Polar Capital Aspire Scheme (PCAS)
Students joining Year 12 at Westminster City School’s Sixth Form are benefitting from a fantastic suite of support with free laptops for all and four university bursaries. All four bursaries cover the full cost of university tuition worth over £20,000 a year, for each year of future university study.
Funding from Polar Capital, an investment company based just a few doors from our Palace Street site, means:
- Year 12 students joining Westminster City School’s Sixth Form receive a free laptop to use for academic work during our Sixth Form and beyond, whether they go onto further study or into employment.
- Year 12 students planning to do a three-year UK university course can apply for four Polar Capital Aspire Scheme (PCAS) bursaries which covers tuition with two students eligible for the full bursaries worth over £20,000 per year, for each year of future UK university study.
About our PCAS bursaries
Our video, at the end of this page, tells you more about our PCAS bursaries (please note that there are four bursaries in total, two partial and two full).
Our first PCAS bursaries has been awarded to Year 12 students who joined our Sixth Form in September 2021 and plan to do a three-year university degree, in the UK, in autumn 2023. Although Polar Capital is based within the financial industry, applications for PCAS bursaries will be welcomed from students who may not thinking of future employment in finance, as well as from students who are.
Each PCAS bursary covers full university tuition fees. In addition, two of the four bursaries will also provide a monthly stipend of up to £1,000 for living expenses.
Further benefits to receiving a PCAS bursary include:
- the travel costs needed to attend your first choice UK university open day
- being linked to two mentors at Polar Capital, who will meet with you periodically throughout your time at university, to provide support and guidance on study and careers planning, plus assistance in applying for work within a financial organisation (like Polar Capital), if that is of interest to you
- opportunities to join events at Polar Capital (like the company’s annual summer party) where you can network with other staff
- the chance to enjoy a summer internship at Polar Capital, if that is of interest to you
- the possibility, upon graduation, to undertake a traineeship at Polar Capital, if that is of interest to you
Further information on how to apply for our first PCAS bursaries will be given by our Head of Sixth Form during the Michaelmas term.
About Polar Capital
Founded in 2001, Polar Capital is a UK-based, client-focused, fund management business. Today, the company has 16 investment teams, with assets under management of £20.9bn (as of March 2021) that is invested on clients’ behalf in securities across the globe.
Polar Capital appreciates they are entrusted with other people’s hard-earned money and, by investing in these securities, they provide essential capital to businesses to produce their own goods and services. Among many areas, this includes investing in mainstream technology and healthcare companies, including some of those involved in COVID-19 vaccine development.
Furthermore, Polar Capital places great emphasis on providing and maintaining an entrepreneurial, collegiate and transparent environment for their employees. The company believes this is an increasingly important factor in the attraction and retention of talented people. Equally, through projects such as this, they aim to create a more positive impact in the local community.
