Aspire Award Undergraduate Scholarship

Key information

Value

Full tuition fees plus an annual allowance to cover living and study expenses (£20,000), for the normal duration of the programme at UCL. All Aspire scholars will also receive on-going academic and career support during their study.

Number of awards

Three scholarships are available to students starting in September 2026.

Available to

Prospective students.

Level

Undergraduate (Excluding the Engineering Foundation Year).

Courses

Computer Science BSc, Computer Science MEng or Robotics, Artificial Intelligence MEng, and Mathematical Computation MEng programmes.

Selection criteria

We will consider your educational, personal and financial circumstances. You will need to demonstrate these in your application. Assessment of applications will be made in relation to the eligibility criteria. 

Please note: If you're currently studying on the Engineering Foundation Year programme at UCL, you’ll be eligible to apply once you’ve successfully completed the programme and are moving on to a Computer Science undergraduate degree.

Deadline 

September 2026

Eligibility criteria for 2026

Eligible candidates must meet all the mandatory criteria:

• Based in the UK with home fee status or be a forced migrant (as defined by UCL)
• be from a Black or mixed Black Ethnic background
• have not completed undergraduate study either at UCL or elsewhere previously
• have accepted an offer of admission to study Computer Science BSc undergraduate, Computer Science MEng, Mathematical Computation MEng or Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng programmes for the 2026 intake.

Additional eligibility criteria

Eligible candidates must also meet at least one of the additional criteria detailed below: 

• be in financial need as assessed by UCL (household income of less than £42,875)
• receive (or were eligible for) free school meals
• have a disability (underrepresented group in Higher Education)
• be a care leaver (underrepresented group in Higher Education)
• attend (or have attended) a low-performing school for either GCSE or A-level
• live in a disadvantaged neighbourhood (we use POLAR classification and/or Index of Multiple of Deprivation (IMD) data to identify levels of financial, social, economic or educational deprivation, as defined by home postcode)

How to apply 

In order to apply for the The Computer Science Aspire Award scheme, you must accept your offer of a place to study on one of the following programmes for the September 2026 intake.  

• Computer Science BSc
• Computer Science MEng programme
• Mathematical Computation MEng
• Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng 

Please complete the application in full by September 2026. The application will be available from July 2026.

As part of the application process, selected candidates who have met their ‘A’ level grade requirement will be asked to engage in a one-to-one dialogue with the Windsor Fellowship to discuss anything else that you feel might support your application.

Dialogues will be conducted electronically via an appropriate method agreed between the Windsor Fellowship and applicant e.g. telephone, Zoom etc.

They will be scheduled by the Windsor Fellowship after the A Level results are released by UCAS.

The Windsor Fellowship is supporting UCL Computer Science in conducting the one-to-one dialogues that form part of the application process.

UCL Computer Science will share the data of applicants with the Windsor Fellowship for the purposes of conducting these dialogues. By submitting your application you agree to UCL Computer Science sharing your information with the Windsor Fellowship.

Selection

The selection panel will assess your application based on the information provided on your online scholarship application form and the information you provide in your one-to-one dialogue with the Windsor Fellowship. Assessment of applications will be made in relation to the eligibility criteria. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Read our frequently asked questions about the scholarship, including how your application is assessed, the application process, post-acceptance information and scholarship value. 

Applications

Applications for the UCL Computer Science Aspire Award will be available from July 2026. The deadline for submissions is September 2026. Please read the frequently asked questions before making your application.