Hundreds of students are to be handed £1,000 rewards after excelling in their studies.

The students from the University of Brighton will be receiving scholarship prizes for academic excellence in subjects as diverse as pharmacy, architecture and criminology.

The university will issue the £1,000 rewards to 200 students at the Sallis Benney Theatre in Brighton tonight.

Among the success stories is 31-year-old Matthew Shaw who decided to return to higher education to study physiotherapy after six years working in London as an investment banker. He said: “Ultimately I felt I would receive more satisfaction from improving somebody’s quality of life following physical setbacks than by increasing the already huge bank balances of large investors.”

Matthew hopes to work in the NHS before one day fulfilling his dream of becoming a rugby league physiotherapist.

Brighton-born Zosia Mnich is completing a lifelong ambition to study textile design with business studies at the university.

Twenty-year-old Zosia was just six when she and her mum visited the university’s fashion show which initially sparked her interest. She said: “The course is fantastic and you gain so many different experiences. I love the hands-on approach and the way you can experiment with your ideas.”

With the help of the scholarship money, Zosia plans to travel to New York this year to undertake her work placement.

The awards will be presented by university vice-chancellor Professor Julian Crampton and Peter Hall, of the university’s board of governors.