The Financial Assistance Fund supports students who may need to withdraw from their studies due to unexpected or unavoidable financial problems. It does not need to be repaid.

The fund is limited and cannot be used as a main source of income.

Awards are made at the discretion of the University.

Eligibility

You can only apply for the fund if you are a fully registered University of Bristol student.

The fund is available to:

• undergraduates
• postgraduate taught/research
• home and EU/international fee-paying students.

You must also:

• be in financial difficulty that puts you at risk of withdrawing from university
• have access to less than £100 across all bank accounts (including savings)
• receive the government maintenance loan, unless exempt (UK students only).

You cannot apply if you are a:

• pre-sessional student
• visiting student
• exchange student.

Payments for part-time and temporarily withdrawn students are capped.

Summer application eligibility

Applications are open between 10 June and 8 September 2024.

To apply, you must meet one or more of these conditions:

• have confirmed re-sit exams or are re-taking elements of your course during the summer term
• are taking a course with exams in July
• are a student in Health Sciences undertaking a placement during the summer term
• have caring responsibilities for a child or adult dependent
• have an illness which prevents you from working a part-time job
• were under 25 at the start of your course AND are:
• a care leaver
• estranged from both parents
• or have no living parents.

Final year undergraduate students

Final year undergraduate students whose enrolment with the University is due to end in the summer are not eligible. If you are re-taking any assessments, including your dissertation, you may still be eligible.

Postgraduate taught students

Postgraduate taught students who are writing dissertations during the summer are eligible.

Postgraduate research students

Postgraduate research students are eligible.

Types of assistance

You can either apply for a £50 food voucher or the standard cash award (where eligible).

Food vouchers

If you apply for a food voucher, you must provide evidence that you have access to less than £100 across all bank accounts. You do not need to give any other information about your personal circumstances.

Applications for food vouchers are usually assessed within one working day. Vouchers are emailed to successful applicants.

You can make multiple applications for food vouchers, as long as you remain eligible. This is limited to three vouchers per application window. You cannot receive more than one voucher in a four-week period.

Food vouchers count towards your total award value for the current term. If you receive a £50 food voucher and later apply for the standard cash award, this value will be taken from your total award.

If you have already received a cash award during this term, you cannot receive a food voucher.

Standard cash award

If you apply for the standard cash award, you will need to provide more information and evidence than for the food voucher.

There are three award levels available:

• Level 1: £250
• Level 2: £500
• Level 3: £750

If your application is successful, our assessors will decide which award you will receive based on:

• your provided information
• the eligibility criteria.

Level 1

Level 1 awards are available to applicants who declare that they are in financial difficulty and can prove access to less than £100 across all bank accounts (including savings). This is after income (from part-time work, scholarships, bursaries, or other sources) and reasonable expenses for the term.

Level 2

Level 2 awards are available to applicants who meet Level 1 criteria and are taking reasonable steps to reduce their financial problems but remain in difficulty. This can include:

• working a part-time job for a reasonable number of hours per week
• using a considerable amount of an interest-free student overdraft.

Alternatively, applicants may have:

• excessive debt
• placement-related costs
• a health problem preventing their ability to work a part-time job.

Home students must be in receipt of the UK government maintenance loan (unless exempt).

International Students must prove that they have made ‘reasonable financial provision’ before starting their course.

Level 3

Level 3 awards are only available to applicants who meet Level 2 criteria, are in full-time study, and satisfy at least one of the following:

• have dependent children
• have caring responsibilities
• are in receipt of the Bristol Standalone Bursary
• are presently homeless.

When to apply

Application windows for the 2023-24 academic year are:

• Term 1: 18 September 2023 to 7 January 2024
• Term 2: 8 January 2024 to 9 June 2024
• Summer: 10 June 2024 to 8 September 2024

Application windows for the 2024-25 academic year are:

• Term 1: 9 September 2024 to 12 January 2025
• Term 2: 13 January 2025 to 25 May 2025
• Summer: 26 May 2025 to 14 September 2025

Do not submit more than one application per term unless your circumstances have changed.

Before you apply

You must:

1. provide us with your bank details
2. prepare screenshots showing the current balance for all accounts in which you hold funds
3. prepare statements showing at least the previous month’s transactions for all accounts in which you hold funds.

We aim to process all applications within five working days of submission.

Applications with missing or incomplete evidence could impact our assessment time and may be rejected. We may request additional information when assessing your application.

How to apply

To apply for the Financial Assistance Fund, you should fill in the application form.

As the application form is in Microsoft Forms, you need to be logged into Microsoft with your university email address. 

Unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful or you are unhappy with your outcome, you can email the hardship team at hardship-fund@bristol.ac.uk. You can ask for an explanation of how your award was calculated.

We will only accept appeals and reassess your application based on:

• new information or evidence not submitted before assessment
• an error on your original submission
• a major change of circumstances having a financial impact on you.

More information

Email any questions about the Financial Assistance Fund to the hardship team at hardship-fund@bristol.ac.uk.