Scholarships and Bursaries

Overall nearly 20% of students at GDST Senior Schools receive a bursary or scholarship. We aim to be an access enabler: seeking out talented girls who can benefit from a Norwich High School for Girls education. Many of our bursaries and scholarships are funded via charitable partnerships and by donations and legacies from our alumnae, their parents and other friends of Norwich High School for Girls and the GDST.

Senior School and Sixth Form scholarships are awarded based on an assessment of student merit without reference to family financial circumstances. Scholarships are awarded in recognition of evidenced talent. They exist to recognise distinctive academic ability or special talent in art, performing arts, product design or sport. All scholarships are won in open competition and are awarded solely on merit. The value of scholarship awards vary but generally they are small and are more about the honour of the award than the amount given. Scholarships are open to all current and prospective students. Please see below for a list of which scholarships are available to which year groups.

Not means tested

5-10% Fee remission

Summary of awards available

*If your daughter is awarded a sports scholarship, please be aware that they will be re-assessed alongside any new applicants for the Year 9 and Year 12 sports scholarship awards. They will be invited to reapply in the autumn term of Year 8/11.

Application process

Complete the online application where you will be prompted to select if you would like to apply for a Scholarship – choose the scholarship your daughter would like to apply for and you will be contacted by the Registrar with further details.

Deadline for Scholarship applications for September 2025 entry: 

Senior School Scholarships

Music & Sport Stage One – Saturday 30th November 2024
Drama – Tuesday 31st December 2024
Academic – Tuesday 31st December 2024 (all girls are considered for this award from the entrance assessment)

Sixth Form Scholarships

Sport Stage One – Friday 1st November 2024
All other scholarships – Wednesday 6th November 2024

Senior School (11+ and 13+) Scholarship assessments:

Dates to be confirmed on application. Stage 1 music and sport assessments usually take place towards the end of November. All other scholarship assessments usually take place in mid January.

Sixth Form Scholarship assessments:

All Sixth Form scholarship assessments take place in mid November 2024. Dates to be confirmed.

If your daughter would benefit from a Norwich High School for Girls education but your family is not in a position to cover the full fees, you may be eligible for a GDST bursary. A bursary is a reduction in fees based on an assessment of the merit of a student and the financial circumstances of the family. This is a means-tested award and may be given in addition to a scholarship.

Our usual entry point for those looking for a bursary is into Year 7 or 12. Bursary funds for those applying into Year 9 are limited and we cannot guarantee that places will be available even if a family is eligible for a bursary based on the GDST criteria outlined below. Bursaries are open to all prospective students and may, in certain circumstances, be awarded to existing students whose family circumstances change.

To assess who is eligible for a GDST bursary, a range of objective criteria are considered including the income and capital resources of the family. For example: If your family’s assessable income and resources are below £102,000 per annum, you may be eligible for some support. If your family’s assessable income is less than £44,000 per annum you may be offered a full bursary. We aim as far as we can to focus our support on girls for whom the chance of a Norwich High School for Girls education would be a transformative, life-changing prospect through our independent school bursary.

Means tested

30-100% Fee remission

Application process

Complete the online application form to register your daughter, indicating that you would like to apply for a bursary. The Registrar will then contact you with details of how to access your online bursary application. Please note: the deadline for your bursary application is 30th November for all years and 6th November for Sixth Form applications the previous year.

Our Trust Office will then email you with details to enable you to access the online “Declaration of Income and Assets” form which you should complete and submit before the closing date advised.

You will need to provide proof of your income and assets; for example P60s, payslips, HMRC self-assessment forms, mortgage statements, council tax bills or recent benefit statements. Original documents are required in the first year of application.

Independent School Bursary applications are processed centrally by the GDST and you should send the declaration and supporting documents, in advance of the entrance examination date (January), to GDST Bursary Department, 10 Bressenden Place, LONDON, SW1E 5AW.

Deadline for applications: 

Senior School Bursaries: Applications to be received by Saturday 30th November 2024.

Sixth Form Bursaries: Applications to be received by Wednesday 6th November 2024.