Student Support Fund

(Receiving the Student Support Fund) is going to allow me to focus on my education and help relieve the financial stress and anxiety - which is so invaluable to me.

The Student Support Fund is a limited pot of money designated to help students who find themselves in unexpected financial hardship.

If you are a Home/UK student experiencing unexpected financial hardship, we may be able to help. If you are an EU or International Student, please apply for the EU & International Student Fund.

We encourage any student with money concerns to submit an application regardless of household income, age, course level or having made a previous application to the Fund. On average the form takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, depending on your situation.

Once an application is received, an advisor will be in touch within 10 days working days with either an assessment update or outcome.

All awards are made in line with the Student Support Fund guidelines and we can never guarantee an award will be granted.

For more information on the fund, including eligibility and the application process, please see our Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of this page.

We can also help with the completion of the application form if you have any questions or additional support is required. Please contact us to book an appointment.

The Student Support Fund does not cover: tuition fees, resit fees, visas and associated costs, or support for family or friends (only for the individual student).

Before you apply, you should consider the following:

All Home/UK students

Are you experiencing unexpected financial difficulty? You will need to explain this in your application form. If you would like to speak to an advisor about this, please book an appointment
What income is available to you? We include family contributions and savings (for any purpose) as standard in the assessment
Have you made use of any interest/charge-free overdraft facilities available to you? Please read your bank's terms and conditions carefully before deciding to take out an overdraft
Are you able to demonstrate a shortfall in your finances? Students are expected to have made reasonable adjustments to their lifestyles to ensure appropriate budgeting measures are in place
Are you experiencing a delay in receiving your Statutory funding from Student Finance (UK)/ NHS? If so, you can apply for Delay in Funding support
Have you sought part-time employment? Our average living costs suggest that without parental support, 12 hours of part-time work would be necessary to cover your monthly outgoings. Contact the Careers and Employability Service for support in getting a part-time job
Have you sought any budgeting or financial advice? We recommend 'Budget Calculator' on Blackbullion and speaking to the SUSU Advice Centre at advice@susu.org

Home/UK Statutory funded students

Home/UK statutory funded students are students who are in receipt of the Tuition Fee and means-tested Maintenance Loan from Student Finance (UK) or the NHS equivalent.

Have you taken out your full entitlement to financial student support for this academic year? This includes taking out the maximum amounts of Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loans
If you have not taken out your full entitlement to financial student support for this academic year, we may only be able to offer you Delay in Funding support while you contact Student Finance (UK)/NHS

Home/UK Self-funding students

Home/UK self-funding undergraduate students are students who are not in receipt of both the Student Finance (UK) Tuition Fee and means-tested Maintenance Loan, or the NHS equivalent. They are required to make due financial provision ahead of their course.

Home/UK self funding postgraduate students are students who are in receipt of the Student Finance (UK) Master's Loan or Postgraduate Doctoral Loan. As they can only receive a single loan, which is meant to cove both tuition fees and living costs, they are required to make due financial provision ahead of their course.

Have you made sufficient provision towards your tuition fees and living costs prior to starting your course and to cover its duration? If you haven’t, it is unlikely the fund will be able to support you
Have you considered working to supplement your income? Contact the Careers team for support in getting a part-time job and check with the Visa team for any restrictions that may apply

Changes of circumstance

A change of circumstance may lead to an award from the Student Support Fund for UK/Home self-funding students whose financial plan has been negatively impacted or UK/Home statutory-funded students who require additional support.

A change of circumstance is an unexpected event that has occurred since the start of the current academic year and can be sufficiently evidenced. It may include:

Decrease in statutory or scholarship funding
Significant decrease in family support
Medical event
Significant rent increase during existing contract period
Increase in childcare costs 
Exchange rate fluctuations

A change of circumstance typically does not include:

Events that have occurred prior to the start of the current academic year
Cost of living increases caused by inflation
Budget shortfalls resulting from discretionary spending
Changes to income/expenses that are not recognised by Student Support Fund guidelines

If you’re unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria for an award from the Student Support Fund, please contact us at stufunds@soton.ac.uk as we will be happy to discuss all situations

If you are successful in your application, we will pay the funds directly into the account the University holds for you. Please make sure these details are up to date. To check what details we hold, you will need to access Student Records Self Service System, Click on Personal Information and then ‘Update Payment Details’.

For more information on the fund, including eligibility and the application process, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

Student Support Fund Application Delay in Funding Support EU & International Student Fund