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What is the Financial Support Fund?

The University of Bath Financial Support Fund provides limited financial support for students who are experiencing financial difficulties, or a change in financial circumstances due to unforeseen events and are unable to meet basic or unexpected additional costs from other sources of support. The Fund is intended to act as a safety net for those in financial difficulty rather than a main source of income.

The Financial Support Fund can assist with following costs:

Food
Rent
Utility bills
Travel to University
Course related costs such as books & equipment, but not tuition fees

The Financial Support Fund is unable to assist with:

Tuition fees
Private health related costs such as counselling
Placement costs such as flights, visas, passports or medical costs/insurance
Parental contribution as assessed by your student funding body i.e. Student Finance England etc
Any costs for students who are undertaking second degrees and are therefore ineligible for statutory funding support.

A recipient of the fund shared:
'I would like to thank everyone at Student Money Advice and the Financial Support Fund for all your help and support during my three years of study. I truly would not have been able to complete my studies without such help. Furthermore, your help has enabled me to achieve higher than I ever expected, it is a truly invaluable support that the university provides to help students who otherwise would not financially be able to continue.'

Eligibility

The Financial Support Fund is open to:

Fully registered Home UK, EU and International students, including students on level 4 to 5 pre-sessional courses
Students undertaking part-time distance learning courses, including Postgraduate Apprentice Degrees are able to receive support for certain course related costs only, such as books, travel to university for residentials & residential accommodation up to a maximum of £750.
Students undertaking an online part-time distance learning postgraduate taught course, are able to receive support for certain course related costs only, such as books, stationery & equipment up to a maximum of £300.
For undergraduate apprentice degree students, your employer should cover the cost of your travel and subsistence, including accommodation (if applicable), for any in-person, on campus attendance relating to your course. In addition, your employer should also cover the cost of IT equipment or specialist software relating to your apprenticeship. If you have any questions about the funding arrangements for your apprenticeship, please contact your Director of Studies or the degree apprenticeships team on apprenticeships@bath.ac.uk.

If you are studying part-time then your course must be equivalent to at least 25% of a full time course.

Exchange, Study Abroad and visiting students coming from overseas to study at the University are not ordinarily eligible, but in extreme cases such as conflict or natural disaster in the student’s home country, limited funding may be available. If in doubt please email studentmoneyadvice@bath.ac.uk with a brief outline of your circumstances prior to completing a full application.

When to Apply

You can apply to the fund at any time during the year but this must be more than four weeks prior to your official course end date to allow time to assess the application. The official end date is the date of your last exam or the submission date of your last piece of course work. Applications submitted in the final four weeks of a course cannot be considered. You may apply more than once during an academic year for help from the Fund, but subsequent applications may only be considered if your circumstances have changed.

Before Applying to the Financial Support Fund

You must have applied for (if applicable) and received the maximum amount of statutory funding available i.e. maintenance loan/grant to which you are entitled. Students who choose not to apply for their full entitlement will not be eligible to apply to the fund.
If you are entitled to welfare benefits these should be applied for before submitting an application to the fund. Any award from the fund may affect your benefit payments, but on request we can produce a letter to confirm the purpose of your award.

Required Evidence

Please note you will be required to submit the following evidence as a minimum requirement:

proof of student income i.e. Student Loan Notification/Scholarship/Bursary/Stipend letter etc
two most recent months bank statements for all bank accounts -please annotate any expenditure over £100
proof of rent/mortgage – you can highlight this on your bank statement.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be asked to upload other supporting documentation as part of your application.

How to Apply

Blackbullion is an easy to use, secure system where you can apply to the Financial Support Fund.

You can submit a Financial Support Fund application here.

If you need guidance or support with your application you can contact studentmoneyadvice@bath.ac.uk or support@blackbullion.com for assistance.

Timescale & Assessment

Provided your application form is accurately completed and all the appropriate documentary evidence has been supplied a decision will be made within four weeks of submitting your application.

For further information on how applications are assessed please visit the Terms and Conditions section.

In addition, the fund can consider costs for disabled students which are not met by the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

We will write to you with the outcome of the panel’s decision and when you can expect payment (if applicable).

If you are unable to wait this length of time and need more immediate financial assistance you can apply for a Short-Term Loan.

Appealing a Decision

If you wish to appeal the decision you should do so in writing within four weeks of us notifying you of the outcome. You can appeal on the following grounds:

the approved procedures for the allocation of the Financial Support fund were not followed
new evidence has emerged that that was not part of the original application
a major material change of circumstances having a negative financial impact.

You need to submit your appeal in writing indicating the grounds on which your appeal is based and explaining why you are challenging the decision.

Appeals should be sent to studentmoneyadvice@bath.ac.uk.

Postgraduate and International Students

If you are a Postgraduate and/or an International student you are expected to have funding in place to cover both your tuition fees and core living costs such as rent, food & utility bills before starting your course. The Financial Support Fund cannot assist with tuition fee payments and any application for this specific cost will not be considered. If you are having difficulties in paying your fees you should contact stu-fin@bath.ac.uk.

If you have started your course with insufficient funds to cover your basic living costs it is unlikely you will qualify for an award from the Financial Support Fund, and the Fund is unable to cover the cost of a student visa, or visa costs for your family, immigration healthcare surcharge or other related documentation and/or flights.

If you have encountered financial difficulty due to verifiable mitigating circumstances or a one-off unexpected cost then we may be able to assist, though please note that the Financial Support Fund is discretionary and no guarantee of an award can be made.

Please visit our web pages for more information about available sources of Postgraduate and International student funding and related costs.

Academic Progress

For Undergraduate and Postgraduate Masters students, while assessing your application it may be necessary to contact your department to confirm academic progress.

For Doctoral students, we will contact the Doctoral College directly to confirm academic progress, and expected timeline of completion.

By completing the Financial Support Fund application form, and accompanying declaration, you are agreeing to this contact.

Laptops

The University has a supply of laptops available for short-term loan, and IT Purchasing can also help with purchasing reasonably-priced laptops. There are also computers for free use in our Library, in the Virgil building and elsewhere on campus.

Please Note: The Financial Support Fund is unable to cover the cost of a laptop, however, the assessment will look at your overall expenditure and income over the year and will make an award based on overall need. Please note, no guarantee of an award can be made.

Terms and Conditions

Visit Financial Support Fund terms and conditions for full details and eligibility.

Applying for the University of Bath Financial Support Fund

The Financial Support Fund is a limited fund providing discretionary non-repayable grants to assist students who may be experiencing financial difficulties.