The University offers several support funds which are to help students who are struggling financially. Eligibility criteria differs for each fund so please carefully read the guidance notes before you apply.

You are eligible to apply to the Student Hardship Fund if you are enrolled on an eligible course.

Student's with 'home' fee status can apply in every academic year of their course.

International and EU students can apply in their FINAL year of STUDY only, unless they have experienced an unexpected change in circumstances after the start of the academic year, that has impacted on their finances. One year Masters courses are not considered to be a final year of study. In general students will have had to evidence they have sufficient funding to cover fees and living costs in order to obtain a Visa.

As the funds have a limited amount of money we aren't able to help every applicant. Some students are given priority; eg students with children, final year students. However you can still apply even if you are not a priority student.

All UK applicants must have applied for, and received the first instalment of, their full student loan entitlement before applying to the UoN Support Funds.

Home, EU and International  students can apply for help through the funds towards essential childcare costs.

You have to complete an online application form to apply 

Most students find they can complete the form without any problem. However if you are unsure about any aspect of the form please call the Funding and Financial Support team on 0115 82 32071 (10am  - 4pm) 

You MUST supply copies of:

• Financial notification letter from the Student Loans Company (home student)
• NHS bursary notification (if on a NHS funded course) (home student on health sciences courses)
• Evidence of funding - EU and International students
• Copies of bank statements or internet printouts for ALL bank accounts in your, and your partners (where relevant) name, including savings accounts, covering the two month period prior to the date of applying (items of £100 or more need to be explained)

• Evidence of rent or mortgage

You will also need to provide documents relevant to your particular circumstances, for example:

• Child benefit and Child tax credits
• Partners income and bank statements for two months
• Evidence of childcare costs enabling you to attend course activities
• Field trip costs
• Medical costs
• Evidence of benefits (eg housing benefit, universal credit)

You can apply at any point in the academic year before the published deadlines. However, funds are limited and while every effort is made to ensure that they remain available throughout the year (September - early July), this cannot be guaranteed. You are encouraged to plan/review your budget early in your academic year so that, wherever possible, you can anticipate any difficulties and apply early. If you are a final year student whose course ends in June you need to ensure that we receive your application form with all relevant documents at least six weeks before the end date of your course.

All other students must apply by the July closing date advised on the application form.

Your application is assessed following national and internal guidelines agreed before the start of the academic year and, if successful, either a standard or non-standard award may be made. A non-standard award may be made where a student has an unexpected financial crisis or unforeseen essential costs that cannot be met from other sources.

Applications are assessed, and students advised of the outcome, usually within 3-4 weeks of us receiving it, although this may be longer at busy times. However, if when you submit your form there are documents missing and we have to contact you to provide these, the 3-4 weeks will commence from when the additional information has been received by the team.

Not everyone who applies to the funds for support will be successful. If your application is assessed and you receive an award we will email you with details of how much, and when you will be paid. The assessment process takes into account your income and essential expenditure; if there is a shortfall we may make a contribution towards this. Awards over £1,000 will be made in instalments spread over the academic year, to help you with budgeting.

 Applications can be accepted throughout the academic year (September/October to July). However funds are limited, and while every effort is made to ensure that they remain available throughout the year this cannot be guaranteed. Likewise, award levels may vary depending on the remaining funds at the time of application and the University may pro-rata awards per term.

You are therefore encouraged to plan/review your budget early in the academic year so that, wherever possible, you can anticipate any difficulties and apply early.

If your application is successful you will receive an email outlining your award. Awards are paid by BACS into your nominated bank account details on your Nottingham Hub. Please check the disbursement dates for instalments on your Hub. You should receive the instalment three working days after the disbursement date.

The support funds may be able to help you with course or living costs that are not already covered by other forms of financial help - these could be everyday living costs, childcare costs or support over the summer vacation if you have no one else to turn to. It may also be able to help with emergency payments to cover unexpected financial crises.

Please note the support funds, other than the Revis Fund for part time postgraduates, are unable to help with the cost of tuition fees for any student.

Many students find it difficult to manage on the statutory support they receive and often incur debts as a result, however, we cannot include all debts when assessing an application. What we can include depends if your debt is classed as a priority or non-priority. Only priority debts will be considered when assessments are carried out.

Priority debts examples: rent arrears; council tax arrears 

Credit card debts and bank account overdrafts are not priority debts. 

Please contact the team if you need clarification.

Yes, but bear in mind that the outcome of your application may not be the same each year. The amount of funding available for Support Funds may change from year to year and the guidance we use to assess applications may also change.

You can only apply once in an academic year, but if your circumstances change or you have unexpected expenditure you can apply to have your application reassessed. Please email the Funding and Financial Support team at financialsupport@nottingham.ac.uk to outline your change in circumstances, and attach supporting documents, including printouts for ALL bank accounts covering the previous two month period.