Hardship Assistance Fund

What the Hardship Assistance Fund gives you

You get a one-off cash payment to cover essential living costs or an unexpected money crisis while you study at the University of Plymouth. How much you get depends on the gap between your income and your essential costs. If you are in a priority group, you can receive up to 60% of that shortfall, capped at about EUR 2,500 (£2,100). Otherwise you can get up to 40%, capped at about EUR 1,650 (£1,400). The fund covers costs like childcare, travel to placements, disability-related expenses, or emergencies such as a fire, flood or urgent bereavement travel. Payment goes straight to your bank account. It cannot pay tuition fees or replace support your parents are expected to give.

Who can apply

• University: You are fully registered and attending a course at the University of Plymouth.
• Where you study: You study directly at the University of Plymouth, not at a partner college such as UPIC.
• Funding: You qualify for UK student finance and have already applied for your full means-tested funding, plus any benefits you are entitled to.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply, as long as you receive UK funding. If you are an international student without UK funding, you cannot apply.
• Study load: You study at least 25% of a full-time course. Degree apprenticeships and distance-learning courses are not covered.
• Financial need: Your essential living costs are higher than your income, and you can prove the shortfall. Simply running out of money is not enough.
• Priority groups: Higher support goes to students with dependent children, disabled students, and (for undergraduates) those from low-income, care-experienced, estranged, homeless, young-carer, mature, final-year or Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds.

How to apply

First contact the Student Services Hub, in person, by phone or by email. An advisor checks whether you are eligible. If you qualify, they send you the link to the application form, where you upload documents including three months of bank statements. For 2025/26 you can apply from 27 October 2025 to 16 January 2026, and again from 16 February to 11 May 2026. You can apply only once per year unless your situation changes significantly.

How realistic are your chances?

This is not a merit competition. It is need-based support with a clear rule. If you genuinely qualify for UK funding, study at Plymouth and can document that your essential costs exceed your income, you have a real chance of an award. Being in a priority group raises the amount but does not guarantee anything, and applying early in the window helps.