Student Support Fund Guidance

If you are an undergraduate student, you can apply from Monday 2 October 2023 until 5pm on Friday 7 June 2024. All supporting evidence will need to be submitted by 5pm on Friday 14 June 2024.

If you are a postgraduate taught student, you can apply from Monday 2 October 2023 until 5pm on Friday 16 August 2024. All supporting evidence will need to be submitted by 5pm on Friday 23 August 2024.

If you are a postgraduate research student, because your start date might not match the standard academic year, you can apply to the Student Support Fund at any time, except within the first month of your studies.

We cannot make exceptions to these dates, however, if you are experiencing unexpected financial difficulty outside the relevant application period, please contact the Student Support and Advice Team via the online Self-Referral form.

You can apply to the Student Support Fund more than once during the academic year, until you have reached the maximum total award available to you (see section 1.3). A new application would need to be based on a change in circumstances since your last application, and you would need to supply new evidence.

1.2.1 What funding is available?

Money for the Student Support Fund is limited and therefore once all money is allocated, we will be unable to offer further financial support in that academic year. Funds are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 

1.2.2 Am I eligible?

Before you apply to the Student Support Fund, please check you meet the eligibility criteria below. If you are not sure, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team:

1. You must be currently fully-registered, or within the continuation period, on a degree-awarding programme, a minimum of one year in length, at the University of York.
   1. If you have a shadow record at the University (i.e. you receive funds from a grant held at York, such as a Centre for Doctoral Training, but you’re registered to study elsewhere), you are not eligible.
   2. If you are registered on a Hull York Medical School (HYMS) programme and registered at the University of York, you’re covered by this Student Support Fund policy; if you’re registered at the University of Hull, you aren’t covered by this Student Support Fund policy.
2. This includes full-time courses, part-time courses, sandwich courses, and placement periods.
   • With the exception of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships (see section 1.2.3) and online or distance learning courses (see section 1.2.4).
   • If you are part-time, you must be studying at least 25% of a full-time course. Any award will be prorated to match the intensity of the course.
3. If you are registered on an approved leave of absence from the University, you may still apply, unless the leave of absence is due to progression issues.
4. You will be expected to have already taken your full entitlement of student financial support. This includes taking out the maximum tuition fee and maintenance loans available from your funding provider, and making use of any interest, and charge-free overdraft facility on your bank account(s).
5. The assessment will take account of your circumstances across the course of one academic year regardless of when you apply for support and you will be asked for evidence to show you have made realistic provision to fund your studies (including applying to your funding provider for support before advertised deadlines). We are unable to make awards from the Student Support Fund for a shortfall in your financial provision. For more information on your financial provision, please go to the Assumed income and Minimum Required Provision section in 1.5.2 below.
6. You must be normally resident within the UK throughout your studies.

1.2.3 What if I am on a Higher and Degree Apprenticeship?

If you are studying on a Higher and Degree Apprenticeship programme, you won’t normally be eligible to apply for financial support, unless you can provide evidence of unexpected and unforeseen circumstances — eg a car break-down which prevents you from travelling to the University for the study element of your programme. If you’re experiencing financial difficulties studying on a Higher and Degree Apprenticeship, you should discuss this with your employer in the first instance.

1.2.4 What if I am on an online or distance learning course?

If you’re studying online only or by distance learning, you are not eligible to apply. We would expect you to consider other options, such as leave of absence or deferral.

1.2.5 What if I am on leave of absence?

If you are a home undergraduate student on an approved leave of absence from the University, for any reason except progression issues, you can apply for support during the leave period.

If you’re struggling financially on a leave of absence, we would expect you to explore other avenues of support first, including applying for any external sources of funding, or speaking to your landlord about rent deadlines.

If you’re an international or postgraduate student on a leave of absence, you aren’t normally eligible, unless you need financial support to return to your studies.

1.2.6 What if my funding has been impacted by exchange rates?

You are not eligible to apply for financial support on the grounds that the difference in exchange rates between your home currency and GBP has left you with less money than planned for the current academic year, or there is an economic crisis in your home country. 

We would expect you to consider other options, such as leave of absence or deferral.

You can seek assistance with any of the above by completing the Self-Referral form to speak to a Student Adviser. 

1.3.1 A grant

Most awards are given as non-repayable grants. If you are a full-time student, the maximum you could receive is £3,000 in each academic year of your studies. 

If you are a part-time student, any award is prorated.

If you are on a leave of absence, any award received during the academic year before your leave of absence counts towards your maximum. If you have returned from a leave of absence, any award received for the academic year during your leave of absence counts towards your maximum.

If you are a Postgraduate Researcher in your writing-up or extension period, the maximum award is equivalent to the continuation fee for that year.

1.3.2 A loan

If you are facing financial difficulties because funding has been delayed, we might suggest an emergency loan as a better option for you.

1.3.3 Outstanding emergency loans

If you are eligible for an award from the Student Support Fund and you have any outstanding emergency loan debt, an award may be awarded as a grant and used to pay off these loans before any remaining money is paid to the student. In this case, you will be informed of this in your outcome letter.

If you do receive an award from the Student Support Fund, you are expected to use it to ensure you pay off any high priority debt before using it on other items.

1.4.1 What about vehicle-related costs?

If you have a car or motorbike, costs for this would only be considered if you need a vehicle due to a disability or medical condition, if you have dependents, or if you need it to travel to placements.

1.5.1 How long will it take?

It may take up to four weeks from when we have all your supporting evidence for you to be informed of the outcome of your assessment. If you need urgent financial assistance while you’re waiting, you can consider applying for an emergency loan.

1.5.2 Level 1 assessment

Our assessment process has two stages. 

First, your application will be assessed by calculating the difference between your assumed income and your essential living costs, to determine if you have a shortfall in your financial provision. 

We use two elements to establish this: composite living costs (essential/basic outgoings), and assumed income/minimum required provision (which assumes income beyond your Student Finance); this would include income from part-time work, support from family and friends, a bank overdraft, and savings*.

* Balances on any savings accounts are taken into account, regardless of whether they’ve been earmarked for a specific purpose.

Composite living costs

Composite living cost figures are based on national standards for expenditure set by the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA). For 2023/24, they’re set at £110 per week for a single student with no child dependents under 16. They take into consideration general living costs not related to accommodation or travel, for example food and utility bills.

Assumed income and Minimum Required Provision

If you are a home undergraduate student, the assessment uses an assumed income. There is an expectation you will supplement your income through part-time work, vacation work, overdrafts, savings, family contributions, etc. This is your classed as assumed income, and is also based on national standards set by NASMA.

If you’re an international or postgraduate student, we use a Minimum Required Provision (MRP) figure for the assessment, which is also based on national standards set by NASMA. Your MRP could include income from your postgraduate loan, earnings, a partner’s earnings, savings, other loans (including a Professional and Career Development Loan), overdrafts, etc. We use the MRP figure to determine that you’ve made realistic provision towards your living costs during your studies.

Standard awards

If you are a home undergraduate student, we will use the result of the level 1 assessment to determine whether you’re eligible for a standard award. 

• If your assessment shows you have a surplus, you are not eligible for a standard award.
• If it shows you have a shortfall of more than £3,000, you are not eligible for a standard award, because the maximum £3,000 would not adequately address your financial situation. 
• If it shows you have a shortfall of less than £3,000, you are eligible for a standard award which we would calculate based on this.

If you are an international or postgraduate student, we use the level 1 assessment to determine whether you have made sufficient financial provision for your studies. We do not make standard awards to international or postgraduate students — however, the Level 1 assessment is used to inform eligibility for a level 2 assessment and this is based on Minimum Required Provision.

1.5.3 Level 2 assessment

If you are a home undergraduate and the level 1 assessment shows you do not have a shortfall in your expenses or a standard award does not fully address your situation; or if you are an international or postgraduate student, then we will carry out a Level 2 assessment which takes your individual short term unexpected circumstances into account.

Non-standard awards

We expect you to make reasonable financial provisions before embarking on your studies. However, we know that sometimes things happen that cannot be planned for. These could include flooding, fire, burglary and theft, or unexpected family bereavements.

If your application and evidence show that you have experienced unexpected and unforeseen exceptional circumstances, we may make a non-standard award to support you with this. 

If you have a disability and have costs that are not met by the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA), we may also consider these for a non-standard award.

We would calculate a non-standard award based on the specific circumstances and evidence outlined in your application.

We will let you know the outcome of your application by email, with an attached letter explaining the outcome in detail.

1.6.1 Appeal Process

If you are disappointed with the outcome of the Student Support Fund, you have the right to question it. We advise you to contact either YUSU or Graduate Students' Association, who offer free, independent and confidential advice and support about the University's appeals and complaints processes, to discuss the outcome of your application and possible grounds to request a review.

• YUSU's Advice & Support Centre (ASC) can be contacted at asc@yusu.org
• GSA's advice service can be contacted at advice@yorkgsa.org

If you believe your application has not been assessed correctly, you should email sfsu@york.ac.uk with the reasons for your request, detailing why. 

We will not reassess your application if you are questioning the outcome because:

• You are dissatisfied with the result of your application.
• The award made is below the maximum award level advised in section 1.3.1.
• We receive your request to review more than two weeks after the date shown on the outcome letter.

We have a two-stage review process:

Stage one: We complete an initial triage of the original application, to check to see if anything was missed and ensure the correct procedure was followed. If, following the triage process, we do not identify any error, we will inform you that the original decision has been upheld.

Stage two: If we do identify an error in stage one, or the assessment was not completed in line with the published guidelines, we will carry out a reassessment.

You will be notified of the outcome of your request for a review within 12 working days.

Applications to the Summer Vacation Fund are open by invitation only. Invitations are sent to eligible students in late May.

If a student feels that they meet the criteria listed in 2.2 below but have not received an invitation to apply by 1 June, they should make an appointment with a Student Adviser to discuss their individual circumstances via the Self-Referral form. 

2.2.1 Availability of funding

Money for the Summer Vacation Fund is limited; once this money is allocated SFS is unable to offer any further financial support in that academic year. Funds are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis following an application process, and in-line with the assessment criteria set out within this document.

2.2.2 Eligibility criteria 

Applications to the Summer Vacation Fund are by invitation only. Invitations will be sent to students who meet the following criteria:

• Have a fee status of Home
• Are studying at an undergraduate level

And meet one of more of the following criteria:

• Have a disability or medical condition which will prevent them from seeking employment during the summer months.
• Have caring responsibilities for children under 16 or adult dependents that will prevent them from seeking employment during the summer months.

Students who have been unable to successfully find paid employment during the summer months but would otherwise have been able to work, are not eligible for the Summer Vacation Fund.

2.2.3 Online and Distance Learners

Students studying online only or by distance learning are not eligible to apply for financial support. Students would be expected to consider other options, such as a leave of absence or deferral.

If you need assistance with any of the above, please speak with a Student Adviser via the Self-Referral form. 

Successful applications may be awarded a grant, a loan, or a mixture of both. Only one award may be offered per application as students are expected to budget their finances for the duration of the summer period.

2.3.1 Grants

If the award has been offered as a grant, this money does not need to be repaid. 

2.3.2 Loans

For a student facing financial difficulties because funding has been delayed, an emergency loan may be suggested as a better option for the student.

2.3.3 Outstanding emergency loans

If a student has any outstanding emergency loan debt, an award from the Summer Vacation Fund may be awarded as a grant and used to pay off these loans before any remaining money is paid to the student. In this case, the student will be informed of this in their outcome letter.

2.4 Maximum award

The maximum award that can be made from the Summer Vacation Fund is determined by the amount of money allocated to the Fund at the beginning of the academic year by the Access and Participation Steering Group.

2.4.1 Award use

Awards from the Summer Vacation Fund are intended to cover essential living costs over the summer vacation period. There is the expectation that students may not be able to maintain the level of lifestyle that they are accustomed to.

2.5.1 Assessment duration

It may take up to four weeks to assess an application, from when all supporting evidence has been received. If a student requires urgent financial assistance, they can consider applying for an emergency loan.

2.5.2 Assessing an application

All applications will be assessed for an award by calculating the difference between the student’s income and their essential living costs. The assessment is based on a national standard assessment template, using a built-in formula which is set by the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA).   

Students will be informed of the outcome of their application by email, with an attached letter explaining the outcome in detail.

If a student is disappointed with the outcome of the Student Support Fund, they have the right to question it. Students are advised to contact YUSU, who offer free, independent and confidential advice and support about the University's appeals and complaints processes, to discuss the outcome of the application and possible grounds to request a review.

• YUSU's Advice & Support Centre (ASC) can be contacted at asc@yusu.org

If a student believes their application hasn’t been assessed correctly, they should email sfsu@york.ac.uk with the reasons for the review request, detailing why. 

Applications will not be reassessed if the outcome is being questioned because:

• The student is dissatisfied with the result of the application.
• The award made is below the maximum award level.
• Or if the request to review was received more than two weeks after the date shown on the outcome letter.

There is a two-stage review process:

Stage one: An initial triage of the original application is completed, to check to see if anything was missed and ensure the correct procedure was followed. If, following the triage process, no error is identified, the student will be informed that the original decision has been upheld.

Stage two: If an error is identified in stage one, or the assessment wasn’t completed in line with the published guidelines, a reassessment will be carried out.

Students will be notified of the outcome of the review request within 12 working days.