Bursary & Scholarship Awards
John Whitgift Foundation is proud to widen access to our three independent schools by offering one of the largest school fee support schemes in the UK. We currently grant more than £6.6 million a year in bursaries and combined with scholarships, we give financial support to 46% of students who attend Old Palace of John Whitgift, Trinity and Whitgift. For many, a John Whitgift Foundation bursary award can be life-changing.
Bursaries and scholarships
Bursaries are a means-tested financial contribution towards school fees awarded by the John Whitgift Foundation. Providing that a candidate in the entrance examination at 11+ and Sixth Form (as well as 10+ and 13+ for Trinity and Whitgift) has done extremely well, the admissions teams of Trinity or Whitgift will ask the John Whitgift Foundation Bursary team to invite the candidate’s family for an online financial assessment. Levels of bursary awards are solely defined by the outcome of the household’s bursary assessment. Bursary funds are limited but often life changing solutions to households who have chosen one of our Foundation schools for the education of their children.
Scholarships are a financial contribution towards school fees awarded by Old Palace, Trinity or Whitgift schools based on exceptional talent either academically, in a specific subject area or all around. Each school has its own arrangements for awarding scholarships which can be up to 50% of the school fees. To find out more about scholarships, visit our schools’ websites.
How do I apply for a bursary?
We are delighted that we have made £6.45m available to families through our bursary scheme for students starting in September 2024 in our 3 Foundation schools or at partnering schools for some ex-Old Palace bursary recipients.
Similar funds will be available for the 2025-26 academic year. Bursary registrations will be open till the set dates on the website (two closing dates in November 2024 depending on the school year’s enrolment); and then following the results achieved at the entrance exams and the recommendations made by our admissions teams, some parents will be invited for a bursary application either in early December (6th form and year 13 entries for Whitgift School or in January, all other year entries). To help us anticipate demand, please fill in the online bursary registration form using the link below.
Our schools invite you to find out about the first-class educational opportunities they provide through a series of open events during the autumn term and throughout the year – further information on dates and times can be found here. You will also need to apply to your chosen school online by visiting the respective websites for Old Palace of John Whitgift, Trinity or Whitgift.
Bursary interest application
The 2025-26 bursary registrations are now closed. They will re-open on Friday 1st September 2025 for the 2026-27 academic year applications
Do I qualify for a bursary?
To qualify for a bursary once the application process is open for new bursary awards, our Fees and Bursary Team will carry out a thorough online assessment of your family’s income and assets. To qualify for a bursary assessment, you will be asked to provide the British passports of all family members. If any family member is not of British nationality, we will ask for their visa with an indefinite leave to remain status* (* being in the process of applying for such visa status at the time of the bursary assessment will unfortunately not be sufficient, as we need this ILR status to have already been obtained from the government’s immigration services). If any family member is of European nationality, we will ask for confirmation of their settled status under the European Settlement Scheme. Finally, we will also be asking for the birth certificate of the child in the name of whom the bursary application is being made.
The amount of bursary awarded will depend on several factors including:
Your family’s relevant income. This is usually calculated as the total income (before tax) from all sources for both parents. Family size is also a factor taken into account. Assessments are carried out based on the information we require from the previous financial year. If you have experienced any significant changes to your income during the current year, this will only impact the bursary award for the next academic year. The assessment will also consider any financial support you are receiving such as government benefits.
Your family’s assets, including equity in property assets, cash at the bank, other types of investments or any external pay-outs due during the year of the assessment.
We also require you to provide evidence of your income such as form P60 or end of year accounts and Inland Revenue tax returns, or your set of financial accounts, whether you are employed, unemployed, self-employed, or retired.
You will only be asked to provide these documents if the school selects you for a bursary application and you will do this by being given access to our secure bursary portal. All information is stored securely and processed confidentially in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations.
If a bursary is granted, this is a discretionary charitable donation from the John Whitgift Foundation, which is assessed annually. As a result, it may be adjusted, increased, or reduced, if your financial profile changes year on year.
If you have any queries, please email our JWF Bursaries Team at fees@johnwhitgiftfoundation.org
