Hardship Fund
Source: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss/funding/hardshipfunding/whf-pre-triage/ Parent: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss/funding/hardshipfunding/
Warwick Hardship Fund
Pre-Triage Information
The Warwick Hardship Fund (WHF) is a fund of last resort and is intended to provide discretionary, non-repayable financial help to those in an unexpected short-term emergency that causes difficulty in meeting essential living costs and some course-related costs. Please note this fund is for Home students, if you are an International student or EU please see the International Student Emergency Fund page.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the WHF you must meet the following criteria:
- You are a registered Home student on a course of study leading to a formal qualification (e.g. Undergraduate degree, Master's or PhD).
- If you are a part-time student, you must be enrolled on at least 50% of a full-time equivalent programme (i.e. 60 CATS per academic year) or 25% if you have disabilities.
- If you are a PhD or Master's by Research student, you must apply to the Doctoral College's PGR Hardship Fund before we can consider you for funding from the WHF. If you are still experiencing financial difficulty after this you can apply to the WHF but must submit evidence of your PGR Hardship Fund outcome.
If you would like clarification on whether your particular enrolment status or course excludes you from applying, please contact Student Funding Support at studentfunding@warwick.ac.uk
Financial assistance will not be provided for:
- Students who are unable to evidence that they have made adequate financial provision before starting their studies
- Students with access to savings or alternative funding (including interest-free overdrafts) which could meet their shortfall
- Students who have made significant non-essential purchases within the academic year which have subsequently left them in or contributed to their financial hardship
-
Students who have not taken out their full entitlement to government or NHS funding including:
-
Maintenance Loan
- Tuition Fee Loan
- Master's Loan
- Doctoral Loan
- NHS Bursary
- Students who are 'Awaiting Exam Board', 'Permanently Withdrawn' or in 'Limbo'.
- Students who are on a Degree Apprenticeship programme of study
- Students visiting the University on an exchange programme of study
- Paying off debt or overdrafts
- Situations which were foreseen before the start of the academic year.
- Supporting family members or friends
- Laptop or IT costs
- Currency fluctuations
- Tuition Fees
- Medical costs
- Visa costs
What help can I expect to get?
Awards from the WHF are needs-related and assessed on an individual case-by-case basis. As a result, we are unable to give a clear indication of the likely value of any possible award until an application has been submitted and the assessment process completed.
- There is no guarantee that funds will be awarded in every case and consequently, some applications will be unsuccessful.
- Students who are eligible for an award from the WHF will not need to repay this.
- Priority for funding is given to students with dependents, estranged students, care-experienced students and students with disabilities.
- If you are a part-time student any award made will be capped in line with the number of CATS you are studying in relation to the full-time equivalent.
Please note that if your enrolment status changes during the application and assessment process then you may become ineligible to receive support from WHF (e.g., students who become permanently withdrawn).
5 Steps to Applying for the WHF
1) Complete a short 'Expression of Interest' form.
2) If eligible, you will be invited to attend a short triage appointment with one of our advisers.
3) If you are invited to apply, submit your full application and supporting documentation.
4) Attend an appointment with an adviser.
5) You will receive notification of the outcome of your application within 10 working days of your appointment.
Triage Appointment
Triage appointments last approximately 10-15 minutes and ordinarily take place over Microsoft Teams. However, if you would prefer to attend a face-to-face appointment then please let us know via email (studentfunding@warwick.ac.uk) and we will try to accommodate your request.
During the appointment, the Student Funding Adviser will ask you questions to establish:
- How you are funding your course and living costs.
- The value of your current available funds (e.g., across any overdraft facilities, bank, savings, trading and cryptocurrency accounts that you may have).
- If you live with a partner, their available funds (e.g., across any overdraft facilities, bank, savings, trading and cryptocurrency accounts that they may have).
- The value of your upcoming essential expenditure.
- If any circumstances are impacting your current financial situation.
The information you provide during your triage appointment determines whether it is appropriate for you to make a WHF application. If you are invited to apply, we will tell you how to do this and what supporting documentation you will need to submit.
WHF Application
If you are invited to apply to the WHF, you must submit your application within 4 weeks of receiving your invite. We will reject any submissions made after this 4-week deadline and you will need to submit a new 'Expression of Interest' form. If you are a final-year student, the latest you can submit a completed application is 5 weeks before the end of your course.
In addition to your application, you must submit all required supporting documentation to evidence your current financial situation. We will not be able to progress your application without all this evidence.
WHF Appointment
Once we have received your application form and supporting documentation, we will contact you to arrange a short, confidential appointment with a Student Funding Adviser.
- Appointments take 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Appointments are informal and will allow you to discuss your circumstances in detail.
- The adviser will ordinarily conduct appointments via Microsoft Teams. However, if you would prefer to attend a face-to-face appointment then please let us know and we will try to accommodate your request.
- Once you book your appointment, you will receive a confirmation email.
To assess your application, the Student Funding Support teamuse guidance issued by the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA).
During your appointment, the adviser will ask questions to fully understand your circumstances. These questions are not intended to be intrusive, but they allow the adviser to assess your financial situation completely. For example, they may:
- Refer to your bank accounts, credit history and spending patterns.
- If applicable, refer to your partner's bank statements and evidence.
- Explore opportunities for part-time work and other funding available.
- Ask for further evidence before they can complete your assessment.
WHF Assessment and Outcome
After your appointment, the adviser will write a report summarising your situation, assessment of need and if appropriate a recommendation for financial support. This is sent to the Student Funding Manager for review and approval. The Student Funding Support team work within NASMA guidelines for the assessment of awards and distribution of funds.
If we have received all your required documentation before your appointment, you will be notified of the outcome of your application by email within 10 working days.
- If your application has been successful, any award will be paid within a further 10 working days from you submitting your bank details.
- Please note, we can only make payments into UK bank accounts or some digital accounts.
- We cannot make payments in cash.
Your outcome email will outline how your award will be paid. This may be paid as:
- A one-off instalment directly into your bank account.
- Multiple instalments directly into your bank account.
- A credit towards a debt on your university account.
It can take up to 4 weeks from the date of your appointment to receipt of funds if you are found to be eligible. This time scale starts from when we have all the required supporting evidence to assess your application.
If you need more urgent financial assistance, we may be able to offer you an interest-free Emergency Loan.
Please see below further ways in which the wider University may be able to assist you if you are in financial difficulty:
Awards from the WHF may have implications on your entitlement to UK Government means-tested benefits. If you receive an award from the WHF, you can request a document from Student Funding Support to present to the relevant body explaining the circumstances of your award (including the amount).
UK Government means-tested benefits include (not exhaustive):
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seekers' Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
- Working Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
If your circumstances change following your triage or application outcome, you can submit a new Expression of Interest in re-applying to the WHF.
Please note that re-applications are treated the same as new applications so you will need to follow the steps above.
Who should I contact if I have any questions?
If you have any questions related to the WHF or Student Funding in general, please do not hesitate to contact Student Funding Support:
- Email:
- Telephone: 024 7615 0096
You can also view our WHF Guidance Notes 2025-26 for further information.