Accessibility statement

Emergency loans

An emergency loan is a short-term loan designed to support you during short-term funding issues. It can be used to pay for food, utility bills, or travel to your site of study (including placements).

Please read the following page carefully before applying for an emergency loan.

Am I eligible?

Emergency loans will be issued to:

  • UK undergraduate students whose funding has been delayed, or who have faced unexpected and unforeseen short-term costs,
  • PG students whose funding has been delayed.

Please note, failing to make reasonable adjustments to your lifestyle is not considered an unexpected or unforeseen short-term cost.

Both postgraduate and international students are expected to have made sufficient provision for their studies prior to beginning the year of study. We recommend these students make an appointment with a Student Adviser via the self-referral form online prior to applying for an emergency loan.

What can an emergency loan be used for?

You may apply for an emergency loan for assistance with:

  • food costs
  • essential utility bills, such as heating and electricity
  • travel to your site of study, including placements (following any Covid-19 travel restrictions).

An emergency loan cannot be used for:

  • tuition fee costs
  • rent (you should speak to your landlord in the first instance to negotiate rent payments. Our Student Advisers at the Student Hub can help you if you need support)
  • in place of a negative outcome from the Student Support Fund or the Emergency Student Support Fund.

How much can I borrow?

Emergency loans are distributed in relation to national standards for expenditure (composite living costs) set to give you a basic amount to cover food, travel and essential expenses such as utility bills by the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA). For a single student with no dependents, this is £87 for 2021/22.

We are unable to issue a loan for more than two week's living costs at any one time. 

If you require a larger amount of money, we suggest that you make an appointment with one of our Student Advisers via the self-referral form online to discuss your circumstances in more detail before applying for an emergency loan.

Students are expected to have made reasonable adjustments to their lifestyles to ensure appropriate budgeting measures are in place.

Once the loan has been given it will appear as a debt to the University on your account until it is repaid. 

How do I repay the loan?

You'll receive an invoice from the Fees Office, which will explain how to repay the loan. We won't charge you interest on the loan but you'll be expected to repay the loan as soon as you receive the first instalment of your Student Loan or NHS Bursary, usually within four weeks and need to repay it before you can re-enrol or graduate.

Failure to repay may result in your details being passed to a debt collection agency working on behalf of the University, and future applications may be refused.

If you are unable to repay the loan by the date specified, please contact the Fees Office (fees-office@york.ac.uk) directly to discuss a repayment plan.

How to apply

If you require an emergency loan please complete the online application form. In order for us to accurately gauge how much money you reasonably require, you will be expected to confirm what your loan will be used for and how much you estimate this will cost.

You will be required to submit the following documentation as part of your application:

  • a copy of your funding confirmation letter, or confirmation that a funding application has been submitted,
  • a copy of the most recent full bank statement for each of your bank accounts; plus your balance at the time of application for each of these accounts. Please make sure all of your bank statements and current balances have your name clearly visible. We do not accept screenshots of balance screens.

If you do not have your supporting documentation to hand, you can save and return to the form. If you are self-funded, provide a document that confirms how you expected to cover your finances, both tuition fees and living costs, for the duration of the current academic year.

Once submitted, your application will be reviewed and an outcome confirmed within two working days (Monday to Friday). If successful, your emergency loan will be paid via bank transfer; please ensure we are able to do this by submitting your bank details securely online.

If you require any support with your application, please contact the Student Support and Advice team.

Please note, it is not guaranteed that your application will be successful, or whether you will be lent the full amount you have requested.

Emergency loans policy

See our full policy details for emergency loans.