Hardship funding
The University and its colleges have limited funds available to students who experience unexpected financial difficulties after starting their course. It is expected that all students will secure the necessary funds to cover their fees and living costs.
- Access to Learning Fund (ALF)
- University Hardship Fund
- Vice Chancellors' Fund
- College funds
- Hardship funding from external sources
Access to Learning Fund (ALF)
Eligibility
This funding is provided by the British government to provide financial aid to undergraduate and graduate students who experience hardship. Applicants must be from the UK, have settled status, or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK to be eligible. Students from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are ineligible for ALF support. Undergraduate EU students who are eligible for maintenance support can apply to ALF but there will be very few who fall into this category; EU students who are eligible for tuition fee support only are not eligible to apply to ALF.
Before applying for an ALF grant full-time undergraduate students should have taken out a maintenance loan (or NHS bursary), if eligible, and applied for the full amount to which they are entitled.
How to Apply
Any student who is facing financial hardship should contact their College for guidance. Application forms and guidance notes for ALF are available from the designated hardship officer in your college, students can only apply once in each academic year. Completed applications may be submitted at any time during the academic year; applications are considered within four weeks of receipt providing that you have completed the form correctly and enclosed all the required documentation.
Students should ensure they complete the form in full and attach all requested information as applications cannot be considered without it.
Assessments are made on a financial spreadsheet and are means-tested based on the student's income and expenditure. Some expenditure levels continue to be set by the Government, and certain expenditure levels will be capped.
Visit DirectGov's webpages on ALF.
University Hardship Fund
Eligibility
This funding is provided by the University to help any student who experiences unexpected financial hardship. Students must be able to demonstrate that something that they could not have foreseen before their course commenced has lead to their original budget no longer being valid. Applicants must also demonstrate that they have insufficient funds to cope with the unexpected change. Certain scenarios are not considered 'unforeseen', e.g. fluctuations in exchange rates. There are guidelines attached to the application form which give a full explanation.
How to apply
Students must contact their college in the first instance and discuss the form with them before completing it. The college also needs to complete parts of the application form, and the college will submit the completed application to the University Hardship Fund committee. The committee meets once a term and Colleges are required to submit the forms to the Committee in Michaelmas week 4, Hilary week 4, and Trinity week 2. Student should therefore ensure they speak to their College prior to this time if they wish to apply.
Awards vary according to individual circumstances. The maximum award is unlikely to be more than £3,000, except in exceptional circumstances. Awards of this level will usually be a combination of a grant and a loan.
Vice Chancellors' Fund
The Vice-Chancellors’ Fund has been established through donations by members of the Chancellor’s Court of Benefactors in honour of three recent Vice-Chancellors, Lord Neill of Bladen, Sir Richard Southwood and Sir Peter North. The Fund is intended to assist students in the final stages of their DPhil. It provides awards of up to £2,000 to DPhil students of exceptional academic merit who require extra funding to complete their research.
Eligibility
- Students should be planning to submit their thesis between 1 September 2012 and 31 March 2013;
- Students must have their Confirmation of Status completed by 30 April 2012;
- Students must be able to demonstrate that they are in need of financial assistance;
- Students must be able to demonstrate that they are academically outstanding;
- Students should not be beyond their fourth year of funded study.
How to apply
Please note that applications have now closed for the academic year 2011/12. Students will be informed of the Committee’s decision during Week 6 of Trinity Term.
The Vice-Chancellors’ Fund has been established through donations by members of the Chancellor’s Court of Benefactors in honour of three recent Vice-Chancellors, Lord Neill of Bladen, Sir Richard Southwood and Sir Peter North. The Fund is intended to assist students in the final stages of their DPhil. It provides awards of up to £2,000 to DPhil students of exceptional academic merit who require extra funding to complete their research.
College funds
The College hardship officer is the first person students should talk to if they are worried about your financial situation, especially if you are experiencing an unexpected change in your financial circumstances. The Current Students Gateway gives a list of colleges that allow you to link directly to the finance/hardship section of their website.
Hardship funding from external sources
Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding
Oxford has subscribed to the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding 2010-11, which all applicants and current students can download from the section on the right-hand side of this page. This award-winning guide was written by two UK based PhD students who between them have won over £45,000 from 52 different charity awards. It will show you where to find charities, how to approach them, and how to complete strong applications in the correct manner. Some of the awards listed may offer hardship funding. It contains model personal and financial statements, and over 100 links to voluntary sector funding sources. The Alternative Guide is independently published by GradFunding.
Churches' Commission for International Students Hardship Fund
This fund was set up in 1990 to assist full-time international
students who are already in the UK and are facing unexpected financial
problems during the final stages (6 months) of their course.
Awards are typically £500 but do not exceed £800 and the same person is not funded twice. Decisions are made three times a year, in February (for studies finishing April-July), June (for August-November), and October (for December-March). Further details can be found on the CBTI website.
British Foundation for Women Graduates
The foundation offered two types of grants for students in financial need; Emergency Grants and Foundation Grants.
Applications for Emergency Grants are accepted three times a year and the maximum award is £1,500. Foundation Grants are offered annually and the maximum award is £4,000. Full details can be found on the BFWG website.