Accessibility statement

University of York Bursaries

A bursary is a non-repayable award given by the University as extra financial help. Unlike a scholarship, bursaries are awarded to students who meet specific set criteria, usually relating to personal circumstances, rather than academic achievement. Usually students do not need to apply to receive a bursary. 

Bursaries for current students

You do not have to apply for an undergraduate bursary. We use the assessment of household income carried out by Student Finance to automatically assess students for bursary eligibility. 

We will start to confirm bursary eligibility from the end of September, and will notify you by email to your University account if you've been awarded a bursary. You should only get in touch if you have not heard from us by 1 November. Please note, we are unable to backdate bursary eligibility after 30 June for that academic year.

  • A bursary is not a loan - you do not have to pay it back. 
  • Bursaries are for undergraduate UK only. 
  • If you are an EU student and believe you may be eligible, please view the information included within the guide below.

Bursary schemes can vary, depending on the year you started your studies. If you are receiving a York Bursary, Foundation Year Bursary, HYMS Bursary or Care Leaver Bursary, you can find detailed information about your scheme in the guides below.

If you have a specific question about any of our bursaries, check out our FAQ page in the first instance.

Guide for current students

Guides for students who started prior to 2021/22

If you require earlier copies of the York Bursaries Guide, please contact sfsu@york.ac.uk

Receiving your award

If you are made an award, you will have received a notification email and an award letter in your e:Vision account.

Submit your bank details to receive cash payments

In order to receive any bursary cash payment, submit your bank details using the University’s secure bank detail collection system using your University username and password. We accept both UK and overseas bank accounts and you can use the system to update your details should you change bank. Please note, this system is for bursary payments only. If you need to update your bank details for direct debit collections, please do this using the 'Your finance' section in e:Vision (see Payment methods).

If you do not submit your details, we will not be able to pay you.

Please note that not all awards include cash payments. Please refer to the guides for more details on how your bursary will be paid.

Payment dates

For the 2021/22 academic year, bursaries will be paid on the following dates:

Payment type

Payment method

Payment dates

Tuition fee waiver

Reduction in your tuition fees                 

We inform your student funding provider automatically when your award is approved and they alter your loan accordingly.

Accommodation payment (if you're a first year student in University accommodation)

Applied directly to your accommodation fees

Three equal instalments reducing each accommodation fee charge on:

Friday 8 October 2021
Friday 7 January 2022
Friday 8 April 2022

For example, if you owe £1,800 for a term's rent and are going to receive an accommodation payment of £500 then you will only need to pay £1,300 that term. If you pay your accommodation fees by direct debit, the fees minus the bursary will automatically be taken from your account, and will stop you from accidentally overpaying.

Cash payment

Payment direct to your bank account

Friday 22 October 2021
Friday 4 February 2022
Friday 13 May 2022

Discussing your award

We cannot discuss a case with anyone other than you. If you want someone else (including parents or carers) to discuss your bursary on your behalf, you will need to email sfsu@york.ac.uk from your University email address to confirm your written permission. Please note we cannot disclose any detailed household income information to anyone, including the student.

Who to contact

For bursary related enquiries, please contact:

  • Student Financial Support 
    +44 (0)1904 324043
    sfsu@york.ac.uk
    (Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm)

For other financial queries, please see the relevant contact details.