For a small number of students whose schools offer limited support for Oxbridge applications, or who have limited means, I am able to offer free or reduced price support for STEP support. Places are very limited, and the deadline to fill out the application is strict.
To be eligible, you must be:
- In Year 13 at a UK state school OR in Year 13 at a UK independent school, where you are in receipt of a full bursary
- Have an offer to study Mathematics at Cambridge OR are elligible for the August reconsideration pool (the college you apply to will write to you if this is the case) OR are have an offer for another course/university with STEP as a condition
Applications will be prioritised on the basis of:
- Progression to Higher Education from the student’s postcode
- Level of support provided by the student’s school
- Number of students progressing to Oxbridge from the student’s school
- Being of ‘limited means’ (see below)
- Being an offer-holder
Applicants of the same priority may be chosen between randomly.
What does it mean to be of ‘limited means’?
Students are considered to be of limited means if they are elligble for free school meals in the current academic year or are elligible for the 16-19 Bursary/Educational Maintenance Allowance. They are also considered to be of limited means if a parent/guardian living at the same address is in receipt of one of a number of benefits. This must be documented.
The eligibility criteria and required documentation are the same as those used by UAT-UK. Click here to find out more. These criteria are strict – the only exception is that an ESA/JSA award letter may be dated 2024 or 2025.
The steps to apply are as follows:
Fill out the application form by 06/02/2025
Fill out this simple application form. You will be contacted by email to confirm receipt and next steps shortly after submitting.
Deadline: 06/02/2025
Ask your teacher to fill out a form by 14/02/2025
You will be sent a form for your teacher to fill out, confirming the level of support being provided by your school. It must be filled out by one of your maths teachers, or the head of maths at your school, and emailed from an official school email address to us – details will be provided.
We will write to you to confirm we have received the form.
Deadline: 14/02/2024
If you are being offered support via the scheme, we will write to you by 17/02/2025. You must confirm and complete all onboarding by 21/02/2025. Support that may be offered includes:
- Group or individual weekly STEP tutition sessions
- Paired or individual monthly STEP support sessions – bring any questions you’ve been struggling with to look at together
All support on the bursary scheme takes place online. Technology requirements are discussed here.
Students deemed to be of limited means by the above criteria will not pay any fees. Being deemed to be of limited means will not detrimentally affect an application. Students not deemed to be of limited means will be charged £15 per hour, with payment by direct debit only. This is a significant discount on the standard rate of £70 per hour.
