Since university fees were raised following the last general election, some students have found the cost of university out of their reach. With UK uni fees set to remain high regardless of who makes it to number ten, help is arriving in the form of the 'Living the Dream' scholarship from the fastest growing online booking platform for student accommodation, Uniplaces. 

The new 'Living The Dream' scholarship aims to make university living costs more manageable while improving student mobility around the world and the lucky UK recipient of the first ever round of scholarships, who attends Imperial College, London, will have his accommodation costs paid for next semester.

To be in with a chance of winning, Uniplaces asked students to submit 'random acts of kindness' in order to make university campuses a better place to be. Francisco Goiana da Silva has been awarded the first UK scholarship by helping his fellow students to relax on campus by arranging an informal wine tasting session, surprising them with wine from the Douro Valley in his native Portugal.

Uniplaces co-founder Ben Grech said: “We’re thrilled to offer Francisco a ‘Living the Dream’ scholarship and his act of kindness totally deserved the 860 votes it received. It’s a great example of the kind of behaviour we like to see among student communities, which helps people get to know each other through a bit of old fashioned friendliness!’

The scholarship fund comes from donations made through the Uniplaces website. Each time a booking is made through the website, £1 goes directly into the fund. 

Over 100 students from all over the world entered acts of kindness ranging from cleaning up their campus to tutoring fellow students in their spare time. 

“We believe that more students should take a leaf out of Francisco’s book and study at the right university for them, whatever country that might be in. The Living The Dream scholarship will make this possible for more students around the world by helping break down social and geographical barriers and empowering student mobility,” Grech said.