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Scholarships Appeals Policy

Repayment Policy

  1. Introduction

 

  • The Inner Temple award over £2million of scholarship funding each year for the purpose of enabling students to study for the GDL and Bar Course.
  • The Inner Temple award up to £20,000 of pupillage award funding each year for the purpose of financially supporting pupils during their pupillage year.
  • The Inner Temple award up to £29,250 of internship award funding each year for the purpose of allowing members to pursue projects that will widen their experience of the world outside of the Bar.
  • The Inner Temple award up to £15,000 as part of the Disability Award Scheme.
  • All scholarships and awards are provided under the condition that the funding is used for its intended purpose.
  • It is acknowledged that there will be occasions where circumstances mean that courses, pupillages or projects are not undertaken as planned.
  • This policy sets out the conditions and processes for repaying scholarships and awards where the conditions for accepting those awards are no longer met or have been broken.

 

  1. Definitions

Award holder  – This term is used to refer to any scholar or award holder who has been awarded a scholarship, award or grant via the Inn’s Bar Course and GDL Scholarships, Internship and Pupillage Awards or Disability Award schemes.

Undertaking Form – This is a form all award holders are asked to sign in order to accept the  terms of their award.

 

  1. Scope

 

  • This policy covers GDL and Bar Course Scholarships, Internship Awards, Pupillage and Disability Awards.

 

  1. Conditions of receiving an award or scholarship

 

  • The conditions of receiving a scholarship or award are set out on the Undertaking Form sent to all offer holders at the point of their decision. The Undertaking Form will set out any and all conditions relating to:
  • Any course or project which the award holder must undertake
  • Any other conditions which the award holder must meet
  • The timelines in which the course/project or other conditions should be undertaken
  • Responsibilities to inform the Inner Temple of any changes that take place after signing the Undertaking Form
    • All scholars and award holders must sign the Undertaking Form in order to accept the scholarship or award.
    • If award holders wish to defer their award beyond the timeframe listed in the Undertaking Form they should refer to the Deferrals Policy.
    • If an award holder neither completes the Undertaking Form or a Deferral Request Form by the end of the calendar year in which they received their offer, they will forfeit their scholarship.
    • If after signing the Undertaking Form in good faith, an award holder changes their plans so that they no longer meet the conditions of the Undertaking Form they must inform the Scholarships Team as soon as possible.

 

  1. Reasons for Repayment
    • An award holder would normally be asked to repay their scholarship in the following circumstances.

 

  • The award holder changes their plans after signing the Undertaking Form and receiving their scholarship (e.g. deciding not to start or complete the relevant course or project, or in the case of the Disability Award, deciding that a resource or form of support is no longer required)
  • The award holder decides to defer their course or placement due to a change of circumstances after completing the Undertaking Form and having been paid the scholarship. In these cases, the award holder may apply for a deferral of their award. For more information refer to our Deferrals Policy.
  • A payment has mistakenly been made to the award holder
  • An award holder is found to have provided false or misleading information in their application, or in the process of signing the Undertaking Form, after being investigated through the Misconduct Policy.

 

  1. Amount to be repaid
    • If the award holder has not yet started their course or activity, they will be required to repay the full amount.
    • Where the award holder has withdrawn from the course or activity part way through, the Inn retains the right to request that they pay back a proportion of the scholarship relative to the date that the course or activity was terminated.
    • Consideration will be given to any amounts which the award holder has spent on the relevant activity up to that point.

 

  1. Determining whether repayment is required

 

  • The Scholarships Manager should be informed of any award holder who contacts the Inn declaring any changes to their study or career plans. The Senior Manager (Scholarships and Outreach) should be informed in their absence.
  • In the event that the Scholar has already started the Bar Course, the Scholar will be asked to provide evidence of the date that they withdrew from the course.
  • In the case of GDL and Bar Course Scholarships, the Scholarships Manager should ensure that all Scholars appear on the BSB’s list of Bar Course students.
  • If the Scholarships Manager determines that the circumstances outlined in section 5 apply, they will consult with the Senior Manager (Scholarships and Outreach), the Director of Education and the Chair of the Scholarships and Outreach Committee and agree the amount to be repaid as laid out in section 6.

 

 

 

  1. Process for repaying a scholarship
    • The Scholarships Manager should email the award holder to inform them that repayment is due within two weeks. The email should specify:
  • The reason repayment is being requested
  • The exact amount due
  • The date by which payment is expected
  • BACS details to be used for payment
  • If the award holder is looking to defer their start date, information regarding the Deferrals Policy should also be sent.
    • The Scholarships Manager should email Collectors at the same time and share:
  • Name of the Scholar
  • Amount due
  • Date by which the repayment is due
  • Budget code which the payment should be attributed to
  • Contact details for the award holder

 

  • Collectors will inform the Scholarships Manager when the payment has been made.

 

  • In the event that payment is not received by the specified date the Collectors Office will follow their schedule of escalation, though they may ask the Scholarships Manager to support this process and contact the award holder on their behalf.

 

  1. Repayment plans
    • Scholarships and awards are awarded for the express purpose of funding the course or activity set out in the Undertaking Form and therefore funds should not be put to any other purpose. It is therefore expected that where the award holder does not commence the stated course or activity, they must pay the full amount requested in a single payment.
    • Repayment plans will only be considered in cases where the award holder has already started the relevant course or activity.
    • If in very exceptional circumstances the award holder shows that they are not able to repay the full amount due, the Scholarships Team, in consultation with the Collectors Office and the Chair of the Scholarships and Outreach Committee, may agree a repayment plan with the award holder. In these cases, the award holder will be asked to repay as much as possible in their first payment, with the remaining amount to be divided across monthly payments lasting no more than a year.
    • The award holder will be asked to sign an agreement, detailing the terms of their repayment plan.
    • The award holder will be asked to complete a Direct Debit form to schedule those payments.
    • In the event of failure to pay a scheduled payment the Collectors Office will follow their schedule of escalation as outlined in 8.4.

Recording

  • The Scholarships Manager should also enter the following information into the “Repayment Log”
  • Candidate name
  • Candidate number
  • Amount due
  • Date email sent to Scholar
  • Date payment due (or payments if a repayment plan is in place)
  • Date final payment made.

 

1.       Version Date Author Notes
0.1. 11/2025 S Baughen  
0.2