What is the GB Scholarship?

The GB scholarship (worth £3000) has been created to help students from Wales, England, Scotland, Isle of Man and the Channel Isles cover the costs of moving to Northern Ireland and to contribute to the price of flights to visit home.

One of the best things about the scholarship is you don’t need to apply for it and there is no limit of students it can be awarded to. This is such a help as the period of time around results day can be so busy and hectic, let alone adding scholarship applications into the mix. As long as you meet the criteria for the scholarship and you choose to go to Queen’s University Belfast, the scholarship is yours!

The scholarship is available for students from all undergraduate courses (excluding Medicine, Dentistry, Agricultural Technology, Foundation Programmes, Higher Level Apprenticeships, Queen’s Colleges at Stranmillis and St. Mary’s), who are from Wales, England, Scotland, Isle of Man and the Channel Isles. 

Find out more about Niamh's student life at Queen's

How the GB Scholarship benefited me

As a Psychology student from Wales, I received my GB Scholarship in my first year at Queen’s University Belfast. With £2,500 off my first year accommodation at Elms, my student finance loan went a lot further as my accommodation cost less. I found this was hugely beneficial in first year as it allowed me to save money from my part-time job, as all my earnings and student loan weren’t going towards accommodation. I used these saving towards an inter-rail trip around Europe during the summer of my first year.

Belfast is the cheapest city in the UK to live in as a student, so having the additional discount on my accommodation meant that my outgoings were so much less than I had expected for university! 

Northern Ireland has the lowest student living costs in the UK (Save the Student National Student Money Survey 2024)

I also received £500 directly into my bank account at the start of October in my first year towards moving costs. I put the money in a separate pot and used it throughout my first and second year of university to book flights back to Cardiff.

Over the two years, using the money from the GB Scholarship, I was able to book 12 flights to and from either Cardiff or Bristol and Belfast. I made the scholarship money last longer by booking flights in advance and looking for the cheapest options. It made a huge difference, particularly in first year while adjusting to living further away from home, knowing that I had the additional funds to fly home whenever I needed to. 

A key reason why I chose Queen's

I first heard of the GB Scholarship at an Offer Holder event and it was a big factor in picking Queen’s University Belfast as my firm choice on the UCAS application over my other offers. It is a huge perk offered by Queen's that I didn’t find at any other universities when I was applying. I felt very lucky to receive the scholarship as it meant the transition to university life was easier without as many worries over money, visiting home or how I would fund the cost of moving my belongings from Cardiff to Belfast. 

"Over the two years, using the money from the GB Scholarship, I was able to book 12 flights to and from either Cardiff or Bristol and Belfast."

I would highly recommend any applicants to look into the GB Scholarship and take it into consideration when applying to university, because I found it really amazing!

For more information about the GB Scholarship, eligibility and the terms and conditions, read more here: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/England-Scotland-Wales/gbscholarship/  

Find out more

GB Scholarship

Information for GB students

Your Student Guide

Niamh Rind Psychology | Undergraduate Student | Wales, UK Hi, I’m Niamh, a Psychology student from Cardiff. I love studying at Queen’s and love to share my passion for the University by working as a Student Ambassador. I’m the social secretary of the Queen's Surf Club and am always busy sea swimming, hiking and doing social runs.