The initiative means that two grants, each totalling £5,000, will be given to ambitious and deserving students, to be decided by the university. The first is to be awarded to Dr Arun Shanti, who is currently studying for his executive MBA at Cranfield.
 
The current programme gives the university freedom to use the scholarship how they wish, letting them handpick recipients after a tailored application process. The university can also decide whether to award the full scholarship to one individual, or split the funding across a group of students.

 
This initiative marks the beginning of a series of scholarships that Future Finance plans to roll out across its other established partner universities.
 
Ian Sibbald, Director of Finance, Cranfield University, commented: “Cranfield University is always seeking novel funding options for students to undertake specialist postgraduate education at Cranfield University.
 
“Future Finance fits the bill as an ideal partner with its innovative approach to student loans that allows Cranfield students to achieve a great education.”
 
Sam Goodwin, Student Funding Officer, Cranfield University, added: “The Future Finance Scholarship is invaluable in allowing recipients to concentrate on achieving the best results by reducing the distractions of financial pressures that self-funding students face.”
 
Brian Norton, Executive Vice Chairman, Future Finance, commented: “We are delighted to announce the launch of our new scholarship programme with Cranfield University. Financial worries should never be a barrier to a great education and at Future Finance we are dedicated to helping more students than ever before achieve their dream of a high-quality university education.
 
“These new grants will enable ambitious students at Cranfield to reach their goals for years to come. I for one am very much looking forward to hearing about the successes Dr Arun and others at Cranfield and beyond.”
 
Future Finance is the UK’s largest specialised private student lender, enabling undergraduates and postgraduates to fund their university education.