Hardship Fund (EU & International Students)
Hardship Fund
The Hardship Fund serves as an emergency resource for students facing sudden financial challenges arising from unforeseen incidents or circumstances. Our primary focus is to aid students in immediate and unexpected hardship situations.
It's important to note that the fund cannot support students who have not made adequate financial arrangements for their studies. Regrettably, the Hardship Fund does not provide bursary or scholarship funding and cannot facilitate the beginning of a course of study. Any assistance provided from the Hardship Fund is limited in scope, may not cover all needs, and is not intended as a primary income source.
If you require ongoing support or are unable to cover tuition fees, we recommend contacting your Advisor of Studies, Supervisor, Student Support Officer, or International Student Support. Please inform them that the Hardship Fund cannot offer the support you require.
What Support is Available?
The Hardship Fund provides assistance to students who meet the basic eligibility criteria, primarily covering essential living expenses such as rent, food, and bills.
However, we regret to inform you that we are unable to accommodate the following requests:
- Requests for support or reimbursement for accommodation or other expenses already paid.
- Requests for assistance with tuition fees or reimbursement of fees already paid.
- Requests to compensate for loss of income within the family or household.
- Requests to compensate for cancelled travel arrangements.
- Requests for compensation for expenses covered by other means such as insurance or refunds.
- Requests for compensation for funds lost due to fraud.
Please note that the Hardship Fund does not provide direct assistance for purchasing laptops. If you are unable to afford a laptop, we recommend requesting one through the Laptop Loan Scheme.
Am I Eligible?
To apply for the Hardship Fund, you must:
- Be an EU or International student
- Be fully registered for the current academic year at undergraduate degree level or above (Short Courses, Upskilling, and undergraduate certificate students are not eligible
- Be able to provide comprehensive evidence of the financial plans made to fund your studies
- Be able to provide comprehensive evidence of the unforeseen incident which has directly impacted your financial plans
- Be able to provide clear evidence of how your living expenses are paid, from all bank accounts held in your name, as well as your partner/spouse’s bank accounts
In order to receive support from the fund, students must substantiate how their studies will be funded. Without evidence of financial planning, their applications cannot be considered.
Students who have previously benefited from the Hardship Fund may only be considered for additional support in exceptional cases.
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Who is not eligible?
- UK students, unless advised by a member of the Financial Aid Team
- Students enrolled in programs below undergraduate level, including Short Courses and undergraduate certificate programs
- Students enrolled in Upskilling courses
- Students who have not made sufficient financial arrangements to support their studies
- Students failing to provide evidence of their study funding
- Students unable to clearly demonstrate an unforeseen event that directly affected their original funding plans
- Students with adequate personal or family savings or other available funds to finance their studies
Students registered on the following basis are not eligible to apply for the funds:
- Erasmus Incoming
- Exchange In
- Reassessment of Dissertation
- Sabbatical
- Visiting In
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How to Apply
1. Check that you are eligible to apply
2. Ensure you have completed Academic and Financial Registration
3. Collate all supporting documents as individual PDFs (ilovepdf.com)
4. Complete the Hardship Fund Application Form
5. Sign Student Declaration and Privacy Notice (on application form)
6. Submit your application as a single email from your UofG email account to hardshipfund@glasgow.ac.uk
In your email, include:
- A single PDF containing your Application Form
- Separate PDFs containing each supporting document, clearly labelled (e.g. Current Account Transactions PDF, Savings Account Statement PDF, SAAS Award Letter PDF, etc.)
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Has my application been processed?
The following applications cannot be processed:
- Applications submitted before a course has begun
- Applications not submitted as PDFs
- Applications with missing/unsuitable supporting documents
- Applications sent over/from multiple emails
Complete applications will receive priority processing. If your application is incomplete, you may be asked to re-apply, but your new application will be placed at the end of the processing queue.
While we strive to process applications promptly, please note that it may take up to 4 weeks, especially during busy periods like the beginning of term. Childcare Fund applications are given priority whenever feasible.
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Application Do's & Dont's
Do's:
- Take the time to collate all required supporting documents as separate, clearly labelled PDF files before applying.
- Utilise online tools to assist with converting documents to PDF format and combining multiple pages of a document to one single PDF.
- If you are having difficultly attaching large files to an email, reduce the file size by utilising online tools.
Dont's:
- Applications containing supporting documents as multiple files, e.g. individual bank statement pages as separate PDFs, cannot be processed.
- Please refrain from including additional information in your application email. Only attached and labelled PDFs will be evaluated. Any supplementary details should be provided in the Personal Statement section of your application form.
- Please avoid submitting documents as zip files or shared documents.
- Once an application is submitted, additional documents cannot be added unless requested by a member of the Financial Aid Team. Please refrain from sending multiple emails.
Required Supporting Documents
1. Bank Statement(s) (including spouse/partner if cohabiting):
- Mandatory for all applicants.
- When cohabiting, students must provide spouse/partner’s bank statements.
- The document should display the last 30 days of transactions from the application date for all accounts held in the applicant’s name (and the partner/spouse’s name if applicable).
- Online statements and transaction lists are acceptable. However, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents are not permitted.
- Bank statements should be clearly highlighted to correspond with income, expenditure, and debt indicated on the application form.
- Food and social costs do not need to be highlighted.
- Transfers between accounts should be highlighted and explained in the Personal Statement.
- Outdated bank statements or those lacking appropriate highlighting/annotation will not be accepted.
2. Proof of Funding:
- Mandatory for all applicants.
- Students must provide evidence of how their studies are being funded (e.g. a scholarship award letter, proof of savings, etc.)
3. Tenancy Agreement/Mortgage Statement:
- Mandatory for all applicants with rent/accommodation costs.
- The tenancy agreement should be current and include the applicant’s name, property address, dates of agreement, and monthly costs.
- An annual mortgage statement or a letter from the provider confirming the applicant’s name, address, and monthly payments is required. Bank statements showing an amount are not acceptable.
- Sub-tenants without a formal lease agreement should provide a letter from their landlord.
4. Proof of Unforeseen Emergency Situation
- Mandatory for all applicants.
- Applications for emergency support will not be considered without proof of an unforeseen emergency.
5. Proof of Home Office Application
- Students who have applied for a form of leave or extension of right to stay in the UK must provide evidence.
Appeal Your Application
If your initial application is unsuccessful, you have the option to submit an appeal for a review. Please note that only applications including all required supporting documents can be considered for appeal.
To appeal the outcome, please email hardshipfund@glasgow.ac.uk providing a detailed explanation of why you believe your original application meets the eligibility criteria. You may also include any additional information or evidence you deem relevant. When emailing, mark your message as high importance and use 'Hardship Fund Application Appeal' as the subject line.
The Financial Aid Team will review your appeal, and you can expect to receive confirmation of the outcome via email within 28 working days of receipt.