Hardship Funding

Hardship funding is available to support students at the University of Edinburgh.

All the information you need in order to apply can be found below. If you need further help or are in immediate financial crisis you can contact the Advice Place who can offer you help and support.

Semester 1 2022/23:

Below are a note of funds which may available:

Fund Name	Criteria	Sem 1 - Opening Date	Sem 1 - Closing Date	More Information
Participation grant	Applications will be accepted from students who meet our eligibility criteria: Disabled students, student carers, student parents, care-experienced, estranged students and Asylum Seekers UK undergraduate students in receipt of a University of Edinburgh Scholarship, University of Edinburgh Scotland Scholarship or the Access Edinburgh Scholarship Postgraduate students who were in receipt of a University of Edinburgh Scholarship or University of Edinburgh Scotland Scholarship or the Access Edinburgh Scholarship as an undergraduate student	Monday 12 September 2022	Friday 21 October 2022 at 1600 GMT	OPEN
Postgraduate research students	You must be a matriculated PhD or MSc by Research student You must have commenced your studies between 1 September 2018 and 31 July 2022 (students who commenced studies in academic year 2022/23 are not eligible for this fund)	29 July 2022	TBC	Suspended on 14 September
Discretionary	You must be from Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland EU students in receipt of a SLC maintenance loan may apply to this fund	Wednesday 5 October 2022	Friday 2 December 2022 at 1600 GMT	Closed
Hardship	Limited additional assistance is available for fully matriculated overseas students	Wednesday 5 October 2022	Friday 2 December 2022 at 1600 GMT	Closed
Childcare	Eligible full-time UK undergraduate students and eligible full-time UK postgraduate students in receipt of tuition fee loan support from SAAS NEW STUDENTS - you can only apply to this fund once you have fully matriculated Continuing Students - the fund is now open for applications	Wednesday 31 August 2022	Friday 2 December 2022 at 1600 GMT	OPEN
Lone parent	Students in receipt of a Lone Parent Childcare Grant from SAAS	Wednesday 31 August 2022	Friday 2 December 2022 at 1600 GMT	OPEN
Nursing	You must be from Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland EU students in receipt of a SLC maintenance loan may apply to this fund	Wednesday 5 October 2022	Friday 2 December 2022 at 1600 GMT	Closed
Postgraduate discretionary	You must be on a Postgraduate programme of study You must be from Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland EU students in receipt of a SLC maintenance loan may apply to this fund	Wednesday 5 October 2022	Friday 2 December 2022 at 1600 GMT	Closed
International students emergency fund	Eligible countries for the international students' emergency fund Additional Information will follow in due course.	TBC	TBC	Closed

To assist you in addition to the funding we have available, we have also gathered helpful financial support resources:

Online Resources

Budgeting	Benefits	Funding
Staying Safe	Student and Graduate Money	Fees

Additional External Resources

Student budgeting planner	UCAS budget calculator	Student checklist	Travel by bus
Paying a mortgage – if you are having difficulty please contact your mortgage provider for assistance – don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help	What to do if you are struggling to pay your bills?	Citizens Advice Scotland England Wales Northern Ireland	Boost your budgeting success by piggybanking
Scottish Power Hardship Fund - apply for a grant on the Scottish Power Hardship Fund website	Ovo Energy Fund -apply for a grant on the Ovo Energy Fund web site	E.ON Next Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Next Energy Fund website	EDF Energy Customer Support Fund - apply for a grant on the EDF Energy Customer Support Fund website
British Gas - debt relief grants are available to both British Gas customers and customers of other energy supplier	Take the downshift challenge	Check you are on a good mobile phone contract/sim card	Household bills
£50 Aldi haul – ultimate meal prep	Aldi Weekly Grocery haul £15	My favourite student meals	How-to manage your money during the cost of living crisis
15 minute lunches	24 hours of healthy student cooking

*We reserve the right to close any hardship fund early, if the fund has been exhausted.

We cannot assist with:

Anticipated future costs
Shortfalls in your month to month maintenance
Assistance with tuition fees

Where we identify excessive spending any potential award will be reduced. Consistent excessive spending across multiple applications may lead to no funds being awarded. This would include a high volume spend on takeaways this would include but is not limited to a high volume spend on takeaways, alcohol, eating out, clothing.

Fraudulent Applications

If you submit an application or supporting documentation which we then discover to be fraudulent or if we receive any information about fraudulent applications, this will be addressed within regulations 12.4 of the Student Code of Conduct . Any funds awarded will need to be paid back in full.

Overseas Bank accounts

We are unable to make payments to overseas bank accounts. You must set up a UK bank account before applying to the fund.

Learn about your options for opening your first student bank account in the UK and banking safety

Fraud Awareness Resources

You can find advice and guidance on how to prevent and respond to online fraud and phishing attacks, especially while during hybrid working and studying on our webpage below

Fraud awareness resources

Scams

A scam is a fraudulent scheme performed by a dishonest individual, group or company in an attempt to obtain money or something else of value. Anyone can be targeted and everyone is at risk so it is important you learn how to recognise a scam and protect yourself against them.

Scams are now very sophisticated (and can be complex) using impersonation techniques, stolen data or personal details from social media to make you believe what they say is genuine. Scammers may think you are an easy target because you are away from home, family and friends. You may be unfamiliar with local laws or not know where to go for help and advice.

More information

Student Online Safety Guide (2.34 MB PDF)

This article was published on 16 Sep, 2022