A picture of a student holding a microphone whilst interviewing.

Joyce Nield Scholarship

Find out how the scholarship might help you, if you’re eligible, and how and when to apply.

Introduction

Funding for a unit of postgraduate study for writers from a Commonwealth country outside the UK. Check if you’re eligible, and how to apply.

You can only apply for a scholarship if we’ve offered you a place at Manchester Met.

Deadlines for applying: 

  • January 2025 entry:  you must apply for the scholarship by 30th November 2024.
  • September 2025 entry: you must apply for the scholarship by 31 August 2025. 

Aim of the Joyce Nield Scholarship

Joyce was co-director of the Literatures of the Commonwealth Festival, which Manchester Met hosted in 2002. The scholarships support Commonwealth students attending the Manchester Writing School.

Check if you can apply

To apply, you must: 

  • hold a firm offer to study a new MA/MFA Creative Writing in January 2024, or September 2025
  • be a citizen of a non-UK Commonwealth country
  • pay for your course yourself, including through a student loan or a payment from your parents. Your course fees must not be paid by a business, charity or other organisation.

This scholarship can be awarded in conjunction with the Postgraduate International Scholarship.

Check the terms and conditions

Before you apply, read our terms and conditions.

They explain:

  • what’s expected of people who get scholarships
  • what happens if you leave your course or we withdraw the scholarship
  • how we use your personal information

How to apply

You’ll need to: 

  • complete the application form.

January 2025 entry:  you must apply for the scholarship by 30th November 2024.

September 2025 entry: you must apply for the scholarship by 31 August 2025. 

Application form

Please confirm you meet the eligibility criteria for the scholarship described above. Once confirmed the rest of the application form will be displayed for you to complete.
Your details
Supporting information
Please confirm the non-UK commonwealth country you are a citizen of.
When will you be starting your course?
Please tick if any of the following statements apply to you
i.e. from a family where neither your parent(s) or guardian(s) have attended university and obtained an undergraduate degree or equivalent level qualification in the UK or abroad
How would you describe your ethnicity?
How would you describe your ethnicity?
Please confirm which of the following criteria you meet
i.e. from a family where neither your parent(s) or guardian(s) have attended university and obtained an undergraduate degree or equivalent level qualification in the UK or abroad
You can check your postcode at the OfS postcode search. Priority will be for those in the lowest POLAR4 young participation quintile.
I have not communicated with my parents for one year before the start of the academic year that I am applying for student finance or can demonstrate that I am irreconcilably estranged from my parents.
For example, degree, A-Levels, BTEC, or other. List the Qualification level, subject, date taken and grade achieved. Alternatively, you can provide a short list of your industry work experience.
If you have achieved your grades already, please state this.
This might be an outstanding additional academic achievement, activities such as sport, music, managing events, clubs or societies),  achievements gained either in your working life or through volunteering and service to others or overcoming personal barriers to learning.
What was the situation, what did you do and what was the outcome?
Evidence could include your P60s, evidence of student income, a self-employment tax return etc. If you are not sure about what to provide, please call the Student Financial Support helpline on 0161 247 1045 for guidance.
If you encounter any issues uploading your file please email it to [email protected].
One file only.
10 MB limit.
Allowed types: , jpg, jpeg, png, pdf.
  • If you are a care leaver: please provide a letter from your personal advisor in your local authority confirming your status. 
  • If you are estranged: please provide a letter/email from the Student Loans Company that you should have received whenever your estrangement was accepted during your application for Student Finance. 
  • If you are care experienced: please provide anything that you can to confirm that you spent a period of time living in public care (e.g. a letter from your local authority). 

If you encounter any issues uploading your file please email it to [email protected].
One file only.
10 MB limit.
Allowed types: jpg, jpeg, png, pdf, doc, docx.

If you encounter any issues uploading your file please email it to [email protected].
One file only.
10 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf, doc, docx.

Digital Portfolio

Please provide an edited portfolio of work of no more than 12-15 slides.

We are looking for applicants who show aptitude to develop excellence in the following areas:

  • originality of concepts
  • rigorous research enquiry
  • connection of traditional skills to future applications
  • relevant real world contexts
  • advancement of Textiles as a discipline

Digital Portfolio

Please provide a link below to a digital portfolio of work. This can be the one you used for your application, but we recommend you update it with your latest work.

Digital Portfolio

Please upload a portfolio of no more than 12-15 slides, or a link to a digital portfolio of your latest work.

One file only.
20 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf.
Please provide the full URL. The site or document should not be password protected.
Declaration
  • I declare that the information provided in this application is true and accurate, and agree that in the event that the information is false, inaccurate or erroneous the University will be entitled to withdraw the scholarship at any time.
  • I have read and understood the terms and conditions of the scholarship programme outlined at 
    www.mmu.ac.uk/study/scholarships/apply/terms and agree to abide by them.
  • I consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes described in the Student Scholarships privacy notice www.mmu.ac.uk/data-protection/privacy-notices/student-scholarships.
I agree to above declaration

Data Protection

The Manchester Metropolitan University ('the University') is the Data Controller for the personal data you disclose via this form. We use the provided information to assess and manage your scholarship application. If you have consented to receive our marketing communications we will also use your personal data to send you targeted information about relevant services and benefits which we think will be of interest. You can withdraw your consent to receiving any, or all, of the above communications at any point by emailing [email protected]. Your personal data will only be retained for as long as it is necessary in accordance with the University’s Retention and Disposal Schedule, see the privacy notice for student scholarships for more details. For further information about us, how we process your personal data and your rights, please view our privacy notice.

Contacts

Contact us

If you’ve any queries about this or other scholarships, email [email protected] or visit our get in touch page.

[email protected]