University joins Santander to provide students with scholarships, courses and support for employability and enterprise

The University of Lancashire has joined Santander to make higher education more accessible through grants, scholarships and support for accessing careers and starting enterprises.

The university will receive £100,000 over two years from the bank, focusing on education, entrepreneurship, and employability, which will also be promoted through Santander Open Academy with free courses, grants, and contents.

The partnership includes two £5,000 scholarships a year for students deemed to have the potential to benefit the most from the funds.

Santander will also provide 60 grants of £250 each year to support students with costs related to employability activities, such as funding commuting costs to a work placement.

A further three awards of £5,000 per year will be used to support student and graduate-led startups or university spin outs.

The final £10,000 each year will provide 10 awards of £1,000 via Santander’s Brighter Futures Grants opportunity, for which all students within the University are eligible to apply.

Professor Graham Baldwin, University of Lancashire vice chancellor said: “We are delighted to join Santander’s UK university network and strengthen our shared commitment to widening access to higher education.

“This partnership will provide vital financial support and opportunities for our students, whether through scholarships for those from under-represented backgrounds, grants to help with employability, or funding for entrepreneurial ventures.

“These initiatives reflect our mission to empower every student to succeed and make a real difference in their future careers and communities.”

Jonathan Powell, Santander Universities UK national partnerships director, added: “We’re delighted to welcome the University of Lancashire to our universities partnership network: a community of more than 1,100 universities worldwide working with and being supported by Santander.

“At Santander, we believe strongly in the power of collaboration and in creating opportunities for people and businesses to prosper through education, employability, and entrepreneurship.

“We are one of the companies that has most strongly promoted education over the past three decades, supporting nearly four million people and businesses worldwide, and offering skills development and accessible learning to the whole university community through our digital platform Santander Open Academy.”