the number of ordinary. bursaries which may in future be awarded in any one year, the new regulations provide for a total of 65 boarding bursaries annually. Not more than 40 of these are to be awarded to students who 'are obliged to live away from home owing to distance from the nearest university town. The remaining' boarding bursaries are to be awarded to those students who, although living in a university town, are in need of further monetary assistance to enable mem to prosecute their studies at a university college, or to those students who are obliged to live away from home owing to distance from the nearest recognised professional school (such as those in medicine or in engineering)." DATE OF APPLICATION. It was explained that applications for national bursaries of either kind accompanied by evidence of qualifications must be made on the appropriate forms provided at the office of the registrar of any constitutent college or of any university agricultural college at which it is proposed to study and must be made to the registrar of that college. Applications for the award of ordinary bursaries in 1937 must be made not later than March 31 next and applications for boarding bursaries not later than March 10 next. .Applicants for boarding bursaries will be advised by the Director of Education of the results of the awards as soon as possible .after applications have reached him. This year applications for ordinary bursaries will be accepted from all holders of higher leaving certificates, whether awarded during 1936 or not. Applications for boarding bursaries may similarly be made this year by all those qualified by examination during any one of the last five years,

All correspondence in connection with applications for university national bursaries should be addressed to the registrar of the constituent college or university agricultural college which the applicant proposes to attend. ' '■

The special bursaries already provided for in agriculture, engineering, home science, and domestic arts, architecture, and fine arts will continue to be awarded in the same manner as in the past. The total number of these special bursaries will, however, be greater than in past years. . .