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Eligible students can apply for a bursary to support activities that boost their employability.
The Empower Bursary offers up to £200 per academic year to help eligible students cover the costs of travel to in person interviews, assessment centres or volunteering/unpaid work experience.
Important: This bursary is invite-only. The Empower Team contacts eligible students directly with the application form.
What the bursary covers (and exclusions)
| Category | Can this be claimed for? | Details and alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Interview Travel & Assessment Centres | YES | Claim travel costs to in-person interviews or assessment centres. |
| Volunteering & Unpaid Work Experience | YES | Claim travel costs for unpaid volunteering or work experience. |
| Food & Accommodation | No | Day-to-day sustenance and lodging are excluded. |
| Past Activities | No | Retrospective claims are not accepted. |
| Continuing Activities | No | Claims must be for new opportunities, which you have not claimed for before. |
| Workwear & Outfits | No | Free alternative: visit the Dress for Success Wardrobe at the Careers and Employability Service for up to 4 free items to keep. |
Who is eligible?
You must fulfil all of the following:
- Be a current undergraduate at the University of Kent, studying in the UK, who is eligible for the Empower scheme. (See FAQs for eligibility criteria.)
- Empower Engagement: Met with Hannah or Melissa for an Empower appointment this academic year.
- Profile Status: Updated your career readiness data in the Careers Hub.
- Activity: Preparing for a new non-compulsory opportunity (e.g., new unpaid work experience, new volunteering role, interview travel).
Please note: funding cannot be applied to existing or ongoing volunteering/work placements.
Claim Requirements & Payment
When you submit a claim, you must provide:
- Proof of invitation or booking (for interviews and events)
- A post-activity update to the Empower team after completion
Payment Timeline: Once approved and your finance form is submitted, payments take up to 14 days to reach your account.
FAQs
Eligible for the Empower scheme
This means that you are considered by the Office for Students to be IMD Q1, a measure for state-funded mainstream school pupils in England, and their progression on to higher education. Find out more from the OfS.
We also include all Kent students who are in receipt of the Kent Financial Support Package, and all Kent Ambition Scholars.
Actively engaged with the Empower scheme
This means that you have attended an Empower appointment with Hannah or Melissa this academic year, and you have updated your Career Readiness in the Careers Hub.
No, unfortunately you cannot apply retrospectively for experiences which have already taken place. You must also be undertaking a NEW experience, this cannot be something you have previously been involved in.
You may be able to claim for volunteering expenses, however, the voluntary experience must be graduate level work. You can also record your volunteering hours through Employability Points.
Graduate-level work experience counts as tasks and responsibilities that mimic graduate level work. This, for example, does not include making tea and photocopying.
We are here to support you, but you must find your own opportunity. Try these links: