Financial assistance fund

How to apply for a food voucher and a cash award if you’re having financial difficulties.

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About the financial assistance fund

If you are considering leaving your studies due to unexpected or unavoidable money-related problems, the Financial Assistance Fund may be able to help.

You can apply for:

  • a £50 food voucher
  • a cash award (maximum £900)
  • both (where you meet the criteria)

The fund does not need to be repaid. It cannot be used as a main source of income.

Eligibility for the financial assistance fund

Who cannot apply

You cannot apply if you are a:

  • pre-sessional student
  • visiting student
  • exchange student

Who can apply

You can apply if you are either a:

  • fully registered student
  • temporarily withdrawn student

You must also:

  • be in financial difficulty that puts you at risk of withdrawing from university
    and
  • currently have access to less than £1000 across all bank accounts (including savings)

Apply during the summer 

If you need funding between 1 June and 13 September 2026, you must also either:

  • have confirmed re-sit exams or are re-taking parts of your course during the summer term
  • be taking a course with exams in July
  • be a student in Health Sciences doing a placement during the summer term
  • have caring responsibilities for a child or adult dependent 
  • have an illness that prevents you from working a part-time job
  • receive the Bristol Standalone Bursary, for care leavers, estranged, and bereaved students
  • be a Postgraduate taught student writing your dissertation during the summer
  • be a Postgraduate research student.

If your University enrolment is ending in the summer, you cannot apply. Final year undergraduate students can only apply if you are re-taking an assessment, including a dissertation.

Food vouchers from the financial assistance fund

You can receive one £50 food voucher every 30 days.

After 30 days, you can apply again if you are still eligible.

How to apply for the food voucher

Apply for a food voucher (Microsoft form)

When you apply, you must provide supporting documents that show you have access to less than £100 across all bank accounts.

You do not need to provide information about your personal circumstances.

You may need to sign-in to Microsoft with your University email address to apply.

After you apply for the food voucher

Applications for food vouchers are usually assessed within one working day. If you are successful, the food voucher will be emailed to you. This is usually within one working day of your application.

Cash awards from the financial assistance fund

You can apply once per term, unless your situation changes:

  • Term 1: 14 September 2026 to 17 January 2027
  • Term 2: 18 January to 30 May 2027
  • Term 3 (Summer): 31 May to 12 September 2027

How to apply

Apply for the cash award (Microsoft form)

When you apply, you must provide:

You may need to sign into Microsoft with your University email address to apply

After you apply

We usually assess applications within five working days.

We will decide whether you receive an award and how much to give you based on your application.

We will email you to let you know if you have been successful and if so, what your award is.

Levels of cash award

If you are a part-time or temporarily withdrawn student, you can get a maximum of £600.

If you are a full-time student, you can get one of three levels of cash award:

We use a calculation to decide if you can receive a cash award.

If you are a part-time or temporarily withdrawn student, you can get a maximum of £600.

Full-time students can get one of three levels of cash award:

Starting with the current balance across all your accounts, we:

  1. add three months of your estimated income
  2. subtract three months of your estimated expenses.

If the calculation results in less than £100 remaining, you are eligible to receive a cash award.

To estimate your income, we consider your:

  • wages from part-time work
  • scholarships
  • bursaries
  • other sources of income.

To estimate your expenses, we consider your:

  • accommodation costs (up to a maximum limit)
  • standard daily living allowance.

To get £600, you must meet the criteria for Level 1 (£300) and either:

  • be taking reasonable steps to reduce your financial problems but remain in difficulty. This can include:
    • working a part-time job for a reasonable number of hours per week
    • using a considerable amount of an interest-free student overdraft
  • be in excessive debt
  • have placement-related costs
  • have a health problem preventing you from working a part-time job.

Home students must also be receiving the UK government maintenance loan (unless exempt).

International students must also prove that you had made ‘reasonable financial provision’ before starting your course.

To get £900, you must meet the criteria for £600 (level 2), are in full-time study, and at least one of the following:

Supporting documents

You must provide information in your application form for food vouchers and cash awards:

  1. your bank details.
  2. screenshots showing the current balance for all of your accounts in which you hold funds.
  3. downloaded PDF bank statements showing all transactions from at least 30 days before the date of your application (even if there are no transactions).

How to download a bank statement

To download a bank statement, check your bank’s guide: 

Appealing the decision

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your financial assistance fund application, contact us at hardship-fund@bristol.ac.uk.

You can ask for:

  • an explanation of how your award was calculated.
  • how to appeal the decision and ask for a reassessment.

Contact us

If you have a question or need support, contact us at hardship-fund@bristol.ac.uk.