Undergraduate Commuter Award

Open to UK (home) students only.

To be eligible for the Commuter Award, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• You are a new undergraduate student starting your first year of study at the University of York in the 2027/28 academic year. Foundation Year (Year Zero) students are eligible.
• You are classified as a Home student for fee purposes.
• You applied through the main UCAS cycle or through Clearing.
• Your home postcode, as given on your intial UCAS application, falls within the University's designated commuter area. Eligibility is determined by the University against its approved list of commuter postcodes. If you are unsure whether your address qualifies, you can use our commuter student postcode checker tool.
• You are living at your home address during term time. The term-time address you provide at enrolment must match the home address given on your UCAS application.
• You are not living in University accommodation, private purpose-built student accommodation, or any other accommodation to which you have relocated in order to study at the University of York.

Who is not eligible

• Continuing students, and students returning from a leave of absence, are not eligible. The Award is for new entrants only.
• Students on the International Pre-Masters or International Foundation (IPC) programmes are not eligible.
• Students at Hull York Medical School (HYMS) are not eligible.
• PGCE students are not eligible.
• Students who move into University or other student accommodation during their first term, before the Award is assessed, will not be eligible.

You do not need to apply for the Commuter Award. Eligibility is assessed automatically using the information on your application and enrolment records.

• Assessment is based on the address details you provide. It is your responsibility to make sure your home and term-time addresses are entered accurately and kept up to date during enrolment. The University cannot pay the Award where address records are incomplete, inconsistent, or entered incorrectly.
• You must complete enrolment in full by the University's published enrolment deadline. Students who have not completed enrolment by this date will not be considered for the Award.
• The University's decision on eligibility is final. 

Payment

•  The Award is a single payment of £250, made once, in your first year of study only. It is not repeated in subsequent years.
• Payment is made by bank transfer to the account details you provide through your student portal. You must ensure valid UK bank details are entered and kept up to date. Payment cannot be made until valid bank details are held.
• Eligible students will receive a remittance advice email to their University of York email address the week the payment is made. Payments are expected to be processed after enrolment and registration are complete. The University is expecting payments to be made around October 2027, but timings can fluctuate and are at the University’s discretion.
• If you believe you are eligible and have not received the award by the end of your first term, contact mrao-operations-and-systems-team@york.ac.uk

The Award and other funding

• The Commuter Award is paid in addition to any other University of York bursaries, scholarships, or awards you may receive, including the York Bursary. Receiving the Commuter Award does not affect your eligibility for other University support.
• The Award is separate from any statutory student finance you receive. If you are in receipt of means-tested benefits, you are responsible for checking whether the Award affects your entitlement.

Changes in circumstances

• If you withdraw from your course, or take a leave of absence, before the Award is paid, you will no longer be eligible.
• If your living arrangements change so that you no longer meet the eligibility criteria in section 2 before the Award is assessed, you must update your records and you will not be eligible for the Award.
• The University reserves the right to recover the Award where it was paid on the basis of inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information.

General conditions

• The University reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions, or to withdraw or vary the Award scheme, at any time. Any changes will not affect students who have already been confirmed as eligible for the current cycle.
• Provision of the Award in 2027/28 does not create any entitlement or expectation that the scheme will run in future years.
• These terms and conditions should be read alongside the University's general regulations and policies, which apply to all students.
• Any questions about the Commuter Award should be directed to mrao-operations-and-systems-team@york.ac.uk

Your data

• The University will use the personal data you provide in your application and enrolment records, including your address and bank details, to assess eligibility for and administer the Award. Data is shared internally only with the teams involved in verification and payment.
• Your data is handled in accordance with the University of York's student privacy notice, and our applicant privacy notice.