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Applications open for Scotland’s national sport scholarship programme

Scotland’s national sports scholarship programme, Winning Students 100, is now accepting applications for its 2025-26 window and is calling on talented student athletes in higher and further education across Scotland to apply.

The prestigious Winning Students 100 programme provides athletes with grants of up to £3,000 and works with colleges and universities to offer additional support such as academic flexibility, helping student athletes balance their studies with high performance training and competition.

Designed to empower the next generation of top sporting talent to excel both academically and athletically, the programme is calling on exceptional student athletes across all eligible disciplines to apply for the coming academic year.

Since the original Winning Students scholarships launched in 2008, the programme has supported over 1,700 student athletes.

Last year saw 110 athletes from 19 colleges and universities supported across 32 sports and previous Winning Students 100 scholars include Paralympic swimming champion Faye Rogers, Winter Olympic gold medallist Hayley Duff, Commonwealth Champion diver Grace Reid, four-time British National figure skate champion Luke Digby and two-time Paralympian Scott Meenagh.

Students have until Friday 19 September to apply. Applications are then reviewed by institutions, sports governing bodies and the Winning Students 100 management group before selection recommendations are made to the Advisory Board and successful student athletes for the 2025-26 cohort are announced.

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited academic institution and actively compete in an eligible sport. Beyond meeting eligibility criteria, candidates must demonstrate a commitment to excellence, leadership, and personal growth.

The programme also has a dedicated hardship fund, which provides additional support to  student athletes from areas of higher deprivation, making athletic opportunities more accessible to more people.

Winning Students 100 is funded by sportscotland, the Scottish Funding Council and Scotland’s higher education and further education sector and managed by Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, the University of Stirling.

Winning Students 100 Officer Bryan Barclay said: “Winning Students 100 supports Scotland's best student athletes, many of whom have already succeeded at national and international levels.

"Universities and colleges offer a great opportunity for elite athletes to follow a dual career path and we’re excited to see the next cohort of exceptional applicants join Scotland's national sports scholarship programme."

Para Nordic skier Scott Meenagh said: “Being part of the Winning Students 100 programme played a significant role in my university and sporting journey. Knowing that I had support from my university as I continued to balance sport with studies was incredibly reassuring.  

The support also enabled me to pursue my sport to the highest level, as Winning Students 100 allowed me to take part in training camps in preparation for major competitions. This ensured that I met my performance targets, and also represented my university in a positive light with sporting successes.”

Winning Students 100 applications are open now until Friday 19 September via the online portal at https://apply.winningstudents-scotland.ac.uk.