More than a hundred talented student athletes are being backed for success in 2024/25 by Winning Students 100, Scotland’s national sports scholarship programme.
Thanks to funding partners sportscotland and the Scottish Funding Council, and in partnership with Scotland’s higher education and further education sector, some 111 individuals will be supported by Winning Students 100 this academic year.
Helping student athletes balance their studies with high performance training and competition, Winning Students 100 provides athletes with grants of up to £3000 and works with colleges and universities to offer additional support such as academic flexibility.
This academic year’s 111 student athletes being supported represents the widest ranging cohort to date in a number of categories, covering 32 different sports and 19 unique universities and colleges across Scotland. The 111 student athletes break down to 45 male and 66 female, with seven para-athletes supported and eight individuals benefiting from Winning Students 100’s hardship fund.
One student athlete being supported by Winning Students 100 in 2024/25, as she was in the previous academic year, is Scottish diver Grace Reid, the two-time Commonwealth Champion who competed in her third Olympics at Paris 2024.
Now in her fourth year studying Applied Sport Science at the University of Edinburgh, Grace said: “I’m so excited to be part of the Winning Students 100 programme again and feel really lucky to get such amazing support while a dual career athlete.”
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: “It is very welcome news that Winning Students 100 will be supporting more student athletes than ever before. We are committed to helping young athletes achieve their goals. Being able to find the right balance between training, their studies and other commitments is critical to the wellbeing of student athletes. This programme will help these athletes to do that.”
Martin Boyle, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have funded Winning Students 100 from the start. Winning Students has helped so many people succeed at college or university alongside developing a career in sport. It’s great to see the programme supporting a record number of students this year. I wish all 111 student athletes every success in their future education and sporting careers.”
Established in 2008, the original Winning Students programme saw more than 1,700 scholarships awarded during its first phase of funding with noteworthy alumni including Olympic medallists Laura Muir (athletics), Duncan Scott (swimming), Vicky Wright and Bruce Mouat (both curling).
Following the rebrand to Winning Students 100 earlier this year, bringing with it funding secured until 2028, it is expected a further 500+ scholarships will be awarded over the period with the programme also having added the hardship fund to offer additional support to eligible student athletes from the start of the 2023/24 cohort. The hardship fund was established to promote diversity and inclusivity by supporting student athletes from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds, making athletic opportunities more accessible to more people.
Jim Aitken MBE, former Director of Sport and Exercise at the University of Edinburgh and Interim Chair of the Winning Students 100 Advisory Board, said: “Today’s announcement showcases a truly outstanding list of talented student athletes we have across Scotland’s Universities and Colleges, which our unique and world-renowned Winning Students 100 programme is now proud, thrilled and excited to support.
“This will make a transformational difference to them and their quest to achieve sporting success on the highest international stage. WS100’s unique proposition of direct funding and service support is the perfect complement to their individual talent and the backing they receive from their host institutions.
“None of this of course is possible without the support of our key funding partners sportscotland, Scottish Funding Council and our tertiary education sector – who share our belief in the power of sport and the demonstrable impact focused partnership working can bring”.
Winning Students 100 is managed by University of Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, and supported by an advisory board and management group made up of professionals from across the tertiary education and sport sectors.
Full list of athletes
Lisa Aitken, David Annis, Emily Appleton, Kristina Armstrong, Maisie Aspinall, Jemima Aspinall, Emma Barrie, Alyson Bell, Struan Bennet, Ruth Blaikie, Kelly Boyle, Millicent Breese, Josephine Briggs, Daisy Buchanan, Finlay Callaghan, Thomas Carswell, Rachel Conway, Evie Davis, Grace Dawson, James Deardon, Ahron Dick, Luke Digby, Sunny Doig, Samuel Downie, Hailey Duff, Lucy Evans, Angharad Evans, Alexander Farmer, Jamie Ferguson, Anna Flynn, Murray Fotheringham, Sarah Gallacher, Andrew Glen, Michaella Glenister, Jamie Golden, Andrew Goodall, Archie Goodburn, Brodie Gordon-Gibson, Eilidh Gorrell, Lucy Grieve, Alistair Hall, Adam Hall, James Heatly, Isla Hedley, Sophie Hinds, Kloe Hunter, Penny Irvine, Lucy Jamieson, Sarah Johnson, Calum Douglas Johnston, Abby Kane, Megan Keith, David Kelly, Emma Kerr, Clara Kerr, Stefan Krawiec, Ross Laird, Crystelle Lake, Ben Leitch, Greg Lobban, Cameron Lynn, Isla MacCallum, Keanna MacInnes, Alex Mackay, Stephen Mackenzie, Joshua Matthews, Robyn McAlpine, Ishbel McCallister, Chris McCormick, Andrew McGill, Holly McGil, Scott Meenagh, Angus Menmuir, Lauren Middleton, Gregor Miller, Ally Miller, Amy Mitchell, Robyn Mitchell, Eleanor Monk, Anna Morgan, Robyn Munro, Ruby Newlands, Lunjika Nyirenda, Callum Penman, Amelia Peters, Vittorio Pezzaioli, Adam Pringle, Grace Reid, Beth Riva, Keir Robb, Alex Robin, Faye Rogers, Jessica Ross, Alessandro Schenini, Ciara Schlosshan, Katie Shanahan, Struan Shaw, Toni Shaw, Erin Shaw, Isla Short, Oliver Short, George Smith, Brooke Stalker, Rachel Sugden, Hannah Supple, Kirsten Taylor, Owen Vinter, Zoe Wagstaff, Matthew Waring, Laura Watt and Holly Wilkie-Milne.
Find out more
Further information on Scotland's sports scholarship programme can be found on the Winning Students 100 website
