Our Alumni Programmes Manager, Priya Bryant, discusses the impact of our Opportunity Bursary.

Recently, we were delighted to bring together our third outgoing cohort of the Opportunity Bursary at a special celebration hosted by JP Morgan Chase, supporters of the programme.

Since 2022, 151 students from backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage have received funding through this programme, enabling them to take up a variety of projects increasing their employability. This year, student projects included aid volunteering in Djibouti, a lab internship at Harvard, medical electives in New York and Vietnam, starting a careers-focused podcast – and the list goes on. Alumni from the first cohort are now starting out in their careers, ranging from corporate law to conservation. Many of them have cited the bursary key to helping them secure and succeed in that first job.

The Opportunity Bursary is distinctive – few programmes like it currently exist. It was born out of Sutton Trust research indicating that working-class students were less likely to participate in work experience placements, study abroad or student societies than their better-off peers. Working-class students were more likely to say that the reason they hadn’t participated was because they couldn’t afford to do so. They were also more likely to have undertaken paid work alongside their studies – which would impact the amount of time they could commit to considering and preparing for a future career. Our research briefings during the pandemic found that the crisis only exacerbated these inequalities.

While many are starting to offer funding to enable extracurricular participation for those from low-income backgrounds, the Opportunity Bursary stands out for its significant awards of between £2500 and £5000 to each individual. This level enables students to access truly transformative experiences that would otherwise have been out of reach. Students receive one-to-one support from the Sutton Trust team throughout the programme and an option of a mentor from JP Morgan staff, maximising the benefits of the funding.

As the programme has developed, it has shed light on the common barriers students are facing Students tell us how the funding enables them to reduce the amount of time they spend on part-time work. Not only does this give them more time to devote to study and extracurricular pursuits, but it also provides relief from the psychological pressure of worrying about how they will support their studies from month to month.

Additionally, we see applications from students hoping to take up paid finance internships or legal vacation schemes. The bursary funding mitigates the upfront costs of relocating and living during their internship, ensuring that their earnings from the internship can be used to support themselves at university.

Every year, over half of the bursary recipients undertake travel abroad, whether for study, to do an internship or to volunteer. For many this is the first time they have travelled abroad on their own, providing vital opportunities to build self-confidence and potentially some form of language learning, broadening the horizons of their graduate opportunities. We also consistently receive applications from medicine and veterinary medicine students, who cite the importance of gaining experience abroad to succeed in increasingly competitive qualification processes.

A 2023 recipient wrote: “the bursary was not merely financial assistance; it was a ticket to a realm of opportunities and learning experiences that have been transformative…it provided a safety net that allowed me to take risks and explore uncharted territories in personal and professional development”.

We are proud of the huge impact this funding has had on the individuals who have been awarded. However, it’s not a long-term solution. The programme is in high demand, with 10 applicants for every bursary we can award. It highlights that universities and employers – across disciplines and sectors – have serious work to do to make work experience and entry-level opportunities more accessible for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. For example, the Sutton Trust has long campaigned for unpaid internships to be banned so that these transformational opportunities to access leading careers are not the preserve of those whose families can support them financially.

The young people we work with already have the drive, passion and determination to succeed in the careers they want to pursue. We’re proud that this Opportunity Bursary helps pushes open the financial door to allow recipients to seek new experiences. We will continue to with universities and employers, to make sure that door does not  shut out future generations.

Cecil Morgan, EMEA Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at JP Morgan Chase, said:

“The Sutton Trust identified an attainment gap in career opportunity after university, between young people from affluent backgrounds and those from more socio-economically disadvantaged beginnings. JPMorgan Chase has been working with The Sutton Trust since 2020 and are proud to celebrate the Opportunity Bursary fund to help close this attainment gap by providing essential career-building experiences to students like work placements and study abroad trips, with the long-term objective of creating more equitable outcomes.”

Katy Hampshire, Director of Programmes at Sutton Trust, said:

“We’re delighted to be celebrating the third cohort of Opportunity Bursary recipients who demonstrate the extraordinary skills and ambition of this group of young people and how bursary support can help transform their outcomes to make the most of their degree. We’re incredibly grateful to JP Morgan Chase for their ongoing support and look forward to welcoming the 2025 recipients at the end of the year.”

If you’d like to know more about our bursary programmes or how you can get involved, please contact the team: [email protected].