Promising Year 13 student Laura has been awarded a scholarship award by The Reading List Foundation - a charity that seeks to help students succeed at university.

Research shows that nearly half of all students at university are affected by worries about financial pressures. The last remaining element of 'Maintenance Grant for Living Costs' was withdrawn in the Budget of 2015. Although replaced with a loan, support still does not stretch to cover basic advised living costs at many top universities.

The Reading List Foundation started in 2015. The Exeter-based charity fund scholarships in state-funded schools and colleges across England. The Scholarship comes in the form of a generous e-voucher that can be spent on books during the course of study. 87% of last year’s Scholarship winners said the award made ‘a big difference’ to their first year of study. It is a real boost!

Laura, who plans to study Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bristol said, "This is a lovely surprise. I have been thinking about how much things like books will cost at university, so this is going to help a lot. Thank you!"