The Discretionary Fund is available to UK based students.
If you're a registered student and facing unexpected financial difficulties, you may be eligible for help through the Discretionary Fund.
This includes both students who receive the maximum available UK student loan and students who can't access a loan because of their course type or part-time study, but who are in receipt of tuition fee support from a UK funding body.
What the fund covers
- One-off support for short term essential costs (e.g. food & other living expenses)
- Bills
- Accommodation costs
- Other unexpected expenses which impact on finances
Tuition fees cannot be funded.
Depending on your situation, awards may be given as food vouchers, digital equipment or a bank payment.
You can reapply for the fund if your situation does not improve but it is not guaranteed that you will receive another award. You may be asked for evidence of how previous awards were used if you reapply.
Application steps
You must complete all of the steps below to apply for the Discretionary Fund.
Once you have submitted your application will all the required evidence, you should receive a decision within 15 working days.
Application processing may take longer if:
- more evidence is required
- information is unclear
- it is a repeat application
The assessment team may request further documents at their discretion.