New cash pot for University of Bradford international scholarships (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Students from Pakistan will get bursaries to study at University of Bradford

8:00am Saturday 23rd February 2013 in News By Claire Armstrong, T&A Reporter

Five students from Pakistan will be given bursaries to study at the University of Bradford, thanks to a new funding pot of half a million pounds.

The university has unveiled a new partnership with a global conglomerate to pay for the student scholarships.

The £500,000 will be used to fund five annual scholarships for postgraduate students applying from Pakistan.

The scholarships, which will cover all expenses including tuition and accommodation fees, will be open to people wanting to move from the country to Bradford to study science, technology, maths or engineering-related disciplines.

Under the new five-year agreement, the University of Bradford will commit half of the money, which will be matched by the charitable arm of the Bestway Group.

The London-based group, which has a turnover of £2.5 billion, is the second largest wholesaler in the UK, the second largest cement producer in Pakistan and also runs Pakistan’s third largest retail bank.

It employs more than 24,000 people globally, including 5,000 in the UK.

The student bursary cash is being donated by its charitable arm, the Bestway Foundation.

The university’s vice-chancellor Professor Mark Cleary, said there was a high demand in Pakistan for places at Bradford.

He said: “The University is proud to be working in partnership with the Bestway Foundation. Their generous support will ensure that we are able to attract the brightest and best applicants from Pakistan irrespective of their ability to afford to study in the UK.

“To date, our scholarship provision has not been able to match the demand from Pakistani applicants, but thanks to the trustees of the Bestway Group we are now able to assist more worthy applicants than ever before.”

Zameer Choudrey, Bestway group chief executive and trustee of the Bestway Foundation, said: “The links between the city of Bradford and Pakistan are longstanding, and we firmly believe the University of Bradford has a vital role to play in providing excellent educational experiences to students from Pakistan.

“The trustees of the Bestway Foundation are delighted to be working in partnership with the University to ensure students with potential can fulfil their ambitions by studying at Bradford.”