The University Hardship Fund is a sum of money that the University has to assist home students in financial difficulty.
The fund is now open for applications for 2023/24, apply now.
Browse our guidance below to find out about the fund, how to apply and what evidence you will need to submit an application.
Please email studentfinancialsupport@hud.ac.uk for further information.
Find out about the Access to Learning Fund and when you can apply.
Learn about the eligibility criteria to access the fund.
Look through the assessment process.
There are two types of award available - standard and non-standard.
Understand what evidence we require to accompany your application.
Looking to appeal your decision?
The Access to Learning Fund is non-repayable financial support offered to eligible University of Huddersfield students experiencing temporary financial difficulties.
You can apply to the Fund throughout the academic year. We will normally only consider only one application per student per academic year and an application to the Fund does not guarantee an award will be made.
*Please note, if you have already received an award from the Fund and wish to apply again (in the same academic year), you must be able to demonstrate how your financial circumstances have substantially changed and provide evidence to support this.
This is only available to current home students who are eligible for a Maintenance Loan or Postgraduate Loan.
You must have taken all the support you are entitled to before you can apply, such as the Maintenance Loan, Tuition Fee Loan, Postgraduate Loan or Doctoral Loan from Student Finance England.
To apply to the Fund you must meet 3 criteria:
If you are an undergraduate student who does not receive the maximum student loan amount, you will need to complete a ‘Parent / Sponsor’ form from Student Finance England to support your application.
If you are studying part time or at Postgraduate level, and do not have a tuition fee and / or maintenance loan, you must be able to show you had adequate funds at the start of your course and an unexpected change has left you in financial difficulty.
Allowable Expenditure
The Hardship Fund assessment considers and can help with essential living costs such as:
The Hardship Fund cannot consider or help with the following discretionary lifestyle expenditure:
The Hardship Fund Assessment Team will look at each application on an individual basis considering your income and allowable expenditure.
*Please note, awards cannot be paid to help with tuition fees, travel costs associated with Experiential Learning Abroad or extracurricular activities.
To process your application, we carry out a thorough assessment of your financial need:
As part of both assessment processes, you will be asked to provide personal and financial information relating to your situation.
Whilst we appreciate this may seem intrusive, it is a necessary part of the process to help us understand your specific situation and how we can support you. In order to progress your application, you must provide all of the information we ask for.
Applications will normally be assessed, decisions made and payments made within four working weeks of receipt of a complete application with all the relevant documentation. Students will be advised of the outcome of the assessment by email.
Should your application be successful, you will receive a non-repayable award from the Fund. There are 2 types of award available:
When paying your award, the University will decide which payment options would be best to suit your situation.
All awards are non-repayable and you cannot receive more than £2,500 in any academic year.
If you withdraw from your studies or are suspended on financial or disciplinary grounds, any outstanding payments from the Fund will be cancelled.
We require the following documents to accompany your application:
If you have any queries about the assessment process, you can contact us for an appointment with an advisor in person or via Microsoft Teams.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your assessment and wish to appeal the decision, you need to send an email to studentfinancialsupport@hud.ac.uk stating the reasons for your appeal and providing additional evidence or information where required. Your application will then be reviewed and the final decision will be notified to you by email.
Your appeal must be submitted here within 4 weeks of the date of our decision.