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Are you the Female Undergraduate of the Year?
We're searching UK universities to find the outstanding Female Undergraduate of the Year. We are looking for students with a winning mix of personal skills, career motivation and an excellent academic record.
Win
You could win a ten-week paid summer internship commencing in June/July 2023, an Apple watch, Rolls-Royce branded gifts and a ‘day in the life of a senior female manager’, a fantastic opportunity to shadow a senior female manager for the day.
All finalists will also be considered for paid work experience opportunities with Rolls-Royce.
Applications for the targetjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards 2023 are now closed.
Introducing the 2023 finalists...
Anvi Parikh | Royal Holloway, University of London | Economics
Catherine Turkington | University of Oxford | Chemistry
Harriet Spoor | Queen Mary University of London | Politics and International Relations
Imogen Canell | University College London | Natural Sciences: Astrophysics with Geophysics
Isabelle Mullings Wong | University of Bath | Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Isabelle Atkinson | Imperial College London| Aeronautical Engineering
Mirha Butt | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | Geography
Rosalind Aves | Imperial College London | Aeronautical Engineering
Sharwa Molla | Imperial College London | Aeronautical Engineering
Shiuli Banerjee | University of Cambridge | Natural Sciences
Shourya Gupta | Loughborough University | Product Design Engineering
To enter you need to:
- identify as a female undergraduate student at a university in the UK
- be studying a STEM related degree
- be in your first or second year at university
- have the right to work in the UK after graduation
- be available to attend a two-day assessment centre on specific dates and accept the prize of a summer internship with Rolls-Royce.
What makes an award winner?
The winner of the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award will have well-rounded life experience and a broad range of achievements. You will be:
- commercially aware
- a natural problem solver
- driven, curious and courageous
- a strong relationship builder
- ready to be challenged
- a great communicator.
How do I win?
Register
Register your details online and answer three questions set by Rolls-Royce.
Must be completed by 30.01.23
Online tests
Receive an email inviting you to sit three online tests designed exclusively by our partner SHL.
Must be completed by 30.01.23
Submit by 30.01.23
Your details must be submitted and all online tests completed by 30 January 2023.
If you are successful in getting through to the next stage, you will hear from us by 28 February 2023.
Assessment centre
If you pass the online tests and make it to the next stage your application will be reviewed by Rolls-Royce.
This will involve a virtual or face-to-face assessment centre.
Grand final
The final shortlist of ten students will be invited to the awards ceremony on 21 April 2023, where the award winners will be announced.
Rolls-Royce and the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award
Our people are our power. Their pride in what Rolls-Royce has achieved, their commitment to delivering excellence to our customers, and their vision of what we can achieve in the future are all fundamental to our continued success. We're a global organisation, employing over 50,000 people in over 46 countries, and we've spent the past 100 years building a reputation for technical innovation and excellence.
The relentless innovation of the group's products makes it imperative that we have the best workforce in the business. To ensure this, we seek to create a diverse and inclusive working environment that attracts and retains talented people, enhances flexibility and motivation, and encourages involvement in the ongoing success of our company. We are also committed to developing our people's skills through a range of world-class training programmes, and encouraging a wider interest in science and engineering.
Why an award specifically for female undergraduates?
We work with schools and universities to encourage females and ensure that they have opportunities to maximise their potential. We hope the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award 2023 will help to celebrate the success of the many impressive females in further education and that it will also inspire young females considering their next steps and future careers.
Click here to find out more about us and our internship and graduate opportunities.
Hear from previous winners and finalists
Sophie Gibson
Mathematics, University of St Andrews
Finalist of the Female Award, 2022
Read the blog
Phoebe Rylatt
Mechanical Engineering, University of Nottingham
Winner of the Female Award, 2021
Read the blog Arushi Madan
Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Birmingham
Finalist of the Female Award, 2019
Recognition aside, merely applying for awards brings a multitude of career benefits. Putting together an award application can help you reflect on your skills and career progression. It may push you to become more competitive by filling gaps in your CV and increasing your visibility. Of course, should you emerge from the process with an award in hand, all the better. But even if you don’t win, competing for an award is often a worthwhile effort that will help to further your professional development.
Read the blog Heather Bruce
Masters Mechanical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University
Finalist of the Female Award, 2019
If you asked me back in January if I would make it to the top ten of the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award, I would have been embarrassed as I would have loved the idea, but in reality I doubted it. However, here I am, and I can safely say it has been the experience of a lifetime. Along with my amazing internship with Rolls-Royce, it has shaped my future for the better and I am so grateful to everyone who organises such an impressive award.
Read the blog Ana Groom
Engineering , University of Cambridge
Finalist of the Female Award, 2018
Despite the fact that I didn’t win, the experience of being at the finals and the contacts I made, as well as the application and interviews practice, were in my opinion so worth it.
Read the blog Nadia Gjerdingen
Mechanical engineering, Imperial College London
Finalist of the Female Award, 2018
As part of getting to the finals, I was also offered a summer internship with Rolls-Royce control systems in Birmingham. It was a ten-week crash course in the civil aerospace industry, where I learned about engineering design, modelling, manufacture and test, as well as a host of soft skills that come from being in the office environment.
Read the blog Sophie Rose
Politics and Eastern European studies, University College London
Finalist of the Female Award, 2018
Awaiting the phone call from Suki Findon, the European Resourcing Lead/Campus Manager, was almost as nerve-racking as the assessment centre. I really wanted to make it to the final ten, so I cannot tell you the relief when I was told that I had. Moreover, I was told that I had been offered a Commercial internship. I was on cloud nine.
Read the blog Laura McElhinney
Mechanical engineering, Queen's University Belfast
Finalist of the Female Award, 2018
I really enjoyed my time at Rolls-Royce and would recommend applying to the Undergraduate of the Year Awards as it is a great opportunity to network and gain valuable experience. I am delighted to have attained a position at Rolls-Royce on the graduate scheme through the Female Undergraduate of the Year Awards.
Read the blog Abigael Bamgboye
Materials science and engineering, Imperial College London
Winner of the Female Award, 2018
It has been an immense privilege to take part in this process, and I’d strongly encourage you to apply for any of the awards, and to nominate your friends. As undergraduates, we can achieve exceptional things, and this reward provides excellent recognition for that.
Read the blog Trisha Saxena
Physics, Imperial College London
Winner of the Female Award, 2017
It was as if the unthinkable had happened – I won! I received my award in a state of awe, posing for pictures with my new iPad and glass trophy without it sinking in that I had actually won.
Read the blog Jodie Howlett
Mechanical engineering, Sheffield Hallam University
Finalist of the Female Award, 2017
As soon as I learned that Rolls-Royce was sponsoring the Female category, I just had to apply. I was several months into a year in industry placement at the company at the time of applying, and I was very keen to return for the summer. I didn’t expect to get as far as I did in the selection process, but I knew that taking part would be a great learning opportunity.
Read the blog Luisa Huyskens
Business management, University of Sheffield
Finalist of the Female Award, 2016
The entire journey, from sending in my application and completing the first online psychometric test to the final event, was the most challenging but also most rewarding journey I have embarked on and looking back at it I would recommend anyone with the least bit of ambition to apply for one of the awards
Read the blog Aleksandra Pedraszewska
Land economy, University of Cambridge
Winner of the Female Award, 2015
I want to encourage anyone with any doubts to do the same – just because you never know.
Read the blog Courtney Gill
Land economy, University of Cambridge
Winner of the Female Award, 2014
This experience has opened up my mind to the vast world of opportunities that await when I finish studying and I am incredibly excited to embark on my post-graduation journey!
Read the blog Bronwyn O'Neill
English literature, University of York
Finalist of the Female Award, 2014
My advice for prospective applicants is not to underestimate yourself! Make your application personal and give yourself enough time to properly give yourself credit for the great things you’ve already done as an undergraduate. You never know where it might lead you!
Read the blog