The Postgraduate Experience Project (PEP) MSc Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fee Scholarship Scheme for entry

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1 The Postgraduate Experience Project (PEP) MSc Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fee Scholarship Scheme for entry Applicant Guidance Notes A. About the Postgraduate Experience Project (PEP) The University of Brighton is one of only 9 English institutions selected by the Government's Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to look at why British Citizens do or do not choose to go on to postgraduate education. The objectives of the project are to identify the motivators, enablers and the barriers that either encourage or prevent British Citizens resident in the UK participating in full-time and part-time MSc STEM courses. The subsequent aim is to make the changes required to prompt more to go on to postgraduate study in the future. Thanks to our involvement in the project, we are able to offer a range of fee scholarships on a number of selected courses - for both full-time and part-time study - for some students entering in In return for a fee scholarship, you will be asked to engage in a number of research activities (detailed in section G below) as part of the Postgraduate Experience Project. This important research will generate valuable knowledge which aims to assist you as a current MSc student as well as improving the experience for future students. 1

2 B. Eligible courses for the PEP MSc STEM Fee Scholarships The courses included in the project are listed below. The courses have been selected to fit with the project guidelines; including the project definition of STEM; and well-established and successful MSc courses. School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics (CEM) MSc Automotive Electronic Engineering MSc Computer Science MSc Computing MSc Digital Media Production MSc Information Systems (FT) MSc Information Systems (PT) MSc Internet and Distributed Systems MSc User Experience Design School of Environment and Technology (SET) MSc Civil Engineering MSc Construction Management (FT) MSc Construction Management (PT) MSc Project Management for Construction MSc Environmental Assessment and Management (FT) MSc Environmental Assessment and Management (PT) MSc Water and Environmental Management (FT) MSc Water and Environmental Management (PT) School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences MSc Biomedical Sciences School of Sport and Service Management MSc Applied Exercise Physiology MSc Applied Sport Physiology 2

3 C. About the PEP MSc STEM Fee Scholarships available There are about thirty fee scholarships to be awarded for eligible students starting in There are two types of fee scholarships available for the courses listed in section B above. Full course fees paid for a 1 year MSc 60% of the course fees paid for a 1 year MSc As the funding available for these PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships is limited and to make it as fair as possible to all eligible students, the fee scholarships will be randomly allocated. A number of scholarships were awarded in a first round of application submitted by 18 August. The process will meet the ethical requirements of the Project ensuring that all applicants in each round have an equal chance of being awarded one of the scholarships. If you are eligible for either the University of Brighton's Postgraduate alumni or Vice-Chancellor's excellence scholarship ( please mark this on the application form and if you are allocated one of the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships, we will contact you when the application and allocation process for the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships has been completed to agree which fee scholarship you will accept, as you cannot hold both. If you are University of Brighton alumni and are awarded one of the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships you will not also be eligible for the University of Brighton alumni discount. You only need to submit one application form as the type of scholarship will be randomly selected, but you need to ensure that you clearly state whether you are applying for the full-time or part-time mode of study. See section F for details of the allocation process. D. Eligibility criteria for the PEP MSc STEM Fee Scholarships Before you can apply you must ensure that you meet the application criteria. 3

4 You must be a British Citizen, resident of the UK You must be local, either living or working within the local postcodes areas BN, TN or RH, or a recent graduate of the University of Brighton you must also meet the entry requirements of, and have accepted a place on, one of the STEM MSc courses listed above, to start in Further definitions of the criterion provided below - along with the exclusion. 1. British Citizen You hold a British Passport or Certificate of Naturalisation. 2. Resident of the United Kingdom In order to qualify as a UK Resident, you must meet all of the following criteria: you must be settled in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course; Definition of 'settled' by UKCISA or-overseasfees/definitions/#settled 'Settled' means being both ordinarily resident in the UK and without any immigration restriction on the length of your stay in the UK. The regulations refer to immigration law for the definition of 'settled'. If you have the Right of Abode (including those people who have this by virtue of a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode), or Indefinite Leave to Enter/Remain (ILE/R), in the UK, then you are 'settled'. If your passport describes you as a 'British citizen', then you also have the Right of Abode and are, therefore, settled. Nationals of other European Union (EU) member states who have acquired the right of permanent residence under EC law are also settled but will not generally qualify under categories which require 'settled' status. Such people can qualify under other categories, if they meet the appropriate criteria. 4

5 You are not 'settled' if: you have a time limit on the length of your stay in the UK, as shown by your current immigration permission (i.e. you have a 'limited leave') you are exempt from immigration control, for example you are living in the UK as a diplomat or a member of their household/family you have a type of British passport that does not give you British citizenship, e.g. British National (Overseas). and you must be ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course; Definition of 'ordinary residence' by UKCISA or-overseasfees/definitions/#ordinary-residence You are ordinarily resident in the relevant residence area (which depends on the category and its qualifying conditions) if you have habitually, normally and lawfully resided in that area from choice. Temporary absences from the residence area should be ignored and therefore would not stop you being ordinarily resident. It has also previously been successfully argued in the UK courts that an individual can be ordinarily resident in more than one place at the same time; individuals wishing to demonstrate this would have to be living a lawful, normal and habitual residence in each of the areas in question. If you can demonstrate that you have not been ordinarily resident in the relevant residence area only because you, or a family member, were temporarily working outside the relevant residence area, you will be treated as though you have been ordinarily resident there. Where a category includes a condition that the main purpose of your residence must not have been to receive full-time education, a useful question to ask is: "if you had not been in full-time education, where would you have been ordinarily resident?". If the answer to this question is "outside the relevant residence area" this would indicate that the main 5

6 purpose for your residence was full-time education. If the answer is that you would have been resident in the relevant residence area even if you had not been in full-time education, this would indicate that full-time education was not the main purpose for your residence in the relevant area. and you must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the full three year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course - For example, if your course begins in October 2014, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2011 to 31 August This includes Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. (Officially, the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK or the EU); and the main purpose for your residence in the UK and Islands must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of that three-year period. 3. Local resident or work locally You will need to either live or work within the following postcodes: Brighton (BN) Redhill (RH) Tonbridge (TN) To be deemed a 'local resident' your permanent local address must be within one of the three postcode areas listed - and you will need to provide recent evidence (e.g. utility bill, council tax registration). 6

7 If you work within one of the three postcode areas listed you are also eligible. You will need to provide a letter from your current employer confirming your employment. Alternatively, you should be a University of Brighton student graduating this year in this case, ensure you provide your student number. 4. Entry qualification You must have achieved at least a 2:2 at undergraduate level or relevant experience as per the entry requirements for the course you are applying for. For details, please see the individual course page on our website at 5. Course acceptance You must have accepted a place on an MSc taught course that the University of Brighton has included in the PEP Project - see list in Section B - and be enrolling at the start of your new course in September Part-time students who have completed one year of a 2 year course are not eligible. 6. Application exclusions There are various circumstances which will exclude you from applying for a PEP MSc STEM fee scholarship. These include: The scholarship is only open to applicants applying for the courses named above; The scholarship is not open to University of Brighton staff The scholarship is only open to self-funded applicants (e.g. loan, savings, parents/family). This excludes those receiving research council awards or charitable awards or other forms of business sponsorship; Students studying a second Master's level qualification, or who hold a doctorate; 7

8 Students who have been awarded another Scholarship at the time of application are not eligible to apply for a PEP MSc STEM fee scholarship. But please note if you are eligible for either the University of Brighton s Postgraduate alumni scholarship or Vice- Chancellor s excellence scholarship ( please just mark this on section 4 of the application form and if you are successful in the random allocation of one of the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships, we will contact you when the application and allocation process for the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships has been completed to agree which Scholarship you will accept. The PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships are of varying levels and this may affect your decision. E. Applying for a PEP MSc STEM Fee Scholarship If you satisfy this entire criterion then please proceed to complete your application on the accompanying form. You only need to submit one application form, but you need to ensure that you clearly state whether you are applying for the full-time or part-time mode of study. The closing date for applications is midday Monday 8 September Please your completed application form and any attachments to StrategicPlanningOffice@brighton.ac.uk 8

9 F. Assessment and allocation process of the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships As the funding available for these PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships is limited and to make it as fair as possible to all eligible students, the fee scholarships will be randomly allocated. The process will meet the ethical requirements of the Project ensuring that all applicants have an equal chance of being awarded one of the fee scholarships. We aim to complete the process and confirm awards via during the week commencing 15 September If you are successful, your scholarship will be paid straight to the University by the PEP. See also the terms and conditions for further information. We will check your course and commitment stage when we receive your application. We will check your qualifications once the results are supplied to the University and confirmed on our system. We reserve the right to contact applicants if for any reason results need to be confirmed by other means. G. Engagement in the Project Research As a PEP MSc STEM Fee Scholarship recipient, you will be asked to engage in a small number of activities relating to the project including: completing an entry questionnaire in September 2014; a finance survey; a focus group activity; an end of course questionnaire (for full-time students) or end of Year 1 questionnaire (for part-time students); a telephone survey 6 months after completion of your course. You will also provide permission for the Project Officer to access your Student Record and DLHE (destination of leavers of HE) survey responses from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) once you have completed it. 9

10 If you withdraw before completion, you will have a telephone exit interview with the Project Research Centre based at Kingston University. Participating students will be able to keep in touch with the findings of the project. Terms and conditions 1. All decisions made by the University of Brighton will be final under the PEP guidelines. 2. All information regarding the PEP MSc STEM fee scholarships for 2014 may be subject to change. You should always check the scholarship guidance information on the University of Brighton website before applying as any changes will be posted there. 3. The University of Brighton takes no responsibility if applicants do not use their best endeavours to research the eligibility information. 4. By accepting a PEP MSc STEM fee scholarship, you agree to participate in the project research activities outlined in section G above. 5. Data protection - by accepting a PEP MSc STEM fee scholarship, you will agree to allow the Project Officer access to the data you provide as part of the Project and to analyse it in a generic manner to enable further understanding of the Project aims and objectives. Any data used will be anonymous. 6. Equal opportunities - Students from a protected group are encouraged to apply but this will not dictate scholarship allocation. 7. Applicants should note the following: i. If a scholarship holder withdraws (or the University withdraws / excludes the scholarship holder) from the course, their scholarship entitlement will cease. The scholarship amount will be adjusted to match the proportion of tuition fee liability that is calculated for part academic year enrolment as per the University s tuition fee policy. 10

11 ii. If a scholarship holder suspends (intermits) from the course, the University will assess the situation on a case by case basis. In such circumstances, the scholarship amount will normally be adjusted to match the proportion of tuition fee liability that is calculated as per the University s tuition fee policy regarding intermitting students and to reallocate any balance of the scholarship remaining. iii. If a scholarship holder wishes to transfer to a different course, then the University reserves the right to terminate the scholarship. Any application of the scholarship towards fees incurred up to the date of transfer will be at the University s discretion. If transfer is to another course approved under the scholarship guidelines (STEM) then the student may be able to transfer without losing the scholarship but the University reserves the right to evaluate this and make a decision on a case by case basis. iv. If a scholarship holder decides to change their mode of study (FT to PT or vice versa) they must inform the Project team so that their situation can be assessed appropriately. The University reserves the right to recalculate the value of the scholarship based on the revised academic study load in these circumstances. v. The University reserves the right to re-evaluate the scholarship award if the scholarship holder does not engage in the project activities and requests for information. vi. Any scholarship holder who incurs a cost as a result of needing to be reassessed will be liable for that cost. Legal direction on awarding Fee Scholarships to British Citizens resident in the UK 1. The general public sector equality duty: Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 provides for the general public sector equality duty. Public sector universities are required to comply with s149. This requires public authorities, such as the University of Brighton and our collaborators on this project, to have due regard to the need to: 11

12 eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not; and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. The duty covers the protected characteristics of race, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment. Only the first part of the duty - the duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation - also applies to the protected characteristic of marriage and civil partnership. Race includes ethnicity and national origin, which is where the issue viz EU / UK students lie. There are also "specific" public sector equality duties, which have the purpose of enabling better performance of, and demonstrating compliance with, the general duty. The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/2260) provide for the specific duties in relation to public authorities such universities in England. There is a duty for organisations to increase participation by people with certain shared characteristics which is what is being done here. 2. Objectively justifying indirect race discrimination: It is objectively justifiable to distinguish between UK and EU students on the basis that this area of work is geared towards UK students alone. "Objectively justifiable" is a legal concept and is found in section 19 of the Equality Act These arise where there is a practice, provision or criterion which operates to the disadvantage of a group of people sharing a protected characteristic. The particular sub-section that applies is s19(2)(d), which provides that in order for the indirect discrimination to be lawful it must be a "proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim". This is a facts based exercise, meaning what is objectively justifiable as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim depends on the circumstance. V1.4 27/8/14 12