NEWCASTLE BAR LAUNCHES COMPETITION TO PAY STUDENT TUITION FEES FOR ONE YEAR

NEWCASTLE bar and nightclub, Bijoux, has pledged to pay one student’s tuition fees for their first year of studying in the city. 

Aimed at UK-based first year students planning to study in Newcastle, Bijoux will cover the cost of the competition winner’s tuition fees for one year, as well as purchasing their required textbooks. Five runners-up will also have their textbooks paid for. First year students can enter the competition on Bijoux’s website, where they’ll need to answer a series of questions. Winners will be chosen at random and announced at an in-person event in October.

The competition, which comes at a time where the cost of living in the UK continues to rise, will aim to relieve some of the financial stresses for one student and their family during the first year of study. According to a recent study conducted by NUS*, 96% of students are having to cut back on expenses due to the rising cost of living, with a third of students living on less than £50 a month after paying rent and bills. 

Mason Miller, manager at Bijoux, said: “Students really are at the heart of Bijoux and every year we look forward to welcoming a new raft of freshers through our doors. For us, it seemed like a no-brainer to launch a competition that would reach some of our core customers, with a prize that will actually make a difference. 

“With the cost of living rising in the UK, everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment and students are no exception. We want to remove just some of that financial burden for one student and their family during that initial first year of studying.

“Newcastle is a fantastic city and although it’s much more affordable than studying elsewhere in the country, we know it will make a huge difference to have that first year covered and those textbooks paid for.”

Bijoux, which is situated in Newcastle city centre, has been a popular student venue since its inception over ten years ago. The bar also frequently features on reality TV shows, most notably Geordie Shore. 

Mason added: “Bijoux has been a core pillar of student nights out for years and we wanted to give something back. It can be easy to take out a student loan to cover tuition fees and deal with the costs in later life, but we all know how student loans can loom over for years to come. If we can lower that cost for one student, whilst taking away the financial burden of textbooks in that first year, we’ll be happy.”

Bijoux’s competition is open to all UK-based first year students that will be studying at either Newcastle University or Northumbria University this September. For more information on Bijoux’s competition and to enter, visit https://bijouxbarnewcastle.co.uk/scholarship. 

* https://www.nus.org.uk/articles/cost-of-living-rise-sees-96-of-students-cutting-back