Stormzy is giving black students £18k a year to study at Cambridge uni

Stormzy is launching a scholarship to assist two black UK students to study at Cambridge University.

The Stormzy Scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition fees for up to four years of undergraduate studies at Cambridge. The selected students will also receive maintenance grants. The scholarship is being offered to two black students from this academic year, followed by a further two students in 2019.

I am very very very proud to announce the launch of my new scholarship “The Stormzy Scholarship” in partnership with Cambridge University. With this scholarship we will be funding and covering the full tuition and maintenance for 2 black students this year and 2 black students in 2019 to study at Cambridge University. We as a minority are still heavily under represented at the top universities and I pray this scholarship serves as a reminder that we are more than capable of studying at places of this caliber. Congratulations to all the A-Level students getting their results today, be proud of yourselves despite what you got and overstand that this is only the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come! This is my proudest venture thus far and I look forward to seeing some young black geniuses go on to achieve at Cambridge via this scholarship. @cambridgeuniversity www.cam.ac.uk/stormzyscholarship for all info. Applications close on Thursday 30th August! #StormzyScholarship

A post shared by Gang Signs & Prayer (@stormzyofficial) on Aug 16, 2018 at 2:18am PDT

The successful recipients will be awarded £18,000 each for the 2018/2019 year (this includes the £9,250 tuition fee).

The scheme was announced by the British rapper on A-level results day at his former school in Croydon, South London.

Cambridge University has previously been criticised for admitting very few black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) students, enrolling only 58 black students in 2017.

In addition, The Financial Times found that some Cambridge colleges enrolled no black students between 2012 and 2016.

In June, the university requested help from schools and parents to increase the number of black applicants to Cambridge University courses.

With the launch of the Stormzy Scholarship hear his take on #alevels2018 and what you need to do to make sure you're #GoingtoCambridgehttps://t.co/v1XxAEpUWk pic.twitter.com/rKtr7athXN

— Cambridge University (@Cambridge_Uni) August 16, 2018

To qualify for The Stormzy Scholarship, applicants must already be in receipt of an offer to study at the University of Cambridge and be of black ethnicity.

Applicants must apply before the 30th of August for the chance to be selected by a panel comprised of university staff.

For the 2019 scholarship, prospective students must apply via UCAS by the 15th of October. Candidates will be selected again by a panel of university staff.

Despite not doing A-Levels, Stormzy himself received six A*s, three As, and three Bs at GCSE.

Speaking  to Radio 1, he said: 

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‘In school and college, I had the ability and was almost destined to go to one of the top universities. But that didn’t happen for me. So hopefully there’s another young black student out there that can have that opportunity through my scholarship.'

Whilst many people praised the Croydon musician, others have been quick to criticise the exclusion of other BAME students and white underprivileged students from the scheme.

I’m so confuseddddd Stormzy sending two black students to Cambridge university and everyone is rating it! People are forgetting there are poor white, Asian, Indian, South American, North African man in the hood!

— Mr 304 (@roundi304) August 16, 2018

However, an overwhelming number of students have responded positively to the news of the scheme.

Without bursaries/scholarships etc, I would not have been able to go to uni. And I know so many other similar stories from other black people. So what Stormzy is doing, SO IMPORTANT!

— JALÉ-KAPO (@jalekapo) August 16, 2018

how on earth is stormzy offering a scholarship to black students to go oxbridge controversial.......... how is it radical in any way to acknowledge THE HUGE racial disparities at the country’s top unis?? is this a joke???

— jessa kids (@echidner) August 16, 2018

 

Asians crying “what about us” please go to Amir Khan, Tej Lalvani and the likes but leave Stormzy alone pls, he’s busy.

— Eniola (@kingeniola) August 16, 2018

Apply to the Stormzy Scholarship here