FAQs
Do you have a question?
This page sets out, in roughly chronological order of the selection and award process, the questions we are most frequently asked and their succinct answers. In-depth information is available in the Arkwright Handbook.
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“The Arkwright place at the Mexico ExpoCiencias was one of the best achievements of my life so far, it was an incredible experience. Wow."
Leo Nolan, Arkwright Scholar
This page sets out, in roughly chronological order of the selection and award process, the questions we are most frequently asked and their succinct answers. In-depth information is available in the Arkwright Handbook.
Students should be 15/16 years old, and apply when they are in the year that they do all or the majority of their GCSEs or Scottish National 5s. In the vast majority of cases this is year 11 (England and Wales), S4 (Scotland) and year 12 (Northern Ireland).
The window for on-line student applications opens in the autumn (exact dates vary each year).
Students who take some GCSEs/ Scottish National 5 qualifications in year 10 (England and Wales) / S3 (Scotland) / year 11 (Northern Ireland) and others in year 11/S4/12 should apply for their Arkwright Engineering Scholarship in year 11 (England and Wales), S4 (Scotland) and year 12 (Northern Ireland). Students who complete all their GCSEs/Scottish National 5 qualifications a year early should apply to Arkwright in that year.
Schools can submit as many students as they like, but we encourage schools to identify those students with the best chance of success (see our applicant criteria page). Typically, schools submit between 0 and 4 applicants per year. There is no obligation on schools to submit applicants every year and, conversely, if a school has an outstanding year group it will on occasion submit more the 4 applicants .
All state schools and youth community organisations receive two free applications per year.
Otherwise, the fee is £45.00 for each student application and you pay on the submission portal at the end of the application process.
The nominating teacher/youth lead can delete a student from the portal if they have not yet started their application. If a nominated student has started their application, teachers/youth leads should simply not submit the student's application to Arkwright.
If a student's application has already been submitted to Arkwright by the teacher/youth through the on-line application system, then they must make Arkwright aware, by email by of their wish to withdraw the student.
The exam is conducted online and will be made available to applicants once their completed application form has been submitted.
Yes, Special Educational Needs (SENs) are taken into account for both the aptitude exam and the interview (should the applicant reach the interview stage).
SENs must be notified at the time the teacher/youth lead submits the student’s application in the on-line application portal.
No. All applicants sit the Aptitude Exam. The Exam and the applicant's initial on-line application are then graded. The scores of these two assessments are then combined to provide a ranking that enables the Arkwright Selection Panel to select the most promising applicants to go through to the interview stage.
All applicants and their nominating teacher/youth lead will be informed in March if they have successfully passed our selection process and been named an Arkwright Engineering Scholar. Successful applicants won't find out until the following September whether this is an externally sponsored or Smallpeice virtual scholarship.
All of our Scholarships are Arkwright Engineering Scholarships; however we offer two pathways, externally sponsored and Smallpeice virtual Scholarships. You can see the difference between these in the table below.
No. It is the sponsors who decide which Scholars to fund, which could be linked to criteria such as their areas of engineering, preferred geographical locations of students etc. The virtual scholarship is now available to ensure that all successful students have access to STEM enrichment and networking opportunities.
All applicants who successfully pass the selection process will be awarded an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship.
We will endeavour to find a suitable sponsor, but where we are unable to secure sponsorship, those applicants will become virtual Scholars.
All funded Scholars will be invited to attend a Welcome and Networking Event, one north and one south. This offers fully funded Scholars the chance to connect with their sponsors and other Scholars, in a more informal engaging setting, fostering meaningful interactions and collaborations.
Virtual Scholars will attend a similar virtual event.
The Scholarships last for the two year's of a student's A levels, Scottish Advanced Highers or International Baccalaureate, from 1st September in year 1 to 31st August in year 2.
However, the benefits of an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship last a lifetime!
The Arkwright Engineering Scholarships has no financial endowment nor significant unrestricted cash reserves. Every funded Scholarship that Arkwright awards must have a Sponsor to provide the necessary funding.
As well as direct sponsorship of Scholars by specific organisations, Arkwright operates a Benefactors' Fund to collect and channel the smaller, or anonymous donations that it receives each year.
We have removed the requirement for all teachers to provide a report at the end of year one but this is still mandatory for Scholars.
“The Arkwright place at the Mexico ExpoCiencias was one of the best achievements of my life so far, it was an incredible experience. Wow."
Leo Nolan, Arkwright Scholar
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Arkwright Engineering Scholarships is part of The Smallpeice Trust.
© 2024 The Smallpeice Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England.
Company number 00882371. Registered Charity number 313719