Ruskin College  is offering a unique opportunity for a potential student to study at the College for free!

Ruskin College is an adult education college based in Oxford that specialises in providing ‘return to learn’ opportunities for adults with few or no qualifications. We aim to recruit and develop those many adults who want a second chance in education.

Ruskin College welcomes students who not only want to develop themselves but also want to ‘put something back into society'. Its socially aware courses help students in a range of Humanities and Social Science subjects to engage with the world around them.

In 2001 Tuition Fees were introduced to students wanting to take a higher education course in England and Wales. Since then students have been required to take out a Tuition Fee Loan of at least £3000 a year to complete their studies. Students who have completed a degree course will have accumulated at least £9000 of tuition fee loan debt alone.

Aim

To offer a unique opportunity to study for free in return for the successful student being followed through the highs and lows of improving their opportunities during an economic downturn.

How to enter

•    Complete the relevant Ruskin College application form here 

•    Write 1000 words on “Ruskin College changes lives. How could winning this competition change your life?” AND Write 1000 words on “How you would use the media /new technology to follow your journey through your degree and let people know about Ruskin College and how it changes lives?” These short pieces of writing should be sent in with your application form and need to be received by 28th August 2009.

Students who have already been offered a place on a full time Certificate of Higher Education or the BA Social Work or BA Youth and Community Work at Ruskin College for September 2009 are eligible to apply as long as they submit the two essays by 28th August 2009.

Winner’s responsibilities

The winner agrees to their journey through their degree, from application to graduation being documented as prescribed in the contract to be signed with the College by using media and social networking sites.

The successful student must agree to allow their name and images of them to be used by the media and Ruskin College. They need to be prepared to answer fully and frankly questions about themselves and their past and be prepared to tell their story to the public.

Events that could be covered:

•    Interviews re: how the winner made their decision and chose their course (August 2009)

•    Attendance at preparatory short course – Study Skills, Introduction to [chosen subject] (early September 2009)

•    Induction Week including swearing in at Bodleian (late September 2009)

•    First class attended (early October 2009)

•    First tutorial attended (early October 2009)

•    Handing in assignment (mid December 2009)

•    Receiving results of first assignment and all the following ones (throughout year)

•    Study skills support if appropriate (throughout the year)

•    Ruskin Student Union (at various points throughout the year)

•    Ruskin Writing Competition (late May/early June 2010)

•    Student social life, including the Red Ball at Ruskin College (late June 2010)

•    Potential representation as Student Rep on a College Committee e.g. Programme Board, AQSC (termly meetings)

•    Any outside visits/guest lectures as part of course

•    Open Mic Night (one a term)

•    Ruskin Awards Ceremony (late June 2010)

•    Receiving exam results at end of year (July 2010)

•    Interviews with current and former Ruskin Students – how has Ruskin changed their lives? (Amazing personal histories)

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, applicants must:

•    Not previously have studied at higher education (Level 4) or above

•    Have been resident in the UK for at least the past three years

•    Be prepared to study full time

•    Be prepared to be resident in College for at least the first year of study

•    Fulfil the conditions of the offer of a place

•    Study on an Ruskin College undergraduate programme

•    Complete the appropriate Ruskin College application form in full

•    Submit the two required essays

•    Apply for one of the eligible courses by 28th August 2009

•    Attend a course acceptance interview. An interview will only be offered subject to satisfactory completion of the application form.

•    Successfully progress onto each succeeding year of study in order to continue being funded (pass all modules, complete all other requirements, not be in debt to the College)

•    Cover their own residence and catering fees throughout the duration of their study or qualify for help with these, e.g. through an AEB in the first year of study or a maintenance grant and or loan

Further rules of the competition

•    The prize is not open to any member of, or anyone related to any member of, Ruskin College staff or of the Ruskin College Council or Ruskin College Governing Executive.

•    The successful student must agree to allow their name and images of themselves to be used by the media and Ruskin College. They also need to be prepared to answer fully and frankly questions about themselves and their past and be prepared to tell their story to the public.

•    Ruskin College does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Please note that proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

•    The prize is non-transferable.

•    The prize(s) must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternatives.

•    The decision of the judges is final in every situation and no correspondence will be entered into.

•    Ruskin College reserves the right to cancel the competition (and any associated exhibition or event) at any stage, if deemed necessary in their opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of their control.

What the winner will get

If the successful student is on a course that offers the first year as a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) they will already have their tuition fees paid for by the Adult Education Bursary Scheme (AEB) (subject to eligibility), so Ruskin College will pay the tuition fees for years two and three of the degree. If the student is not eligible for the AEB (e.g. lives in Scotland) then Ruskin College will cover the tuition fees for all three years. If the successful student is on the BA (Hons) Social Work or BA (Hons) Youth and Community Work then Ruskin will cover the three years tuition fees.

Judges

Professor Audrey Mullender, Principal of Ruskin College

Dr Chris Wilkes, General Secretary of Ruskin College

Hannah Jones, Academic Registrar of Ruskin College

Steve Tachini – Controller of BBC Oxford

Celebrity judge – to be announced

Judging timeline [to be finalised]

•    Application form and the two essays must be received by the Academic Registrar by Friday 28th August 2009.

•    Short-listing of the essays will take place within a week. Ten candidates will be chosen.

•    The ten selected students will have their course interview carried out according to normal Ruskin policy and practice.

•    Of the ten selected students, only those who have successfully passed the Ruskin College interview will progress to the next stage of the competition. These remaining candidates will have their application and essays reviewed again. A maximum of five candidates will be selected to go forward to the live final.

•    The live final will be held on [date to be determined]. The finalists will give a presentation to the judges in front of a live audience and will be filmed/recorded.

Judging criteria

The judges will be looking for:

•    An interesting journey back into education

•    Excellent communication skills and ideas on how to convey this personal history to others in an inspirational way

•    The ability to achieve on the selected academic programme and to go on to continued success afterwards

•    A winner with whom other people will identify

This year Ruskin College is offering the following undergraduate courses:

Certificate of Higher Education in English Studies: Creative Writing and Critical Practice, leading to BA (Hons) English Studies: Creative Writing and Critical Practice

Certificate of Higher Education in Social Science: Sociology, Politics and Economics, leading to BA (Hons) Social Science: Sociology, Politics and Economics or BA (Hons) History with Social Science

Certificate of Higher Education in History, leading to BA (Hons) History with Social Science or BA (Hons) Social Science: Sociology, Politics and Economics

Certificate of Higher Education in Law, leading to BA (Hons) International Labour and Trade Union Studies or BA (Hons) Social Science: Sociology, Politics and Economics or BA (Hons) History with Social Science or BA (Hons) History with Social Science

Certificate of Higher Education in International Labour and Trade Union Studies leading to BA (Hons) International Labour and Trade Union Studies

BA Hons Social Work

BA Hons Youth and Community Work