Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries

Blue Stamp Bursaries support disadvantaged young people by contributing to the cost of language courses and work experience abroad.

Young people aged 16–18 who are studying French, German or Spanish at A-level (or an equivalent qualification), can ask their teacher to nominate them for a Blue Stamp Travel Bursary. A bursary is worth £500 towards the cost of a language course and homestay accommodation.

Nominations open on 1 November 2026. The first bursaries will be awarded in February 2027.

Information for students and teachers

See our dedicated information pages for guidance on how to apply, what bursaries cover, personal statements and more:

Information for students

Information for teachers

Support Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries

Travel abroad and studying a language in another country can be enriching and life-changing experiences for students, building confidence, raising achievement and unlocking future educational and professional pathways.

However, such trips carry a financial cost, and we know that some students do not have the opportunities to travel that other students enjoy.

As part of our commitment to removing barriers, Blue Stamp Travel Bursaries are an exciting new programme to support students who may otherwise not be able to participate in language learning opportunities abroad.

Each bursary is worth up £500 towards the cost of one of the following language courses in France, Germany or Spain:

Intensive Language
Work and Study
Work Experience Abroad

Students are required to cover the cost of their travel and any remaining course costs.

How Blue Stamp Bursaries are Funded

Blue Stamp Travel operates a bursaries fund through which donations from travellers, parents/carers and contributions from other generous benefactors are matched by Blue Stamp Travel.

Blue Stamp Bursaries are funded by donations from travellers, parents/carers and private individuals.

To make a donation, just follow this link to the donation page.

For every pound you donate, Blue Stamp Travel will match your contribution to the bursary fund, up to a maximum of £500 per contributor.

How students apply for bursaries

Rather than applying directly, students can be nominated for a bursary by their teacher. The student must be aged 16–18 and studying French, German or Spanish A-level (or equivalent) on a full-time course at a UK school or college.

The teacher writes a recommendation for the student, explaining why they deserve a bursary and the nature of the barriers they have faced to mobility for language study abroad. The student provides a personal statement written in the target language. Read more about the nomination process here.

In addition to their personal statement, students must show they have a credible plan to meet trip costs not covered by a bursary, such as flights, UK transfers and spending money.

When do nominations open?

Nominations for Blue Stamp Bursaries open on 1 November 2026. The first round of assessments will take place on 1 February 2027, for trips in May to August 2027.

Thereafter, there will be three annual deadlines for nominations:

1^st June (for travel from September to February)
1^st November (for travel from February to April)
1^st February (for travel from May to August)

How nominations are assessed

Nominations are assessed by the Directors of Blue Stamp Travel in cooperation with at least one independent panel member with experience of senior leadership in the UK education sector.

Bursaries will be awarded to students who can demonstrate exceptional commitment to language learning and who have faced significant disadvantages that have prevented them from accessing opportunities for language study abroad.

There is no fixed number of bursaries to be awarded at each deadline. The number awarded will depend on the funding available at the time the decision is taken, and the merits of the nominations received. Blue Stamp Travel reserves the right not to award bursaries if the assessment panel considers that no nominations of sufficient quality have been received.