University of Warwick - Funding for Nursery Places

What the childcare fund covers

The International Students’ Childcare Fund (ISCF) at the University of Warwick pays up to 50% of your actual childcare costs. This amount covers each 10-week semester as well as up to 10 weeks of the summer break. The amount of the grant is calculated on a case-by-case basis based on your income, so there is no fixed amount and no guaranteed minimum or maximum sum. The fund usually covers one child, namely the child with the highest costs. Support for additional children may be added later in the year, subject to funds remaining. If your child is 3 or 4 years old and is entitled to free early years childcare, this will be taken into account and may result in a reduction in your grant. The grant is only awarded for the current academic year. You must submit a new application each year, and support is not guaranteed.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the University of Warwick.
• Home country: You are an international or EU student. Students from the United Kingdom (UK) should instead use a separate hardship fund.
• Degree: Your degree programme leads to a formal qualification such as a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree. Both full-time and part-time degree programmes count.
• Your child: You have a pre-school-aged child who already attends the university nursery or another childcare centre registered with Ofsted. The child must have been enrolled there before you submit your application.
• Financial need: Your income is not sufficient to cover your basic living costs, and you have neither savings nor an overdraft facility or other financial resources to bridge this gap.
• Government funding first: You have already claimed all the government grants to which you are entitled.
• Not eligible: Students on a dual-track degree programme, exchange or visiting students, as well as students with the status ‘Awaiting the Examination Board’, ‘Permanently de-registered’ or ‘Limbo’ are not eligible to apply.

How to apply

Submit your application via the online form for cases of hardship whilst logged into your university account, and attach the required supporting documents. If your eligibility is confirmed, you will be invited to a 30 to 60-minute appointment with a student finance adviser, which usually takes place via Microsoft Teams. You will receive the outcome by email within 10 working days of submitting all the documents.

How realistic are your chances?

This fund is highly targeted. Only international and EU students at the University of Warwick who have a pre-school-aged child already enrolled in registered childcare and who can demonstrate an income shortfall are eligible; the eligible group is therefore small. Allocation depends on the annual budget, so meeting the criteria does not guarantee funding. If you clearly meet the criteria, can provide evidence of your financial situation and childcare costs, and apply early, before the budget runs out, your chances are good.