Eligibility

To be eligible for the University of Bristol Bursary you must:

• be a full-time UK undergraduate student;
• have started your studies between 2015/16 and 2018/19;
• be eligible for Home tuition fees;
• have applied to your regional funding provider for means-tested support;
• have been assessed to have a household income of £42,875 or less.

The following groups of students are not eligible for a bursary:

• part-time students;
• PGCE students;
• students undertaking a second undergraduate degree;
• students undertaking a paid or unpaid year in industry (in the UK or abroad) as part of their degree;
• students from the EU (unless you meet certain eligibility criteria which mean you qualify for means-tested support from Student Finance and not just the tuition fee loan;
• students on any year of their course where they are entitled to NHS funding.

For the academic year 2018/19, the University of Bristol Bursary will be paid to eligible students who apply for funding from their regional funding provider by the end of the summer term.

Award

The University may review the value of the University of Bristol Bursary from time to time.

You'll continue to receive the bursary in each year of your course providing that your household income level remains below the threshold. There are some exceptions: the bursary isn't paid during any year that is spent on a year in industry placement, whether paid or unpaid; the bursary isn't available to students during any NHS-funded years of your programme.

How to apply

You do not need to submit an application form for the University of Bristol Bursary. You (and your sponsors) must give your consent for the Student Loans Company to share your household income details with the University.

The University will receive information about your household income from the Student Loans Company. We will use this to assess your entitlement to a bursary and to make awards accordingly.

Award process

1. During the autumn term, you will receive an email from the University's Student Funding Office confirming your bursary entitlement, provided the Student Loans Company has supplied the necessary information.
2. You are required to provide the University with your bank details to ensure timely bursary payments directly into your account using the BACS process. Follow these instructions to enter or update your bank details‌.
3. Students who do not supply their bank details will receive their payment via a cheque.
4. Payments will be made in two instalments, in December and March, subject to you continuing to meet the terms and conditions.

Other criteria

• You are required to inform the Student Funding Office if you receive a reassessment of your maintenance loan or maintenance (or special support) grant entitlement.
• If your entitlement to the government's maintenance loan or maintenance (or special support) grant changes, your level of bursary may also change.
  • In the case where the amount you are to receive moves from a higher to a lower band, the University will not normally reclaim any overpayment. Any outstanding payments during the remaining academic year will be adjusted to the new bursary level.
  • However, if you have already received more than the total value of the partial bursary from your previous instalments, no further payments will be made for that academic year.
• If your entitlement to government maintenance (or special support) grant ceases during the academic year, the University will not normally reclaim any previous payment. However no further payments will be made from the date of reassessment of the maintenance or special support grant.
• If you withdraw from your studies, you will not have to repay any bursary payment; as long as you are in attendance on the date that bursary payments are made, you will receive your bursary instalment. If you withdraw before the next bursary payment date, you will not receive further payments but the repayment of any previously paid instalments will not be sought.
• If you repeat a year you will not automatically be entitled to repeat bursary funding. However, if you receive the government maintenance (or special support) grant for your repeat year, your entitlement to a bursary will continue.
• If your faculty agrees that you can temporarily suspend your studies, and if you can provide written confirmation from SFE that you are still entitled to receive your maintenance grant while temporarily absent from your programme, you will be entitled to receive a University of Bristol Bursary.
• The University reserves the right to use bursary instalments to offset any debt you owe to the University.