The Summer Crisis Fund is currently closed for applications. The information below will be updated for summer 2024 once a review of funds has taken place and we have confirmation that the Fund will run.
Given the current cost of living crisis, and the fact that the University's Student Support Fund (SSF) closed at the end of term, the University has established a Crisis Fund for summer 2023. The aim of this Fund is to make a contribution of up to £1000 towards the accommodation costs of our most financially vulnerable students to help them over the summer vacation.
To be eligible for support you need to:
- Be a classified as a Home student for tuition fee purposes
- Be an undergraduate student continuing into 2023-24 OR be a postgraduate student who has not already applied to the Student Support Fund for 2022-23 (as your SSF assessment will have already included the summer as a postgraduate applicant)
- Be able to demonstrate that you have exceptional circumstances, that you have little or no other sources of income available to you and that you need help with meeting your accommodation costs over the summer period
- Not be in of receipt any statutory support over the summer (e.g. NHS bursaries)
- Not have a balance of £1,000 or more across all bank accounts/savings accounts
When considering applications to the Crisis Fund we will need to carry out a basic means-test in order to establish financial need. As part of your application you will therefore need to submit three months’ bank statements for every account that you hold. The bank statements will be used to establish how much funding you have available to you for the summer period. In addition to looking at your account balances, including any savings that you have, we will also average your income from sources such as earnings, savings, contributions from family and friends, etc. Income that is specifically linked to the academic year, such as your Student Loan instalments or Chamberlain Award payments, will be ignored as we appreciate that these do not help fund the summer vacation period.
You will also be asked to submit a copy of any rental agreement that comes into force with effect from July 2023 (or, in the case of a continuing contract, proof that it extends over the summer). This will be used to confirm your level of expenditure over the summer vacation. For those that are successful, we are unlikely to be able to meet all of your costs over the summer but we hope that we can make a useful contribution towards your accommodation costs at this difficult time.
As with the SSF, not all applications will be successful and the level of award made will vary depending on individual circumstances. Please only consider applying if you are facing significant financial hardship and have exhausted all other means of support. If you do need help, please make an application using our online form.
Applications to the Summer Crisis Fund will close at 11:59pm on 23rd July 2023.