Golden Valley Tech Futures Scholarships
Supporting the next generation of cyber and digital talent
The Golden Valley development
Golden Valley is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Gloucestershire. This £1 billion development will help establish Cheltenham as the UK’s cyber capital and one of Europe’s leading technology clusters.
To make the most of this opportunity, the region will need talented people with the skills, creativity and ambition to shape the future of cyber, AI and secure communications.
That’s why University of Gloucestershire is launching the Golden Valley Tech Futures Scholarship.
About the scholarship
We’re offering scholarships of £1,500 to high-achieving students from backgrounds currently underrepresented in higher education. These scholarships will be available to people joining the following programmes:
The scholarship is designed to help with living costs and support students as they begin and progress through their studies. Payments will be made in three instalments and students must be enrolled at the time each payment is made.
1. £500
October 2026
2. £500
January 2027
3. £500
October 2027
How the scholarships will be awarded
The scholarships are designed to recognise talent, widen access to higher education and support greater diversity in cyber and digital careers.
Eligible applicants will be assessed using a transparent scoring system based on two equally weighted criteria:
This will be based on the UCAS Tariff points you achieve. Scores will be standardised across the applicant group to ensure the process is fair.
This will be based on postcode data using national participation measures. Applicants from areas with lower progression to higher education will receive a higher score.
The scores are combined to create a total score out of 100. Scholarships will be awarded to the most eligible applicants based on this scoring system.
If two or more applicants have the same total score, priority will be given to the applicant from the lower participation area.
If your UK postcode is not recognised in the participation data, for example because you live in a new property, you will be placed into the middle participation group for scoring purposes.
Who is eligible?
To be considered for the Golden Valley Tech Futures Scholarship, you must:
- Hold an offer for BSc Computer Science or BSc Cyber Security at University of Gloucestershire
- Meet the entry requirements for your course
- Provide a valid UK home postcode
- Be enrolled at the time scholarship payments are due
Why this scholarship matters
Talented young people should not be prevented from studying cyber security or computer science because of financial pressures.
At a time of heightened living costs, the Golden Valley Tech Futures Scholarship is designed to help students access university, settle into their studies and continue into their second year with greater confidence.
How to apply
There’s no need to do anything further at this stage.
All UK-based applicants who hold an offer for BSc Computer Science or BSc Cyber Security will be asked if they wish to be considered for the scheme at the start of the academic year. At this point we may ask for additional information (such as details of academic qualifications and proof of home address) to determine your eligibility.
Find out more
Visit the Computer Science or Cyber Security course pages to find out more about studying these programmes at University of Gloucestershire.