Post-graduate agricultural students are being invited to apply for bursaries.

NFU Mutual’s Centenary Award provides bursaries to pay up to 75 per cent of course fees for selected students who are undertaking a postgraduate course in agriculture (Masters or PhD) within the UK.

The award is open to individuals who have gained, or are expected to gain, a 2:1 or above in agriculture or a related degree, and have been accepted or provisionally accepted on a Masters or PhD course in agriculture in the UK, in autumn 2020.

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has identified three topics of interest for eligible students.

At least one of these areas must form part of the applicant’s postgraduate course: sustainable agriculture and climate change; international agricultural development; the application of science and innovative technology to the agricultural industry.

To select the students, the judging panel will be looking for applicants who are not only excellent academic performers, but also have a real passion for agriculture and demonstrate potential to become a future industry leader.

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Talking about the scheme, Jim McLaren, NFU Mutual chairman, said: “Our Centenary Award aims to give outstanding agricultural students the opportunity to continue their studies. It is about supporting young people who want to make a difference not only to themselves, but also to farming and our rural communities.”

Prospective postgraduate students who think they may be eligible to apply for the Centenary Award in 2020 should contact centenary_award@nfumutual.co.uk to request further details and an application form.

The closing date for the 2020 award is April 30. Information about the scheme can be found on the NFU Mutual website.