Swansea University’s Alumni Fund was set up in November 2004 with the generous contributions of Alumni across the UK.

For the academic year 2009/10 the University has awarded nine bursaries, each to the value of £3,390 to offset tuition fees for Taught Masters degrees, the full Legal Practice Course (taught entirely at Swansea University) and the Graduate Diploma in Law. Further details of those who have been awarded a bursary will be published here soon, so please visit the web pages again.

Matched Funding Scheme in Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government recently announced a matched funding scheme which means that, for every £2 donated, an additional £1 (as a minimum) can be claimed, including Gift Aid. The scheme runs for a period of three years with one 'retrospective year', so all donations received over the past year generated even more funding.

If you would like further information, and make a donation to the Alumni Fund, please contact the Alumni Office.

Alumni Bursary winners 2009/10

Catherine Horler

Catherine, 21 from Aberdare was delighted to be awarded an alumni bursary for an MA in Early Modern History.  Having completed her BA in History earlier this year, Catherine was keen to continue her studies at Swansea University having a clear vision of the research topic she wanted to pursue.  Thanks to this award, she has done just that and is now looking forward to furthering her studies with a PhD.

Catherine said, “I was over the moon when I found out I’d got the bursary and my family were so pleased for me as they knew I really wanted to do a postgraduate course.

“I love Swansea and am delighted to be staying here for another year.  I looked at lots of different universities before choosing Swansea; the campus has such a ‘family feel’ to it.”

Catherine is looking forward to getting stuck into her dissertation which will continue the research she did for her undergraduate course on the social and cultural history of Britain.

Once Catherine has completed her MA she hopes to gain a postdoctoral position and pursue a career in historical research.

Tom George

Tom, 21 from Caerphilly, was awarded an alumni bursary for an MA in Modern History.

Tom achieved a 2:1 in his BA in Modern History and International Relations earlier this year and was very keen to do a postgraduate course but it might not have been possible if it hadn’t been for the bursary.

He said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my time in Swansea and was keen to stay on for another year.  My family and I were so pleased when we found out my application had been successful as it’s relieved a lot of financial pressure from them.”

Tom is really enjoying his MA so far despite the amount of work he has to do.  He said: “It’s a huge jump from undergraduate to postgraduate study but I love the challenge and am looking forward to writing my dissertation on British perceptions of the Americans during the First World War.”

Tom is hoping to continue his research by undertaking a PhD once he’s graduated.

Catrin Jones

Catrin, 21 from Machynlleth is studying an MSc in Public Health and Health Promotion having completed her undergraduate course in Sport Science in July 2009.

Catrin said: “I found out about the bursary via an e-mail from my department. I decided to apply because I worked about 25 hours a week during my undergraduate study and although I was rewarded with a 2:1 it was a struggle to juggle university and work commitments. I thought if I was successful and won the bursary it would relieve a lot of financial pressures.

“Myself and my family were overjoyed.   I was thankful that I wouldn’t have to work as much during my studies so that I could concentrate on doing well."

Catrin chose to study at Swansea University because of the excellent sporting facilities and strong academic reputation of the School of Human Sciences: “I would definitely recommend the University to anybody that was interested in Sport Science. There is such a good balance here with the city and the countryside. I don’t think there is anywhere in the UK that offers what Swansea does. Also, the staff are always willing to help;  I have had only good experiences at Swansea University."

Shaun Mudd

Shaun, 21 from Bradford, was awarded an alumni bursary for an MA in Ancient History and Classical Culture after achieving a first class degree in Ancient History in 2009.

Shaun was very keen to undertake postgraduate study at Swansea University and had a clear idea of the research he wanted to carry out.

Shaun said: “Finding out that I’d been awarded an alumni bursary was fantastic, I knew I wanted to do an MA and without this funding it would have been much more difficult, my family were also very relieved!”

Shaun plans to take a gap-year once he’s finished his MA to fundraise for postdoctoral study and wants to establish a career in historical research.

As well as Ancient History, Shaun has a keen interest in archery and writing.  He was selected as one of four finalists in the ‘Swansea Life Young Writing Category’ of the ‘Dylan Thomas Prize’ in 2008.

Mark Chorlton

Mark, 25 from Stockport, heard about the alumni bursary scheme at a postgraduate open day held on campus and decided to apply in order to fulfil his goal of doing an MA in Translation.

Mark said “I had already built up substantial debt to the student loan company when undertaking my undergraduate degree, so to receive this bursary was fantastic!”

Having spent a year in Germany, Mark was able to improve his language skills considerabley, preparing him to tackle the two 8,000 world translations he is required to do as part of the course.  Mark said “it’s going to be a real test but I’m really looking forward to it!

“I am visually impaired but haven’t let that get in the way of my ambitions.  I loved taking on the challenge of living and working abroad and can’t wait to go again.  The lecturers and staff have been so helpful , there is great support here for students with disabilites.”

After completing his Masters Degree, Mark hopes to gain more work experience abroad as a translator.

Emily Pocock

Emily, 22 from Cornwall was delighted to receive an alumni bursary to fund her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at Swansea University.

Having gained a 2:1 in LLB Law and Psychology and completed a year-long work placement with a Swansea law firm, Emily was certain that she wanted to pursue a career as a solicitor and doing the LPC is an essential part of achieving that goal.

Emily said: “I was absolutely thrilled when I heard my application for the alumni bursary scheme had been successful.  I was worried that if I couldn’t secure funding I would have the added pressure of having to work part-time but now I can fully commit my time and energy to the course.”

As well as studying, Emily has further proven her commitment to the Law profession by undertaking a variety of extra-curricular activities throughout her degree, including holding the position of President of the Swansea University Law Society and Mistress of the Moots, having won the mooting competition in 2006/07.

Emily said: “I think Swansea University offers a fantastic student experience and I’ve enjoyed every aspect of it.  This is my fifth and final year here and will I be very sad to leave!  I would definitely recommend the LPC at Swansea to anyone considering a career in Law.

“This course is really important to me and is vital if I am to become a practicing solicitor.  Winning the bursary has helped ease a huge financial burden and I am very grateful.  I think the alumni bursary scheme is fantastic and hope it continues!”