The 2016 Bursary Award winners, pictured front row from left to right, are Isabella Ingram, Denicia Bernard, Ellie Mullett, and Lauren Fletcher. Back row: Michael Samuelson-Beulah, Thomas Gessey-Jones, Tommy Chong, Matthew Paterson and George Williams.

A group of talented West Midlands students who are about to begin their studies at the University of Cambridge have been awarded bursaries of £3,000 per year by OCR.

The students, who studied A Levels at schools and colleges in Birmingham, Coventry, Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury, Stourbridge, Tamworth, Worcester and Warwick, received the bursaries at a ceremony at OCR’s Coventry offices on Friday 23 September. They will receive £3,000 for each year of their undergraduate studies, which they can use for living or tuition costs, or a combination of both. 

Congratulating the students on their achievements Simon Lebus, Chair of OCR and Chief Executive of its parent organisation Cambridge Assessment, said: “This is an exceptional group of young people, who are very worthy recipients of the OCR bursary. Not only are they high achieving academically, but every one of them has taken their studies beyond the A Level curriculum, such as by representing Britain at the Physics Olympiad. They have also shown themselves to be outstanding people, volunteering in Africa, charity fundraising and mentoring younger students. Many of them are the first in their families to go to university and I hope the OCR bursary will go towards helping any financial pressures that could get in the way of them making the most of their study and lives at Cambridge. I am sure they will all be great successes at Cambridge and beyond.” 

Now in its 13th year, the OCR bursary was set up to encourage a greater number of talented young people from the West Midlands to apply to the University of Cambridge. OCR is part of the University of Cambridge's international examinations group, which incorporated the West Midlands Examinations Board at one time. As well as offices in Cambridge, OCR has had a base in Coventry for 25 years. 

Denicia Bernard (pictured left receiving her award from Simon Lebus, Chair of OCR), attended Campion School in Leamington Spa, and will be studying Education with English at Clare College in Cambridge. She said: “I would like to say that I'm incredibly grateful to receive this bursary as it is massively levelling out the playing field for me, and as a result it will provide me with wonderful opportunities that I wouldn't otherwise have had. I would also like to say thank you, as by lowering my tuition fees so significantly I can now worry less about finances and instead focus on gaining a good education and engage myself fully in the vibrant and challenging student life at The University of Cambridge!”