Hardship Support Fund

• Have you applied for all Student Loans available to you?
• If you receive a lower maintenance loan, do you receive a parental contribution towards living costs?
• Do you have significant savings available to you? (e.g., ISA, cryptocurrency/trading portfolio)
• For Postgraduate students, have you made reasonable provision for your expected living costs and tuition fees prior to starting your course? (e.g., student loans, significant savings, parental contribution, agreement, scholarship stipend)
• Have you considered the travel costs you will incur throughout the year? (e.g., flight tickets)
• Are your outgoings larger than your expected income? And the reason for this – why does your current funding not cover all your needs at this time?

We would consider income, where applicable, as including:

• Savings
• Wages
• Student loans
• Benefits
• Family contributions
• Assumed income 

Allowable expenditure includes (but is not exclusive to):

• Accommodation fees
• Travel
• Childcare
• Course costs
• Living costs
• IT equipment costs
• Unexpected one-off costs

You will not get in trouble. We do not want you to drop out or fail in your studies because of money worries. We fund around a quarter of our undergraduate home students through our Access to Exeter Bursary and pay grants to many more students during the year to help them overcome hardship or deal with unexpected financial challenges. We are here to help.

You won’t have to pay the money back and the amount you receive will depend on your financial circumstances. Applying to the Success for All Fund will not affect your Visa.

The fund aims to provide financial support to contribute to specific costs which are not already being met from statutory (or other) sources of funding. We can also provide extra support if you are considering leaving higher education because of financial problems.

• Rent and general living costs (a Living Costs Allowance)
• Unexpected one-off costs. If this relates to exceptional circumstances, you may be given an Extraordinary Costs Payment.
• A DSA contribution of £200 for any costs you are expected to contribute towards (such as specialist equipment)
• Diagnostic assessments
• Specialist equipment
• Graduation costs

You may be eligible for financial support during the summer vacation if you meet the following criteria:

• You are not in your final year
• You are a Care Leaver at any stage of your studies, including your final year
• You are an estranged student/care leaver/carer/parent/refugee/asylum seeker
• You are re-taking/resitting parts of your course
• You are unable to work e.g., due to illness or disability
• You have no alternative means of support
•  You are on a Medical School placement which extends outside of standard term dates. *Please note, there may be funding opportunities direct from the Medical School. Please reach out to your course administrator for more information.

The Success for All Fund is unable to support the following:

• Tuition fees*. Please note that if you are struggling to pay your tuition fees, please log a SID enquiry with our Accounts Receivable team, who may be able to arrange a payment plan.
• Credit card debt
• A debt which pre-dates your enrolment
• Loan repayments
• Non-essential costs (e.g., leisure/entertainment, travel during holidays and phone costs)

You may be able to apply for some types of financial support such as DSA contribution or a Diagnostic Assessment Bursary, before you arrive. We will not process any payments, however, until you register with us and provide us with your bank details. You will be able to do this online via the New Students’ Guide.

All registered Undergraduate and Postgraduate University of Exeter students are eligible to apply, irrespective of fee status, studying part-time or full-time and being a distance/campus student. You will be expected, however, to have made sufficient provision to cover your costs while at university and Postgraduate students will be ineligible for some forms of bursary specifically designed and funded for Undergraduate students. Please also note that you must be studying at least 25% of your course during an academic year to be eligible for funding.

Priority will be given to students undertaking their first degree who are from low income households or without family support. The majority of funds are means-tested and you will be asked to provide evidence in support of your application. We also understand that repeating elements of your course such as retaking exams may cause additional financial pressures. 

If you are an International student on a Tier 4 Visa, you will have demonstrated you have sufficient funds to pay for your tuition fees and living costs in the UK as a Home Office requirement. However, you may still apply to the Fund for additional support.

As a rule, you will not be considered eligible for support if you have interrupted your studies. There may be exceptions, however, particularly during the first four weeks following your interruption to support your transition away from University and during the period after we receive your intention to return. If in doubt, we would encourage you to apply so we can fully assess your circumstances and support you if possible or signpost you to other forms of help.

You can apply for funding multiple times but please note that we will take into account the funding you have already received during the academic year when assessing your application. 

Depending on the type of support that you are applying for, you will be asked to submit relevant supporting evidence. As a rule, you are likely to be requested to provide the following:

• Supporting statement (why you are asking for financial assistance and which cost(s) you are seeking financial support with)
• Evidence of your income (e.g., Student Loan letter and scholarship/bursary letters and copies of your bank statements). As a minimum we will require the most recent three months bank statements for all your accounts, including but not limited to, trading/investment, savings, overseas and UK.
• Evidence of your outgoings – such as your tenancy agreement/mortgage statement
• A written explanation for all transactions of £100 or over/the equivalent for all your statements
• Details of your partner’s income if you are living with your partner and are sharing household bills. This should include your partner’s last three months full bank statements and their last three payslips.
• Disclosure of benefits (which must be reflected on your bank statements if received within the last three months)
• Evidence of one-off costs (e.g., invoices or email correspondence confirming the cost you are needing help with).

If you have dependents or commuting is necessary for your course please let us know and this will be considered in your application.

Please note that we are unable to accept screenshots, excel spreadsheets and documents that do not have your full name (for evidence of income, outgoings and, if applicable, partner’s income). Evidence of income and one-off costs should also show your name, payment dates and payment amounts.

All evidence sent to us will be kept in line with our confidentiality policy and not shared with any other university teams without your knowledge.

If you have made an application for this academic year within the last three months, you don’t need to submit all your evidence again. Instead please send us details and evidence of how your circumstances have recently changed, such as more recent bank statements. If you are re-applying after a three month period or for a new academic year, please submit evidence in full.

Why do I need to provide details of my partner’s income?

If you are living with your partner and are sharing household bills, this information will enable us to have an overview of your financial situation and fully assess your application.

Why do I need to disclose my benefits?

Benefits are a source of income and this information will help us to ensure you are receiving the statutory financial help to which you are entitled before accessing University funds. To find out more about the benefits you may be entitled to see the ‘Advice and Guidance’ section below.

If you receive the Access to Exeter Bursary, a Care Leavers’ fee waiver or Sanctuary Scholarship, you will be fast-tracked for funding support.

Mature students

We recognise that mature students may face several unique issues, such as having pre-existing financial commitments or caring responsibilities and these will be considered in your application. 

Care experienced students

If you are a UK undergraduate student who has been in local authority care for a period of 13 weeks or more, with some period of care after your 16th birthday, you may apply through the fund for a Care Leavers’ Bursary to support your accommodation costs during the summer. If you meet these criteria, you should already receive a Care Leavers’ tuition fee waiver. We may also provide bridging support if you are facing financial challenges immediately after graduation.

If you have experience of care but do not meet the eligibility criteria above, you will not automatically qualify for a bursary but you may still be eligible for financial support depending on your circumstances.

See our Widening Participation Student Support web pages for more information about the support available for care experienced students.

Estranged students

If you are a home undergraduate student and estranged from your family, you may be eligible for our Estranged Students’ Bursary which aims to help you with some of the additional financial challenges you may have to face. You can find out more on our web pages for estranged students. Impartial advice is also available from Stand Alone.

Due to timings for receiving various funds, you may wish to request a loan for assistance until you receive your other funding. 

If I request a loan, how much can I borrow?

You can borrow up to a maximum of £500 but we won’t offer you a loan unless we are satisfied you can afford to pay it back within the timeframes agreed. Bridging loans are usually offered over one or two months and aim to help with cash flow problems (e.g., if you need to pay your accommodation deposit but are still waiting for your first grant or loan payment). In these cases, if successful, we will advance you the loan money so you can manage in the meantime.

What are the terms of bridging and short-term loans?

Loans will be issued with 0% interest and must be repaid within a maximum of 12 months, although it is expected the amounts offered are lower and paid back over a shorter period. We will only enter a loan agreement with you if we are both comfortable that the repayments can be made.

What are the penalties if I default on my loan repayments?

If you are having trouble paying back your loan, please contact us immediately by raising a SID enquiry for the Accounts Receivable team. We will work with you to discuss a payment plan; however this cannot exceed the 12 months. If you default on your repayments without contacting us, you may incur late fee penalties of 3%.