Europe is at an inflection point 

Across Europe, universities are under pressure to widen participation, support international students, and deliver on ambitious social mobility commitments. Yet many talented students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, face persistent barriers to accessing higher education. Scholarship infrastructure remains fragmented, underfunded, and often disconnected from the holistic support students need to thrive academically, socially, and professionally. 

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“Financial aid alone does not close the gap. Students still struggle not because they lack ability, but because the systems around them were not designed to support them.” 

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The Need for a Holistic Approach 

Even students who overcome barriers to access often face new challenges once they enter higher education. Housing pressures, navigating academic expectations, limited social networks, and unclear career pathways can prevent them from realizing their potential. Across Europe, current systems are not yet structured to provide the holistic support these students need, from admission through graduation and beyond. 

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In contrast, the UK and the United States have spent decades building coordinated scholarship ecosystems with dedicated infrastructure, cross-sector collaboration, and measurable outcomes. Europe has the ambition, but not yet the architecture, to truly support students who face systemic barriers. 

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Momentum to act 

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•  A policy window is opening. Internationalisation, social mobility, and skills development are rising up the European agenda. Conditions for coordinated action across institutions, governments, and philanthropic actors have never been more favourable. 

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• A generation of practitioners is ready. Universities, foundations, and scholarship providers across Europe have quietly built knowledge of what works. What is missing is the space to share it, connect it, and scale it.

 

• The cost of waiting is rising. Every year without a coordinated framework is another cohort of talented students who receive financial support but not the holistic guidance and resources they need to succeed. 

 

The Summit as the next step

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The European Scholarship Summit addresses this urgent need. By convening leaders from universities, foundations, and policymakers, the summit creates a space to align around solutions, share evidence, and co-design scholarship ecosystems that ensure students facing barriers are not just admitted, but fully supported to thrive throughout their higher education journey.