Physics bursary boost

Thirty-six UK universities have signed up to a new scheme offering grants of £1,000 a year to students who study physics.

The Institute of Physics is offering 300 bursaries worth a total of Pounds 3,000 over a three-year course. These will benefit about 10 per cent of physics undergraduates and will be available to students starting an accredited physics course in the UK from next September.

Those studying an integrated masters, common in Scotland, will receive Pounds 4,000.

It will be up to the participating universities to decide which students are eligible, with an emphasis on those who might be deterred from study for financial reasons.