Financial Assistance

Our bursaries and scholarships offer support to talented students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need.

Bursaries

A Senior School bursary at Erskine Stewart Melville is so much more than a place on a school roll. Our bursaries offer children who would be otherwise unable to attend our Senior Schools, the opportunity to experience an extraordinary education and reap all the benefits that Erskine Stewart Melville has to offer.

Joining the Erskine Stewart Melville Community is like joining a family. Our passionate and dedicated teachers ensure that each and every child is known and that they thrive here. Whether that be through our excellent academic provision or all the many opportunities outside the classroom, you’re guaranteed to find others who love the things that you love too. From singing in the Usher Hall, to our eight-day outdoor learning trip in the Highlands, to over 200 clubs and societies, the experiences in our Senior School are far reaching.

Our bursaries are awarded based on both financial need and merit, which includes a student’s performance in the entrance exam and how they present themselves during the process. As the number of bursary applications exceeds our available funds each year, a rigorous process is in place to ensure fair distribution. This includes a review by an external assessor, Bursary Administration Limited (BAL), with thorough checks to verify the information provided.

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Senior School bursaries

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When to apply

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Siblings and family dynamics

Siblings of current bursary holders are not automatically given preference; each applicant is assessed independently on their own merits, including performance and potential. In households with two parents, we generally expect both to contribute financially unless there is a verified medical condition or pre-school-age children. Supporting evidence will be required where this is the case. In cases of parental separation, both parents are typically expected to be part of the means-tested review, unless there are significant, verifiable extenuating circumstances.

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How are our bursaries reviewed?

Our bursaries are awarded and reviewed annually after detailed screening using a third-party reviewer. This includes a review of the recipient’s application in both their studies and engagement with the community. Awards are subject to a means tested review, as well as a review by the School’s academic team.

As well as stringent financial screening, an applicant must meet both the academic requirements and adhere to our bursary terms.

“Children who receive an Erskine Stewart Melville Bursary benefit from more than just an excellent education until they are 18 – they feel the benefit every day for the rest of their lives.

I grabbed hold of all the opportunities that were available to me thanks to the Bursary Fund. The life skills I learned performing on stage and excelling in sports lead me to start my own PR, Sponsorship and Events business, which has been successfully trading for 25 years. I left school 38 years ago but made lifelong, authentic friendships, and there are friends from school that I still speak to most days.

By giving to the ESM Bursary Fund, you are creating a personal legacy, and making a lifelong impact.”

Bursary Recipient, Viki Mendelssohn

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded in our Senior School and are a result of a competitive scholarship selection process. They are not means tested or used to subsidise fees, but rather are awarded and then held in trust for students until they complete their sixth year. This creates a sum of money that can then be used to provide benefit in the future, such as contributing towards the costs of higher education.

Academic Scholarships

Academic Scholarships worth up to £1,250 a year are offered to students applying to enter S1 of Senior School. They may be either from our own Junior School or other primary schools. Parents and students do not apply for a scholarship. If your child demonstrates academic excellence in their entrance exam, we will invite them to sit a scholarship exam, held very shortly afterwards.

Merchant Company Scholarships – £300 a year. Available to children applying to enter S1
The Cunningham Scholarship – £1,250 a year. The top scholarship awarded to a student entering S1 of Stewart’s Melville College
The Mackay Scholarship – £1,250 a year. The top scholarship awarded to a student entering S1 of The Mary Erskine School

Music Scholarships

Music Scholarships of £300 a year are offered together with free music tuition. They are made to students from S1 onwards, whether they are already in our School or have been offered a place. They are awarded on the same basis as Academic Scholarships.

Music Tuition Awards

Music tuition awards may also be offered to pupils from Primary 6 onwards, to cover the cost of instrumental tuition fees. They are made on the basis of assessments conducted by our Music Department.

The Pupils’ Fund

We are able to support a number of children through the resources of the Pupils’ Fund which provides grants to help pupils participate in extra-curricular trips and excursions at home or abroad.

Get in touch

In you'd like to find out more about our Bursaries and Scholarships, please contact our Bursars Office who will be happy to help.

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