Consistently one of the top universities in the world, the internationally renowned Harvard University has selected a New College Bradford student to study with them on a full scholarship after her A-levels.
Tina Chawira will study a joint degree in Government and East Asian studies at Harvard, in Boston on the east coast of America, with a scholarship which will cover tuition fees, living expenses and travel.
“It will be a life-changing experience,” said Tina. “Harvard has a commitment to social mobility that mirrors New College Bradford and is an institution that will grant me a wealth of opportunities that I could’ve never imagined having access to prior to this opportunity.”
Harvard is consistently ranked in the global top five of international university rankings and usually has an admission rate of between 3% and 4%. Oxford and Cambridge, in contrast, usually have an admission rate of between 14% to 17%.
“We are immensely proud of Tina,” said Stuart Nash, New College Bradford Principal. “When you consider the intensity of competition for places at Harvard, it really highlights what an amazing achievement winning a full scholarship is.”
Tina joined NCB in September 2024, and travels in each day from Keighley, where she completed her GCSEs at Carlton Keighley. She chose NCB for her post-16 education, where she studies Politics, Economics, Sociology, Performing and Production Arts and an EPQ, because she wanted the new experience of a sixth form college, and the fresh challenges it would offer her. Whilst here, she has completed a World Challenge trip to Nepal and attended the Sutton Trust Fulbright US Programme summer school, both of which will prepare for the opportunities ahead.
“I am very excited about the offer. Studying at Harvard will definitely be a unique and bespoke experience that I will be the first in my community to navigate, but I can’t wait to give back to NCB and help other students get to where I am today. Hopefully my experience will encourage other students from Bradford to apply”
“Tina’s success just goes to show that what we tell our students really is true: there is no limit to the opportunities you can access if you set your mind to a goal,” said Stuart.
Raising ambition and helping young people access competitive university courses is a key part of NCB’s commitment to social mobility. Next month, Harvard’s UK school liaison officer will be visiting NCB to meet Tina and to talk to other NCB students about the opportunities that exist to study at one of the top universities in America.
“Although Tina is our first student to get an offer from Harvard,” added Stuart, “we don’t expect her to be our last!”
