BURSARY (Fr. bourse, Lat. bursa, a purse), the annual proceed of a sum permanently invested for the maintenance of a student at a university. A number of small bur saries were till lately the only equivalents at the Scotch universities for the scholarships of the English. Their large number and the small amount of each was. in course of time. found to have a prejudicial effect, more particularly at Aberdeen. which possessed the largest number, and where a ,practice had obtained of multiplying bursars on the foundation, at the discretion of the senatus or patrons. Both the university commission ers of 1831 and those of 1863 expressed their opinion that it was less provision for encouraging learning in its earlier stages than adequate inducements to persons who have passed the preliminary class to make learning the business of their lives, that was wanted in Scotland. The general effect of the ordinances issued by the commissioners of 1863, in carrying out the directions of act 21 and 22 Viet. c. 83, was to consolidate some of the smallest bursaries into others of greater value, and in some instances to remove restrictions that had proved injurious, while a large number was thrown open to com petition. There are, however, still a large proportion of purely presentation bursaries, and in some there is a preference given to a particular naine, or to natives of a par ticular district. At Aberdeen, the commissioners founded eight scholarships of £65 annual value; at St. Andrews they so modified the Ramsay foundation as to found two. scholarships of £60; and in Edinburgh they acquired funds sufficient to establish the Pitt and Mackenzie scholarships of £60 and £120 annual value. Since 1863, a large num ber of scholarships, tenable by graduates, and fellowships, have been founded by private individuals on a more liberal scale than the old bursaries, particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow. At Edinburgh there are at present about 200 bursaries, of which above 100 are in arts, and 30 in theology; they vary in amount front £2 15s. 6d. to £100.
Among the most considerable of them are two of £90, founded in 1809 by Dr. Donald Grant, for students of his own surname; one founded by sir John Macpherson in 1821, worth £88, for Highland students; the Jardine competition bursary of £40, four Lennie bursaries of £48, four Bruce bursaries of £30, and three of £40; two competition bur saries of £100 and £50 respectively, founded in 1860 by 3Ir. Patrick of Roughwood, for young men educated in Ayrshire; two bursaries founded in 1865 by Miss Scott of Horse liehill, and one by Miss Harrison in 1867, for £40 each; and two founded by the Rev. John Spence in 1867, for £50. The scholarships for graduates are about 30, varying in amount from £60 to £120; and there are about eight fellowships varying from £100 to R.160. Of 190 bursaries at Glasgow, many of them small, the most considerable are six founded by lord Dundonald in 1672, four in philosophy and two in divinity, of £40; two by Mr. Patrick, of £100 and £50 respectively; and the Brisbane medical bursary of £50, founded in 1877. Glasgow has also 14 exhibitions to Balliol college, Oxford, on the Snell foundation (q.v.), and about 30 scholarships of from £50 to £200, the highest being the four founded by George A. Clark, in 1872. At St. Andrews there are 81 bur saries belonging to the United college, varying in amount from £5 to £50; 20 belonging to St. Mary's, varying from £6 to £50; and 20 of the same value transferable from the United college, when the bursars proceed to the study of divinity; two Ramsay scholar ships of £50; one Guthrie scholarship worth £100 the first year, and afterwards £50; one Patrick Kidd scholarship, worth about £40; and two scholarships of £50, founded by 3Irs Tyndal Bruce. At Aberdeen there are about 250 bursaries, varying from £5 to £50; and 11 scholarships of £65 to £70, tenable for 4 years, also some valuable exhi bitions to Cambridge.