'When I realised I could do my master's at a reduced fee, it was a no-brainer to stay on'

A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) graduate began work on his master’s in Mechanical Engineering years after first enrolling at the university – and after a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Royal Air Force along the way, too.

Nathan Cocks joined DMU while based at RAF Cottesmore, in Lincolnshire, and attended a satellite college offering HNC and HND mechanical engineering courses for the university. During a year out from studies, Nathan transferred to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire – a testing three hours’ drive away. But he continued to work with DMU and finished his undergraduate degree, and so qualified for the Vice-Chancellor’s 2020 Scholarship.

The Vice-Chancellor’s 2020 Scholarship offers a tuition fee discount of up to 50 per cent on selected full-time and part-time postgraduate courses. Based on academic achievement and merit, it is automatically applied to all home and EU graduates who achieve a 2:1 or higher and who are graduating or have graduated within the past two years. Individual faculties may also set their own eligibility criteria, terms and conditions.

Having completed 12 years in the air force, Nathan’s master’s was almost fully funded through a combination of RAF support and the Vice-Chancellor’s 2020 Scholarship – and he was able to study full time.

Nathan said that the support he received during his undergraduate degree really influenced his decision to stay with DMU: “The help I was given when I was sent to Afghanistan was absolutely amazing. Tutors were willing to offer deferrals if needed, all the notes were scanned and sent to me, and exam dates and times were rearranged. There was just no hassle.

“So, when I realised I could do my master’s here, and at a reduced fee, it was a no-brainer to stay on.”