Applying for scholarships at UK Boarding Schools

← Back to Insights

What is a scholarship?

A scholarship is an award offered by UK Independent Schools to students who excel in a particular realm of school life. Typically these awards offer reduced fees, but they also confer prestige on students and look great on CVs and Personal Statements. Though most commonly awarded for academic excellence, scholarships may also be awarded for prowess in sport, art, drama and music.

Academic scholarships

There are many boarding schools in the UK and they all have their own different ways of doing things when it comes to the academic awards they have on offer. Eton College, for example, offers the unique King’s Scholarship to fourteen students each year. Other leading independent schools, such as the King’s School Canterbury and Westminster, also have Kings’ Scholarships. The name of Westminster’s award actually depends on the gender of the current monarch. With the passing-away of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and the accession of King Charles III, they changed from Queens’ to Kings’ scholarships.

King’s Scholarships are academic scholarships which require a student to pass a unique set of exams. At Eton, they are known collectively as the King’s Scholarship examination. At Westminster the equivalent is named ‘The Challenge’. Yet nearly every independent school has academic scholarships on offer, with a similar set of exams. With so many fantastic opportunities to choose from, we offer expert, tailored guidance on which schools and scholarships are best for your child.

Music, Dance and Drama scholarships

Some students are blessed with gifts besides academia. From the creative musician to the spirited dancer, prospective students can seek scholarships from Independent Schools which truly value their qualities and traits as individuals. Application processes for these scholarships vary depending on the discipline. The Drama Scholarship assessment at Brighton College, for example, involves a small group workshop followed by the performance of two contrasting, one-minute monologues, one from before 1956 and another from after. The Music Scholarship at Radley requires the performance of two contrasting pieces of music on two instruments, a sight-reading challenge which the candidate will be given 20 minutes to prepare, and an interview.

What are the benefits of scholarships?

Scholarships have been around for as long as Independent Schools themselves. They were often offered to so-called ‘poor scholars’, whose education was to be entirely subsidised by the schools as institutions. In part, scholarships still serve the same purpose. Combined with means-testing, scholarships can often bring with them a significant reduction in school fees.

Yet the benefits of scholarships far outstrip the purely financial. First and foremost, a scholarship is an accolade which marks a student out for excellence, whether in Chess or in Chemistry. These are far from empty honours. The roll of King’s Scholars at Eton bears some of the most famous names of the 20th and 21st centuries, whether in literature (George Orwell, Aldous Huxley), politics (Harold Macmillan, Boris Johnson) or music (Frank Turner).

Most of all, scholarship students are admitted into communities of excellence which cherish and cultivate the talents of their individual members. Academic scholars are encouraged to engage in super-curricular activities which extend their subject knowledge or academic acumen: one recent debate at Winchester College invited two representatives from each of the five most popular political parties in the UK, and encouraged students to engage with each other and the guests on key challenges facing the government.

Nor are the opportunities provided confined to academic scholars. Music scholars, for instance, are often encouraged to perform together in chamber ensembles and given both free music lessons from outstanding teachers and opportunities for travel and broadening their cultural horizons.

There are many expectations of scholars, in turn. Regular extra- and super-curricular activities become an integral part of the scholar’s daily life. The interdisciplinary nature of the scholar’s life, fostering intellectual confidence and malleability, goes a long way to explaining why so many scholars achieve coveted places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Scholarships with Chapkin Edwards

If you are interested in finding out more about school scholarships, and how you can best prepare for those crucial assessments, please get in contact. At Chapkin Edwards, we provide a scholarship consultation service, working with you from the first steps of choosing the best school for your child, all the way up to assessment day. Our range of top-flight tutors and admissions consultants have an exceptional track record of success in securing academic scholarships to top public schools. We are also happy to provide expertise on the best choices of public schools for non-academic scholarships, as well as outlining with utter clarity the steps to achieving your scholarship dreams.