Metadata
Title
Hardship Support Fund
Category
scholarships
UUID
c47662675c7b45d2a4dad3ead2d9ba3f
Source URL
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/financialhelp/#a8
Parent URL
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/wp-support/supportfor/maturestudents/#a3
Crawl Time
2026-03-20T04:48:41+00:00
Rendered Raw Markdown

Hardship Support Fund

Source: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/financialhelp/#a8 Parent: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/wp-support/supportfor/maturestudents/#a3

Success for All Fund

The University, in partnership with its alumni community, has created a fund to offer additional financial support if you are experiencing unexpected financial hardship which is affecting your ability to study within your current academic year.

You are considered to be in financial hardship when your allowable expenditure is higher than your income. The fund is to assist with costs associated with your ability to study and cannot fully compensate for lack of parental contribution or over spending on non-essential items.

Before applying to the fund, there is an expectation that you will have exhausted all avenues of funding available to you including all Student Loans you are entitled to. You are expected to use any significant savings available to you before applying, as an application can be refused if savings are available to you. The fund is intended to be a safety net for students, and not a main source of support.

Please review our FAQs before you apply. Our FAQs provide more information about the types of funding available and the evidence you will need to support your application. If you are an international student, it is particularly important that you check this information as additional eligibility criteria apply.

If you are experiencing difficulties with submitting your application or have any questions about the Success for All Fund and your eligibility, you can email us at SuccessForAll@exeter.ac.uk. You can also contact the Students’ Guild (Exeter students) or the Falmouth & Exeter Students’ Union (Cornwall) students for help with your application.

Once you are ready to submit an application, you can follow these steps:

  1. Apply online and upload the evidence requested. Be as open as you can; the more we know about your circumstances, the better equipped we are to help you. Please only submit one application, even if you are applying for multiple types of financial support.
  2. We will confirm via email that your application has been received.
  3. An assessor will review your application, using standardised calculations, and ask for more information if necessary.
  4. We will inform you of our decision within 4 weeks of receiving all required evidence.
  5. If you have been successful, funds will be paid electronically using the bank account details on your student record unless you request otherwise.

Frequently asked questions

Considerations Before Applying

We would consider income, where applicable, as including:

Allowable expenditure includes (but is not exclusive to):

What are the implications of applying?

We do not want you to drop out or fail in your studies because of money worries. We fund around a quarter of our undergraduate home students through our Access to Exeter Bursary and pay grants to many students during the year to help them overcome hardship or deal with unexpected financial challenges. We are here to help.

You won’t have to pay the money back and the amount you receive will depend on your financial circumstances. Applying to the Success for All Fund will not affect your visa.

What costs can / can you not help me with?

What the Success for All Fund Can Help With

The fund is here to support students facing financial difficulty by contributing to essential costs not already covered by other funding. We may also be able to help if you're considering leaving university due to financial pressures.

You can apply for help with:

Summer Support.

You may be eligible for support over the summer if:

What the Fund Can’t Cover:

Can I apply?

Who Can Apply for the Success for All Fund?

All registered undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Exeter can apply, regardless of fee status, study mode (part-time/full-time), or location (on campus or distance learning). You must be studying at least 25% of your course in the academic year.

If you are a postgraduate student, we expect you to have planned for your living costs as some bursaries are only available to undergraduates.

Funding for international students is limited. Please see 'I am an international student, am I eligable' FAQ for more information.

Interrupting your studies?

Generally, students who have interrupted their studies are not eligible. However, we may offer support:

If you're unsure, we encourage you to apply so we can assess your situation and offer guidance.

Multiple Applications

You can apply more than once per academic year, but we will consider any previous funding already received and we would expect a change in your circumstances between applications.

What do I need to provide?

Depending on the type of support you're applying for, you'll need to provide relevant evidence. Typically, we ask for:

Important

We can’t accept screenshots, spreadsheets, or documents without your full name visible. All evidence must clearly show your name, payment dates, and amounts.

All documents are handled confidentially and will not be shared with other university teams without your permission.

Why do I need to provide details of my partner’s income?

If you live with your partner and share bills or childcare responsibility, this information helps us understand your full financial situation. If it is difficult for you to share this information, then please reach out to us at successforall@exeter.ac.uk

Why do I need to disclose my benefits?

We would count some benefits as income. Knowing what you receive helps us ensure you're accessing all available statutory support before applying for university funds.

I am an Exeter Cares student, how else can you help me?

If you receive the Access to Exeter Bursary, a Care Leavers’ fee waiver or Sanctuary Scholarship, you will be fast-tracked for funding support.

Mature students

We recognise that mature students may face several unique issues, such as having pre-existing financial commitments or caring responsibilities and these will be considered in your application.

Care experienced students

If you are a UK undergraduate student who has been in local authority care for a period of 13 weeks or more, with some period of care after your 16th birthday, you may apply through the fund for a Care Leavers’ Bursary to support your accommodation costs during the summer. If you meet these criteria, you should already receive a Care Leavers’ tuition fee waiver. We may also provide bridging support if you are facing financial challenges immediately after graduation.

If you have experience of care but do not meet the eligibility criteria above, you will not automatically qualify for a bursary but you may still be eligible for financial support depending on your circumstances.

See our Widening Participation Student Support web pages for more information about the support available for care experienced students.

Estranged students

If you are a home undergraduate student and estranged from your family, you may be eligible for our Estranged Students’ Bursary which aims to help you with some of the additional financial challenges you may have to face. You can find out more on our web pages for estranged students. Impartial advice is also available from Stand Alone.

I am an international student, am I eligible?

As an international student you are expected to ensure you have sufficient funds to cover your living and study costs before coming to the UK.   You are also required to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to get your Student Visa.

Your application will therefore be considered against a stricter set of criteria than for domestic students.

Funding Limitations

We’re here to help where we can, but please note that we can only offer financial support in specific situations.

To be eligible, you must be experiencing (and may be asked for supporting evidence as proof):

If you're unsure whether your situation qualifies, please contact us on successforall@exeter.ac.uk and we’ll talk it through with you.

How are applications assessed?

The University uses the guidelines shared by the National Association of Student Money Advisors (NASMA) when making our assessments. Using set criteria allows us to be consistent and fair when reviewing applications.

We will consider your incomings and outgoings and use a standard calculation for weekly composite living costs which include, but are not exclusive to, laundry, toiletries and mobile phone costs. We will also include assumed income for undergraduates and minimum required provision for postgraduate students (see definitions below).

What is assumed income?

For most undergraduates, there is an expectation that you will be able to supplement your income through part-time work, savings, interest-free student overdrafts or family contributions.

Regardless of how much income you have acquired from these sources, a fixed assumed income figure is applied across all applications, giving you the capacity to earn larger sums without affecting your payment from the fund. If there are mitigating circumstances, we can take these into account when assessing your application.

What is minimum required provision?

For postgraduate students, there is an assumption that you will have made provision for a basic level of income to support yourself during your studies. Your funding may be from a variety of sources including PG loans, scholarships, part time work or additional parent/spouse support where appropriate. We will include all income from these channels when assessing your application to the fund.

Can I request a loan instead of a grant?

Due to timings for receiving various funds, you may wish to request a loan for assistance until you receive your other funding.

If I request a loan, how much can I borrow?

You can borrow up to a maximum of £500 but we won’t offer you a loan unless we are satisfied you can afford to pay it back within the timeframes agreed. Bridging loans are usually offered over one or two months and aim to help with cash flow problems (e.g., if you need to pay your accommodation deposit but are still waiting for your first grant or loan payment). In these cases, if successful, we will advance you the loan money so you can manage in the meantime.

What are the terms of bridging and short-term loans?

Loans will be issued with 0% interest and must be repaid within a maximum of 12 months, although it is expected the amounts offered are lower and paid back over a shorter period. We will only enter a loan agreement with you if we are both comfortable that the repayments can be made.

What are the penalties if I default on my loan repayments?

If you are having trouble paying back your loan, please contact us immediately by raising a SID enquiry for the Accounts Receivable team. We will work with you to discuss a payment plan; however this cannot exceed the 12 months. If you default on your repayments without contacting us, you may incur late fee penalties of 3%.

Advice and guidance

As a student, you may be able to access a range of financial support and benefits depending on your circumstances.

If you are struggling with money, here are some sources of help and advice. Please click on the tabs to find out further information:

University-based support

Student Unions

Both student unions at the University of Exeter offer friendly, approachable and impartial advice on financing your studies, managing your finances and other related support, via their Student Advice Units.

If you are studying in Exeter, contact The Students' Guild: advice@exeterguild.com.

If you are studying in Cornwall, contact the Falmouth & Exeter Students’ Union (SU): advice@thesu.org.uk

Wellbeing support

Money worries can be extremely stressful and affect your wellbeing. Our Wellbeing Service offers appointments, self-help tools and other support to students dealing with issues such as anxiety and depression.

Cost of living hub

Our cost of living web pages provide advice and information on cost saving measures, discounts, and support to help you manage your finances. Information is campus specific and includes support provided by the University and Student Unions along with signposting to budgeting advice.

Managing debt

We’re working with the UK’s leading debt advice charity, Step Change, to provide you with free, impartial and personalised support with your money and debt worries. If you’re worried about debt, it can be tempting to ignore the problem and hope it’ll go away on its own. But waiting often makes things worse – so it’s best to get help sooner.

You can get help

Pastoral Mentors

Pastoral Mentors are a point of contact who can support you if you are facing challenges that impact your ability to study and be successful in your programme. They provide end-to-end support for student queries, including signposting to expert services as required. You can find your pastoral mentor here.

A to Z of support and services for students

The University has a host of support options available to students in Devon and Cornwall.  See the A-Z list here.

Benefits

Information on the below benefits correct as at 31st July 2024.

Depending on your circumstances you may be able to claim benefits. For more information, please visit the GOV.UK Benefits calculators page.

Universal credit

If you are 18 or over and in training or studying full-time, you can claim Universal Credit if any of the following apply:

Find out more about Universal Credit and how to make a claim.

Students with children

In addition to Universal Credit, you may be eligible for the following benefits:

Childcare Grant

If you are a full-time student who is eligible for student finance and have children under 15 - or children under 17 if they have special education needs - you may be able to get a Childcare Grant.

Parents’ Learning Allowance

You may be eligible for Parents’ Learning Allowance if you are a full-time student with children. How much you get depends on your household income and the allowance is paid on top of your other student finance.

Student carers

Adult Dependant’s Grant

If you’re a full-time student in higher education and an adult depends on you financially, you can apply for an Adult Dependants’ Grant which is paid on top of your other student finance. This is not available, however, to students with a Postgraduate Loan.

Students with learning difficulties, health problems or disabilities

You can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) to cover some of the extra costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability by visiting the GOV.UK website (university support for the application process can be found on the Student Wellbeing pages). If eligible, you will get the allowances on top your other student finance. You can get help with the costs of:

Budgeting and debt management

Various charities, support services and online resources are available to help you with managing on a tight budget or dealing with debt.