The primary aim of these bursary awards is to assist students who face financial difficulty in attaining the qualifications needed to pursue a career in journalism, and who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the media.

The bursaries pay all course tuition fees and provide a subsistence allowance of £6,000 each towards living expenses. In addition, candidates take part in several weeks’ work experience at Guardian News & Media with expenses covered, and are paired with a Guardian mentor.