Targeted support

Care-experienced students

If you are a first-degree UK undergraduate, PGCE or Graduate Entry Medicine student from a care background, the following financial support may be available to you, in addition to any funding provided by your college:

Government support for Independent undergraduates in conjunction with Student Finance

If you have not been reconciled with your parents between leaving care and starting your course, you are eligible to be assessed for government support through Student Finance as an Independent student. This means that only your income will be taken into account when your student finance entitlement is calculated. If you have queries about this or require assistance with your application, you can contact your college finance office or the University’s Student Fees and Funding team at student.funding@admin.ox.ac.uk.

Oxford’s bursary support for undergraduates with an assessed household income of £42,875 or less

If you have a household income of £27,500 or less in your first year (for those starting in or after 2020/21) you will be eligible for a Crankstart Scholarship and invited to join the programme (please note that the Crankstart eligibility threshold is different for students starting in or before 2019/20).

If your household income is less than £42,875, you will be eligible for an Oxford Bursary.

These schemes provide funding levels of between £800 and £5,500 p.a. to help with the cost of living. The level of support and your entitlement depends on your year of entry and on your household income, which is reassessed annually.

Additional financial support from Oxford for undergraduate, PGCE and Graduate Entry Medicine students who have been in care for any duration

You can apply for a non-repayable care experienced bursary of up to £1,500 per year for students who started their course in or before 2019/20 and up to £3,000 for students who started their course in or after 2020/21 to help towards financial shortfalls relating to your circumstances. New applications must be from those who were under 25 on the first day of their course. Before applying, students must have taken out the full government support available to them, unless there is a good reason why this is not the case. All applications include a financial assessment of the funds available to you and your expected costs; only those who are considered to be in financial need will be eligible for an award.  

Using information available from student records, we will contact those who are automatically eligible at the start of the academic year and invite them to apply for this funding. Care experienced students who started prior to 2022 and were in care for less than 3 months may not be contacted automatically. If you believe you may be eligible to receive this support but have not been contacted by Week 2 of Michaelmas term, please contact the Student Fees and Funding team at bursaries@admin.ox.ac.uk to discuss your situation. Please note that this support is available to both new students (2022 entrants), those continuing on course in 2022/23, and those who are currently suspended.

Hardship funding from Oxford for students who require financial assistance

If you are experiencing financial difficulties whilst on course, the University and its colleges have a number of funds available to support students. Visit our hardship funding pages for details of other available funding.

For more details about the range of support that Oxford offers to care-experienced students, visit Further student support | University of Oxford and click on the 'Care-experienced' tab.

Estranged students

If you are a first-degree UK undergraduate, PGCE or Graduate Entry Medicine student and studying without the support of your family, the following financial support may be available to you, in addition to any funding provided by your college:

Government support for Independent students in conjunction with Student Finance

If you are legally estranged from your parent(s), you are eligible to be assessed for government support through Student Finance without the income of your parent(s) being considered, i.e. as an Independent student. Please refer to the following guide, which has been compiled by Stand Alone in consultation with Student Finance, https://www.standalone.org.uk/guides/student-guide/ and provides details of the assessment and validation process. If you have any queries or require assistance with your application, you can contact your college finance office or the University’s Student Fees and Funding team at student.funding@admin.ox.ac.uk.

Oxford’s bursary support for students with an assessed household income of £42,875 or less

If you have a household income of £27,500 or less in your first year (for those starting in or after 2020/21) you will be eligible for a Crankstart Scholarship and invited to join the programme (please note that the Crankstart eligibility threshold is different for students starting in or before 2019/20).

If your household income is less than £42,875, you will be eligible for an Oxford Bursary.

These schemes provide funding levels of between £500 and £5,500 p.a. to help with the cost of living. The level of support and your entitlement depends on your year of entry and on your household income, which is reassessed annually.

Additional financial support from Oxford for estranged undergraduate, PGCE and Graduate Entry Medicine students who are studying without the support and approval of their family

You can apply for a non-repayable estranged student bursary of up to £1,500 per year for students who started their course in or before 2019/20 and up to £3,000 for students who started their course in or after 2020/21 to help towards financial shortfalls relating to your circumstances. New applications must be from those who were under 25 on the first day of their course. Before applying, students must have taken out the full government support available to them, unless there is a good reason why this is not the case. All applications include a financial assessment of the funds available to you and your expected costs; only those who are considered to be in financial need will be eligible for an award.  

Students can obtain a copy of the estranged student bursary application form and guidance notes through their college office or from Student Fees and Funding from week 0 of Michaelmas term. Please note that this support is available to both new students (2022 entrants), those continuing on course in 2022/23, and those who are currently suspended. You do not have to be legally estranged from your parent(s) (as defined by Student Finance) in order to apply, however we will seek to verify your circumstances as part of the application process.

Hardship funding from Oxford for undergraduates who require financial assistance

If you are experiencing financial difficulties whilst on course, the University and its colleges have a number of funds available to support students. Visit our hardship funding pages for details of other available funding.

For more details about the range of support that Oxford offers to estranged students, visit Further student support | University of Oxford and click on the 'estranged' student tab.