Glasgow Perthshire

Three Step Bursary Application Process

1. Register - Request an Application ID using the Application ID Request Form below.
   • Provide your name, e-mail address, and choose a password on the form.
   • You will be e-mailed an Application ID to use with your e-mail/password to sign in to the Application Form. This will also confirm that your e-mail address is correct and valid.
2. Pre-Submit - Complete and pre-submit the on-line Student Bursary Application Form below.
   • Upon pre-submission you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing the postal address to send your hard copy application to.
   • You should pre-submit the on-line application form as early as possible but at least several days before the closing date, to allow time for posting of the printed signed/dated copy.
   • When you pre-submit your application form you will be provided with links to download a PDF version for printing, and to upload your Course Offer letter and your SAAS Award letter. You can do this immediately upon pre-submission, or sign in and do it any time after on-line pre-submission, but you must upload your Course Offer letter by the closing date. SAAS Award letters should be uploaded as soon as possible, before or after the closing date.
3. Post - Download and print the PDF version of your application which should be signed/dated and posted to the Society as early as possible.
   • To be received no later than the closing date.
   • The PDF version of your application will print on 2 sides of A4 (1 sheet if you use duplex printing).
   • The postal address to send your application to will be shown on the downloadable application and in the e-mail confirming pre-submission.
   • When we receive your signed/dated hard copy application you will be sent a further acknowledgement e-mail. Please note: We will not start processing your application until the signed/dated hard copy has been received by the Society and your Course Offer letter has been uploaded. The Society cannot accept applications received after the closing date.
   • Upload your SAAS Award letter as soon as possible, if not done already.

Forms

• Application ID Request Form (for Application Step 1)
• Student Bursary Application Form (for Application Step 2)

On-line Application Form Instructions

Step 2, completing the on-line application form, is straightforward and flexible:

Sign In → Fill in/Correct Form ⇄ Review/Check → Pre-Submit → Upload requested documents

You do not need to complete the process in one go. You can sign out any time and sign back in to continue.

The form should be self-explanatory, with instructions on the form where needed, but here are a few points to note:

• Use the buttons on the form, or the menu at top right, to perform actions such as Save, Load Backup, Change Password, etc.
• You can save your application as a draft at any time, sign out, and come back to it later.
• Status messages will be displayed at the top of the form after various actions (button presses):
  • Errors - Red
  • Warnings - Amber
  • Success - Green
  • Information - Blue
• Most form fields have tool tips to help you (hover your mouse pointer over a form field to see the pop-up tool tip). This will not work on touch screen devices, obviously.
• DO NOT use your browser's Back or Refresh/Reload buttons - you may lose data.
• For security reasons, and to avoid hogging resources unnecessarily, you should always sign out when you have finished working. You will be automatically signed out, without your data being saved, if you do not Save or Preview your application within a 15 minute period, so be sure to save your form regularly.
• The application form will work on smartphones or other small screen devices (best in "landscape" mode), but you are advised to use a laptop/desktop or larger tablet computer.
• PLEASE - check your form thoroughly before pre-submitting, especially if your browser automatically completes fields for you. You will be shown a preview so that you can check everything is correct. Please provide the information requested e.g. if asked for your expected qualification (B.Sc., M.A., etc.) do not enter "Bachelors degree". Look at the Example Application form (see below) for guidance.

References

You must provide 2 referees to support your application. Referee 1 must be one of your most recent secondary school teachers; Referee 2 can be a teacher, but other suitable referees (which are preferred) might be your employer, youth organisation leader, religious leader, etc. but NOT a family member or other relative. Please remember to ask permission from your referees and ensure that they will be able to provide references by the due date shown on the application form.

As soon as we receive your hard copy application and you have uploaded your Course Offer letter, we will e-mail your referees asking them to complete a short on-line reference form.

The status of your references will be shown on your application page: either Referee Not Yet Invited - Requested - Acknowledged - Received. We ask referees to acknowledge receipt of our reference request immediately, so that we know they will provide a reference before the due date.

You are strongly advised to sign in and check your application status within 10 days of us receiving your hard copy application, and by the 2nd week in June at the very latest, to see if we have received your references. If not, it is suggested that you contact your referees to ensure that they have received and responded to our reference requests. (Most of the delays in the process are caused by referees not responding to requests.)

Course Offer Letter

When you pre-submit the on-line application form you will be provided with a link to upload a PDF version of your Course Offer letter. As UCAS no longer provide formal offer letters, we will now accept a letter/e-mail from your chosen institution offering you a place (if necessary use "Print to PDF..." to obtain a PDF version for upload). The letter should include your name, address, course, and any conditions attached to your offer. If you do not have the PDF version of your Course Offer letter when you pre-submit you can sign out and sign back in later to upload it, but you must upload it by the closing date. Most institutions seem to provide an appropriate e-mail automatically now, but in 2024 Strathclyde only provided an e-mail telling students they had an offer, and to refer to their UCAS account for details. However, Strathclyde did provide appropriate e-mails to applicants on request, usually within a couple of days.

SAAS Award Letter

If you do not yet have your SAAS award when you submit your application, you can sign in and upload it at any time after submission, but you must upload it by the time the Board are finalising decisions on awards (after examination results are published) to avoid delays in the selection process and payment of bursaries (if your application is successful). You can find a PDF version of your SAAS award letter in the My Account section of the SAAS web site. Please note - SAAS normally advise applicants to submit their SAAS applications before 30th June to ensure the applications are processed in time for the start of their course, but we advise you to apply earlier to ensure that you have your SAAS award by the time examination results are published and the Board make bursary awards.

Course Acceptance Letter

After examination results/grades are published in August we will ask you to upload evidence that you have firmly accepted the place on your chosen course. This will normally be an e-mail sent to you by your institution confirming that you have accepted the place. Different institutions use different terminology - some call it a "Final Certificate of Acceptance", some do not give it any formal title. If your offer was Conditional, you should receive the confirmation of acceptance after examination results are published (often the same day). If your offer was Unconditional you may have received it much earlier, after you firmly accepted the offer of a place.

If you have NOT received such a letter from your institution by mid-August you should contact them and request one, and notify the Society that you have done so.

Example Application

You should look at the Example Application Form (opens in a new tab/window), to familiarise yourself with the information that will be needed.

If You Do Not Receive an Expected e-Mail

If you do not receive an e-mail that you are expecting from the Society (including automated system e-mails), please check your spam/junk mail folder and wait for at least 4 hours. If you still have not received the e-mail please contact the Bursary Coordinator via the contact form on the Contact Us page.

Other Information

Your application will be judged on a number of criteria including, but not limited to, your association with Perthshire, the care taken in completing the form, ability to follow the instructions, the quality of your personal statement, your justification for receiving a bursary and how it would be of benefit to you.