Blue Stamp Bursaries – Information for Students

Bursaries are awarded on the basis of nominations from teachers. If you would like to be considered for a Blue Stamp Travel Bursary, speak to your teacher and ask them if they will nominate you.

Preparing for your nomination

When you speak to your teacher, you should have a clear idea of three key points:

• Why you want to travel – what you hope to achieve through your language course in France, Spain or Germany
• When you want to travel – early preparation is key, as you should allow at 8–12 weeks from the assessment date before you intend to travel
• Where you hope to travel – choose a specific destination and research flight options to make sure you can get there on time and within your budget

Blue Stamp Travel Bursary funding can be used to cover all or part of the cost the following packages:

• Intensive Language (includes language course and half-board homestay accommodation)
• Work and Study (includes language course, half-day work placement, and half-board homestay accommodation)
• Work Experience Abroad (includes travel, full-day work placement, and meals*)

* Work Experience Abroad trips with homestay accommodation include half-board meals. Work Experience Abroad trips with hostel accommodation include breakfasts and two evening meals per week

Blue Stamp Travel Bursary funding cannot be used for any of the following purposes:

• UK transfers
• Flights
• Destination country airport transfers or public transport
• Meals other than those included in a package (e.g. lunches where the standard package includes half-board in homestay accommodation)
• Spending money in the UK or in the destination country
• Passports or visa applications

The maximum value of any bursary is £500. Depending on the number and quality of nominations received, and the funding available, the actual value award may be less than the level applied for. Under exceptional circumstances, where a nomination is of very high quality and where funding permits, Blue Stamp Travel may award bursaries in excess of the normal £500 limit.

Nominations will open on 1^st November 2026 and will be accepted at any time thereafter.

There are three assessment cycles of nominations throughout the year, when all nominations received since the last assessment will be evaluated. The assessments will take place on the following dates each academic year:

• 1^st November (decision announced 15^th November)
• 1^st February (decision announced 15^th February)
• 1^st June (decision announced 15^th June)

The first round of assessments will take place on 1^st February 2027. We therefore advise planning your travel no earlier than Sunday 28 March 2027.

If your nomination is successful, you will be informed of the value of your bursary and other conditions through your teacher. Your bursary will be valid for 6 (six) months after the announcement of the decision.

Students and teachers should submit nominations for the assessment date not less than 10 weeks prior to their proposed travel dates. For example, if you are planning to travel on 22 March 2027, you should ensure your nomination has been submitted in time for the November 2026 assessment.

Nominations are accepted for students studying French, Spanish or German at A-level or equivalent on a full-time course at a UK school or college. There is no upper or lower limit with regards to language proficiency.

We advise that 400 words should be sufficient to cover all the necessary points in your personal statement. There is no benefit to writing at great length.

No. Your personal statement should be your own work and an honest reflection of your current level of language proficiency.

It may be tempting to use AI to write your personal statement, but we strongly advise against doing so, as it would not be an honest reflection of your language skills. Blue Stamp Travel bursaries are designed to support young people who are passionate about language learning – using an LLM to write your personal statement is likely to suggest you do not share the values and qualities the assessors are looking for.

Nominations are judged on a case-by-case basis to identify students whose nomination provides the strongest evidence of the potential benefit of a Blue Stamp Travel language course abroad.

Funding decisions will take into account the number and relative strength of nominations with regard to the level of funding for individual candidates.

Nominations are evaluated on a termly basis by the Directors of Blue Stamp and members of our team.

• 1^st November (decision announced 15^th November)
• 1^st February (decision announced 15^th February)
• 1^st June (decision announced 15^th June)

The first round of evaluations will take place on 1^st February 2027.

Teachers will be informed by email of the outcome of their nomination.

Successful applications will be permitted to use any bursary support provided within 6 months of the nomination being notified as successful.

We regret that it will not be possible to offer Bursaries to all applicants. No feedback will be offered to unsuccessful applicants. There is no appeals process.

If no nominations are received in time for a given assessment deadline, or in the view of Blue Stamp Travel no sufficiently credible nominations are received, Blue Stamp Travel reserves the right not to award any bursaries in a given funding cycle and to retain Bursary funds for use in future funding cycles.

Blue Stamp Travel bursaries are not paid in cash.

Your nomination can include relevant other documentation, such as certificates, evidence of participation, or any other relevant materials. Your teacher will be asked to comment on the particular barriers you have faced to travel for study purposes. You will not be expected to share personal information about specific details of your circumstances if you do not feel comfortable doing so.

We do not apply a limited definition of disadvantage when evaluating bursary nominations. Rather, the nominating teacher will be asked to explain the circumstances and factors that have prevented a student from accessing international mobility for language learning purposes. We we recognise that disadvantage takes many forms and barriers to international mobility can occur in different ways and at different times in students’ lives.

Contact us before submitting your nomination.

You are free to make the travel arrangements that best suit your circumstances and budget. We recommend being flexible and open-minded when looking for flights. You may find that it is possible to get a better deal by travelling slightly further within the UK.

We recommend using SkyScanner to check for ways to get to your chosen destination. If you’re not sure where to fly from, search for flights from ‘UK’ or ‘London’ to see where you can travel from. We like SkyScanner because you can compare all the different options.

Be careful when looking at ‘headline’ prices, especially for budget airlines, as these do not include seat reservations or any luggage larger than a small bag*. Check the specific airline rules: you may find that it’s cheaper to travel by a major carrier than a budget airline once you count all the additional fees.

All our trip packages include half-board accommodation, so your breakfasts and evening meals will be provided. We recommend budgeting €150 to cover your costs for public transport and lunches for a week of study abroad.

Bursaries do not cover transfers on arrival or departure in your destination country. All destinations covered by the Bursary scheme have excellent public transport networks which allow you

We cannot offer individual advice, but we recommend speaking to your school, searching online, or visiting your local library for guidance.

Our standard Booking Conditions for cancellation and rescheduling apply to all trips, regardless of any bursary funding.

If you are at all unsure about making your booking, contact us and we will be happy to help.