How to apply: undergraduate students

The Student Support Fund is available to all undergraduate and PGCE students who meet the eligibility criteria.

The Fund is intended to provide financial help to undergraduate students in unexpected short-term financial situations, eg if they have fallen ill and not been able to attend their part time job, which causes difficulty in meeting their essential living costs, eg food and household bills.

The fund is a discretionary fund, this means it’s awarded on a case-by-case basis and it’s not guaranteed your application will be successful, even if you have received the fund before.

In some cases, other types of support may be more suitable for you. For example if you are currently facing financial difficulties because your funding has been delayed, you may want to consider applying for an Emergency Loan instead of the Student Support Fund. 

If you need help or have any queries please contact our team via email to sfsu@york.ac.uk.

About the Student Support Fund for undergraduate students

  • Applications to the fund should be submitted via the application form with a brief summary of your circumstances, plus any supporting documents. 
  • The 2023/24 Student Support Fund for undergraduate students is open from Monday 2 October 2023 and closes on Friday 7 June 2024. All supporting evidence must be received by Friday 14 June 2024.
  • You can apply during any year of your studies once you are fully enrolled at the University. 
  • Students can apply to the Fund as many times as they require until they have reached the maximum possible award of £3,000 per academic year. Students will need to demonstrate that their circumstances have changed since their last application, as we are unable to award again for circumstances already considered.
  • This is a discretionary fund, awards are not guaranteed and being successful in the past does not automatically mean you will be successful again.

Contact us

Student Financial Support - Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm

sfsu@york.ac.uk
+44 (0)1904 324043

  • You must be a registered UK student undertaking a full time or part time undergraduate or postgraduate course.
  • You must normally be resident within the UK for the duration of your studies.
  • Full-time students need to have taken out the full student maintenance loan and tuition fee loan, or provided evidence that they are not eligible (where applicable)
  • Part-time students - need to be studying at least 25% of a full-time equivalent course and must have taken their full tuition fee grant and/or loan, or provided evidence that they are not eligible (where applicable).
  • Students on a leave of absence - need to show they are registered on an approved leave of absence from the University for any reason, except where leave of absence is due to progression issues.
  • You must be able to show, with supporting documentation, that you have made arrangements for payment of tuition fees and day-to-day living costs, eg your letter from Student Finance or evidence of self-funding which may include wage slips, and any other funding like scholarships, bursaries or family/friend contributions.
  • You will be asked for evidence that you have taken out the full entitlement of student support before applying to the Student Support Fund. 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 attached to your bank account(s).

Unfortunately funding cannot be provided to cover the following costs (this list is not exhaustive):

  • tuition fees and tuition fee debt
  • requests to compensate loss of income within the family/household
  • requests to compensate funds lost via fraud
  • holiday-related costs, including costs incurred as a result of cancelled travel
  • differences in exchange rates between the student's home currency and GBP
  • where there is an economic crisis in the student's home country
  • where the student has not secured sufficient financial provision for the full academic year
  • routine or private medical costs
  • routine (non-urgent) dental costs
  • costs associated with cosmetic procedures
  • visa-related costs
  • costs related to distance or online learning

If you would like to check eligibility or would like clarification on the required evidence, please contact sfsu@york.ac.uk.

If you would like additional support and advice, please contact the Student Support and Advice Team, more information is available on the Student Hub web page.

Before you begin

As part of your application you will be asked to provide supporting documentation as attachments to some of the questions on this form. We understand that it can be uncomfortable to share details of your spending and finances, however it is really important we understand your position in order to be able to see how we can best support you.

What supporting evidence do I need to provide?

You will be asked to upload the following as part of the form process:

  • Evidence of your rent/mortgage, for example your tenancy agreement, which must include your name, the address of the property, the rental period, and the monthly charge.
  • Evidence for all funding you receive to cover your tuition fees and living costs for the academic year
  • Bank/Building Society Statements for every account in your name, including savings, overseas, and empty/unused accounts for the past three months.
  • A brief explanation of the following which appear on your statements:
    • all spending over £100, ie what the payment was for
    • all transfers between accounts
    • all credits
  • An overview of reasons why you're applying to the fund and any additional relevant evidence to support this

What if I have made a previous application?

If you have made a previous application, we will review your previous supporting statement only to confirm that you are reapplying under new circumstances; we are unable to award again for circumstances already considered. Regardless of previous applications, you should ensure that all evidence and information requested is provided within this application. Failure to provide the requested information will result in your application being delayed and/or rejected.

Beginning your application

As part of your application, you will need to provide evidence as attachments to some of the questions on the application form. Before starting your application, please ensure you have read the 'What supporting evidence do I need to provide' section, which can be found on the Student Support Fund web page.

Please prepare your evidence in advance before submitting an application, as incomplete applications cannot be forwarded for assessment, and therefore may cause a delay in you receiving an outcome.

Once you submit your application, the Student Financial Support team will create a folder in a secure area and upload some of your application and supporting documentation. The application will be passed to the assessors once all supporting evidence has been received.

To access the application form, please follow the link below which will take you into your e:Vision account; your progress will be saved for up to 30 days. If you do not submit the application within the 30 days, you will need to start a new application.

Apply to the Student Support Fund via e:Vision

The Student Support Fund is open for undergraduate students from 2 October 2023 to 7 June 2024.

For support and advice on a range of issues, including options available to you, please visit the Student Hub web page.

Outcome

  • It is expected that you will be notified of the outcome of your application within four weeks of assessment.
  • You will be notified by email the outcome of your application to the Student Support Fund, with an attached letter explaining the outcome in detail. Occasionally students are disappointed with the outcome of the Student Support Fund and have the right to question it. Full details of the Appeals Process can be found in the Student Support Fund Guidance.

Additional information

Contact us

Student Financial Support - Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm

sfsu@york.ac.uk
+44 (0)1904 324043