Santander Career Support Award 2025-26

The £250 can be used for:

• Recruitment activities, including interviews and assessment centres
• Work experience, including internships, placements and volunteering
• Employment development opportunities, including networking events, conferences, insights days, employer projects or workshops
• Travel, accommodation and childcare costs
• Professional attire or fees associated with your work experience

Santander will fund online and in-person activities.

The University also encourages applications where funds are used to make a difference to others. This could be for instance undertaking volunteering and charity work. For help on ideas for gaining work experience, please go to Work experience and internships webpage. 

Eligibility information:

Santander funds are available to all students from any degree discipline. However, the University welcomes applications from all undergraduates, especially those with little or no paid work experience. If you are a postgraduate student seeking funds for work experience, please access the Postgraduate Work Experience Bursary.

Priority will be given in the first instance to:

1. An undergraduate Birmingham Scholar belonging to one or more of the following groups:

• • Pathways to Birmingham
  • Care Experienced
  • Realising Opportunities
  • Sanctuary Scholarship
  • Black students from IMDQ1 neighbourhoods who are identified for additional support through our Access and Participation Plan (2025–28).

And/or

2. An undergraduate student from a low socio-economic background, defined by having a home postcode (at the time of application to the university) in an IMDQ1 neighbourhood, which consists of the most deprived areas by postcode.

Please check if your home neighbourhood is in one of these areas namely Decile 1 or 2 by using the IMD neighbourhood checker to confirm your eligibility

Information can be found here on indices of multiple deprivation and if your home address is in Northern Ireland you will need to contact us with your home postcode so that we can check your eligibility to apply: workexperience@contacts.bham.ac.uk. 

Should the number of applications exceed the number of awards, funds are likely to be allocated to enrolled students who have not received funding for similar work experiences via the University, e.g. Student Development Scholarships and the Birmingham Scholar Travel Grant.

• Applications open: 23 February 2026
• Applications close: 7 May 2026 (23:00 GMT)
• Shortlisting by the University: 8–21 May 2026
• Outcome emails are sent: 21–22 May 2026
• Deadline to accept the Award: 28 May 2026 

Without accepting your award of £250 you will not receive funds. This needs to actioned on Santander’s Open Academy website. 

• Your application must be for an activity that’s happening this year (2025/26)
• Or for an activity that hasn’t yet taken place but starts before the end of the academic year. This includes activity starting up to 31 August 2026.
• Retrospective activity (i.e. in the past) will not be accepted. 

The application is quick with no additional documents needed. You’ll be asked for: 

• Your student ID and UoB email 
• Your course and year of study 
• The opportunity you want funding for Whether you need travel, clothing or other costs covered 
• A short statement (max 100 words) on how this award will support your career 
• Confirmation you meet the eligibility criteria 

To apply:

You will need to Register for free on Santander Open Academy (if you haven’t already). Log in, click ‘Get Started’ and complete the short entry form.

• Apply for Santander Career Support Award

Closing date: 7 May 2026 11pm. 

Terms and conditions apply.

By registering a completing your application, through Santander Open Academy, you can access free on-demand courses and programmes from top global institutions. This can help you get the skills employers want – for free.

Before you seek work experience, get an understanding of how you want to benefit from it. Use the My Attributes tool on Careers Connect to understand your strengths and development areas. Identify your skills that could be enhanced. Then use this info to help your search to get work experience.    

Volunteering is a simple way to:  

• Build teamwork, communication and leadership skills 
• Gain valuable experience when you have little or none 
• Explore different sectors 
• Grow confidence and your professional network 
• Shows your initiative and commitment  

Here’s some simple ideas to get experience, building the transferable skills employers want:

1. Volunteering. Make enquiries visiting in-person, to help out:

• • Local Charity shops – helping to run the shop
  • Community centres  - supporting with any local events
  • Libraries - assisting with story-telling
  • Food banks (Trussell)
  • Theatres  - many seek volunteers to run community theatres
  • Care and residential homes – e.g. having multigenerational conversations for health & wellbeing; playing an instrument to entertain!

2. Make speculative approaches by email and contact by phone local charities and local community groups using online search engines. Ask for work-shadowing or short project activity offering help with research tasks, marketing, social media and events management for instance.   
3. Create your own experience! This could be utilising your talent, such as portrait painting, dog walking or making jewellery. More information can be found on the prospects website on side hustles and how to make money, being enterprising!

Resources

• Work experience search
• Birmingham Voluntary Service Council – for local volunteering roles
• CharityJob (more volunteering roles)

• Santander Open Academy will email you instructions to accept your award 
• You have 7 days to accept 
• The University will then contact you for payment details