Students starting their undergraduate degree over the age of 21, or those starting a postgraduate degree over the age of 25 are usually classed as mature students.
Mature students have usually had a period out of full-time education and may be looking to change their career path or get back into studying.
Below is a list of scholarships available to mature students. It’s worth noting, however, that mature students are also eligible for most regular scholarships. You can view the full list of scholarships to study abroad here.
Study in the UK

- Goldsmiths, University of London: Mature Students Scholarship – A scholarship with a value of £3,000 (approx. $3,994) is available to students over the age of 25 with an offer to study an undergraduate course at Goldsmiths, University of London.
- Loughborough University Mature Student Scholarship - Students over the age of 21 can apply for this scholarship to study an undergraduate course at Loughborough University.
- Women Careers Foundation – British women over the age of 21 who are in financial need and want to further their education at any UK university can apply for this scholarship. Younger applicants are considered if taking courses in music and dance.
- Royal Holloway’s Access Entry Mature Students Bursary – Full time undergraduate students over the age of 21 with a household income of less than £25,000 (approx. US$33,570) can apply for this scholarship of £1,000 (approx. US$1,340) per year. Students must be enrolled on an undergraduate course at Royal Holloway, University of London.
- Yorkshire Ladies Council for Education – Women over the age of 21 from Leeds and Yorkshire who have a place on an undergraduate course at a British university and are unable to finance it themselves can apply for this scholarship.
- Lancaster University Mature Student Scholarship -- £1,000 (approx. US$1,340) scholarship for mature international students enrolling in a postgraduate degree at Lancaster University.
Study in the US

- Ford ReStart Program Scholarship – A needs-based scholarship covering 90 percent of college costs. Applicants must be residents of Oregon or Siskiyou County, California, aged 25 years or older, and no more than halfway through their degree program. Applicants must plan to enroll in their state of residence.
- Working Parent College Scholarship Award – A scholarship to help working parents currently enrolled in higher education. It’s available to full or part-time students who attend an accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institution with a current cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and is a residential parent of at least one minor child.
- Jeannette Rankin Scholarship – Low-income women, aged 35 and above and studying an undergraduate course in an accredited US higher education institution can apply for this scholarship. Scholarships are renewable for up to 5 years and are distributed directly to the recipient.
- Boundless Opportunity Scholarship -- The scholarship is available at select two- and four-year colleges and universities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and is designed to benefit non-traditional students. Applicants must be US citizens who are at least 24 years old.







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