The Stella McCartney scholarship programme

The exciting news of the Condé Nast college has been unveiled in recent weeks and it seems Stella McCartney has decided to go one better. Although it may seem like the perfect opportunity, how many students can afford the £19,560 fees for a year at the Condé Nast college when many are struggling to keep up with standard university fees as it is? Stella has the perfect solution.

She has recently unveiled her new scholarship programme which will fund fashion students at Central Saint Martins along with a year-long placement at Stella McCartney when they finish – something I’m sure students will be jumping at. The only catch is that students who win the scholarship will commit not to use fur, leather or any other animal harming products as part of their work – which I’m pretty sure most students wouldn’t mind giving up for a few years.

Stella, who attended the university herself, understands the pressure on students in the current financial climate. She said: "To get to a college like this is so hard for so many talented young people," McCartney said. "For that reason, I am setting up this scholarship and I encourage other fortunate fashion houses to do the same."

The scholarships will be awarded in October 2012.