Support for financial hardship

Everyone’s financial circumstances are different and the University provides a range of funds for students facing, or at risk of, serious financial difficulty and struggling with essential living costs.

The Student Advice & Support team can offer guidance on student and external loans, budgeting and other financial support, as well as contact your funding body if issues arise and signpost you to further money advice services.

Hardship Fund data & Privacy Notice

Hardship Fund data

1. The total number of applications received by the University for any of the Hardship Funds:

Academic Year	Number of Individual Applications
2024-2025	367
2023-2024	619
2022-2023	805
2021-2022	1354
2020-2021	1720
2019/2020	867
2018/2019	807

2. The total number of applications received by the University for each fund:

Academic Year 2018/2019	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	713
Childcare	47
International Hardship (AUSA)	47

Academic Year 2019/2020	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	648
Childcare	55
International Hardship (AUSA)	164

Academic Year 2020-2021	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	537 (UG) 89 (PG)
Childcare	34
International Hardship (AUSA)	87
Digital Poverty	20
SAAS Winter Discretionary Fund	784
SAAS Covid 19	38
Various other UOA Funds	131

Academic Year 2021-2022	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	390 (UG) 62 (PG)
Childcare	27
Digital Poverty	15
SAAS Covid 19	860

Academic Year 2022-2023	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	529 (UG) 53 (PG)
Childcare	16
Digital Poverty	20
Hardship Fund (INT)	187

Academic Year 2023-2024	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	469
Childcare	12
Digital Poverty	12
Hardship Fund (INT)	126

Academic Year 2024-2025	Number of Individual Applications
Discretionary	275
Childcare	8
Digital Poverty	15
Hardship Fund (INT)	69

3. The total number of applications accepted, and the total number rejected by the University for any of the Hardship Funds:

Academic Year	Accepted	Rejected
2024-2025	338	29
2023-2024	542	77
2022-2023	735	70
2021-2022	1159	195
2020-2021	1466	254
2019/2020	731	136
2018/2019	760	47

4. The total amount of funds distributed by the Hardship Funds:

Academic Year	Amount of money distributed
2024-2025	£183.025.00
2023-2024	£238.138.00
2022-2023	£446,256.40
2021-2022	£ 851,689.16
2020-2021	£ 1,457,370.38
2019/2020	£437, 502.44
2018/2019	£455, 286.65

5. Any documentation relating to the procedures or guidelines considered by University staff when making decisions on hardship funding.

For Discretionary and Childcare Funds and International Emergency Fund, we follow the guidelines as outlined by SAAS:

For other funds, such as the University Hardship fund, we apply similar guidelines in relation to the requirement of evidence, and we will assess based on unexpected and exceptional financial circumstances.

Hardship Fund Privacy Notice

Please make yourself aware of the Hardship Fund Privacy notice.

View the Hardship Fund Privacy notice