The Crane Medical Fund can provide awards of up to £1,800 per academic year to students for support with medical costs. Students who wish to apply to the fund need to make an application prior to seeking medical treatment.
Please note, funds will only be reimbursed if treatment takes place after a successful outcome has been communicated via email from the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team. Reimbursement claims must be submitted to the Fund by the deadline specified. (For applications submitted after 1 April 2024, the deadline is 1 year after the award date.) If a student completes their course requirements before the end of that 12 month period, the award should be claimed for by their course completion date.
Applications are carefully reviewed by a Medical Advisor (Apothecary), and the application process is managed by the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team.
Current registered students, who are working towards course requirements, and students on intermission are eligible to apply to the fund. Students who are in the last term of their course are ineligible.
Before you apply
Before applying, please access relevant University and NHS services. This can be a quicker way of accessing the support you need. Please view the quick links below for support services that can help you:
- Postgraduate wellbeing advice
- Counselling
- Mental health groups and workshops
- Support for students, whose everyday lives are significantly impacted due to mental health issues
- Personalised eating disorder support
- Sexual and racial harassment and violence support
- Screening service for a specific learning difficulty, ADHD or Autism
- Study and exams support for disabled students
- Help to find funding covering course-related costs for disabled students
- If you are unsure which NHS service to use, the NHS Symptom Checker may be of assistance.
- Applicants to the fund must be current registered students of the University of Cambridge. The Crane Fund classifies current registered students as students who have not met their course requirements, or PhD students who have not submitted their soft-bound thesis
- Students on intermission are eligible to apply
- Students in their last term are usually ineligible
- Treatments being applied for must be unobtainable under NHS care due to significant waiting times. A significant waiting time is when a student is unable to complete a period of assessment without accessing private treatment
- Where the treatment can be quickly and easily accessed via the NHS, the application will be rejected. The applicant will be advised to access NHS treatment
- Treatments being applied for must be from UK-based providers with the necessary qualifications and meet NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines
Criteria to determine your eligibility for the fund
Financial assistance will not usually be provided for the following medical treatments or circumstances:
- Medical treatments that do not meet NICE guidelines
- Medical treatments that are not conducted in the UK
- Students with private medical insurance
- ADHD assessments or medication
- Autism assessments. Enquiries may be made to the fund where students require adjustments in addition to the standard exam access arrangements and therefore require an autism assessment. However, a clear explanation will need to be made as to why these additional adjustments are necessary*
- Private medication costs (if the student is not under the care of a GP while on medication and may find it difficult to continue with medication on the NHS)
- Dental treatment is not eligible unless there are exceptional circumstances. An example of this is if a student is requiring unexpected dental surgery due to an accident, such as falling off of their bike. Root canals, wisdom tooth removal and fillings are all examples of ordinary dental treatments and will not meet the requirements of this fund
- Gender: support will not be provided towards privatised medications, nor towards subscriptions that provide titration for private medications. Support will not be provided towards gender reassignment surgeries. Specific mental health support may be provided for gender dysphoria
- Treatments that occurred prior to the date of the award
- Debt arising from medical expenses
- Treatment-associated costs (such as travel costs).
- Treatment costs in excess of £1,800 unless you can provide a plan for covering the remainder of the cost.
- Psychological treatments that are not specialist treatments recommended by NICE clinical guidelines. Certain modalities of talking therapies- such as psychotherapy, counselling and CBT are available through the University counselling service and will not usually be eligible through the Crane Fund from 1 October 2025. Please note that CBT may occasionally be offered when there is a clinical need as assessed by the GP and the Apothecary.
Financial assistance will not be provided in the following circumstances:
- Students applying for support in the last term of their course- exceptions may be made for students progressing to another course at the University of Cambridge
- Students applying within the first 6 weeks of their course.
- Students who have already received the maximum award of £1800 from the Fund per academic year
- Students who have not taken out a loan who are otherwise eligible to receive loans from either SFE or a US/Canadian loan
- Students with high living costs that cannot be reasonably justified
- Students in receipt of full funding who may sometimes be referred back to their funder for financial support (if their funding source is internal)
- Students with access to savings or alternative funding that could meet their shortfall. Students can retain up to £1000 in personal savings that will be disregarded when calculating how much funding they have available to put towards the treatment costs.
Please note that applications which do not meet the above eligibility criteria will be rejected.
* In exceptional cases, Autism Assessments may be funded by the Crane Medical Fund if it is determined that they will need adjustments in addition to the standard exam access arrangements or an AMA. The student would have to enquire with the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team regarding their eligibility and provide:
- A GP letter dated within the last 3 months
- A letter from the ADRC in the last 3 months stating what additional arrangements are needed and why an autism assessment is needed beyond the usual educational diagnosis
- The College Tutor form and Application form, if invited to apply.
All queries would have to be considered by the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team and the Apothecary before the student is invited to apply to the Fund. The team will also establish whether the case meets the ADRC's criteria for additional assessment arrangements.
- Ensure the provider is located in the UK and offers the treatment you require.
- Ensure the provider has capacity to take on your case by enquiring informally with them by email.
- Ensure that the provider has the necessary accreditation for this treatment.
- Ensure that the provider meets your requirements for treatment (e.g. if you have any religious beliefs that you would like your provider to share).
- Preferably, have the provider state how many sessions are needed.
The below documents are required to be submitted with your application.
GP Letter Requirements
- A supporting GP letter dated within the last 3 months confirming the GP’s awareness of the treatment needed or a clinical diagnosis, as well as an explicit recommendation for the treatment. This can just be a referral letter. If there is a fee for the letter, please approach your College for support.
- GP letters must be from UK-based GPs and not from the proposed treatment provider
- Additional recommendations can be provided from another suitably qualified NHS practitioner in addition to the GP letter, but this is not a requirement.
- Students who are re-applying to the Crane's Fund for the same treatment as previously claimed will need to submit a new GP letter dated within the last 3 months and a statement from their current treatment provider regarding the necessity of continuing the treatment and its impact thus far.
College Tutor Requirements
- Applications must be supported by a College Tutor statement that confirms how the applicant’s illness is affecting their studies. College Tutors can use supervisors' assessments of the student's progress to explain how the student's illness is affecting their studies.
Please note that if the above documents are not submitted within 1 month of the application, the application may be rejected.
You can download a copy of the form to practise on. This is for practice only. The link to the online application form can be found on step 4. Applications need to be submitted via the online form and not via email, apart from in exceptional circumstances.
Step 1. Assess which fund you are eligible for
Look at the website and see which fund you are eligible for and is best suited for your needs.
Step 2. Discuss the application with your College Tutor and share with them any necessary information requested
Step 3. Contact your GP to request a supporting letter detailing their awareness of and recommendation for the medical treatment sought
Step 4. Apply Here
Step 5. Support forms and support documents
Your College Tutor and potentially Academic Supervisor will be asked to complete supporting forms for your application.
Step 6. Submit your GP letter
Either via the form or by email to financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Step 7. Receive your outcome
You will receive an outcome via email at the end of the month after you submit your application. For most funds, the award will be paid to your College within two weeks. For the Crane Medical Fund, a Tutor's statement and receipts will have to be submitted at the end of the treatment to claim reimbursement of the award.
You will be notified of your application outcome at the end of the following month after you have applied to the fund. For example, a student applying to the Fund in October can expect to receive an outcome via email by 30 November.
Applicants have one year from the date of their outcome email (the award date) to claim their award.
How much support is available?
Eligible students can receive a grant of up to £1,800 per academic year to assist with medical expenses.
When can I apply?
Students can apply to the Crane Medical Fund any time from 1 October up to 31 August.
Can I apply for treatment I have already received?
No, only treatment costs incurred after the award was granted will be supported. Retrospective applications will be declined.
Can my treatment take place outside the UK?
No, the Crane Medical Fund will only support medical treatment provided by UK-based clinicians.
How will my application be assessed?
The application process is managed by the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team and applications are carefully reviewed by a Medical Advisor (also referred to as the Apothecary).
How many times can I apply to the Crane Medical Fund?
There is no limit on the number of applications you can make to the fund. However, the maximum amount that can be awarded per academic year is £1,800. If you have already received awards totalling £1,800 in an academic year, you will be ineligible to receive further funding.
I can’t afford the cost of a GP letter. What do I do?
Please contact your College and inform them of your situation. They should be able to assist you.
I have additional information in support of my application. Where shall I send it?
Please send any additional supporting information, which has not been included in your application, to financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
How do I find out what is happening with my application?
To check on the progress of your application, please contact financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
Who do I contact regarding my application?
The Student Funding and Fee Policy Team manage the administration of the Crane Medical Fund. Please contact them at financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
How/when will I be notified of the outcome?
You should expect to hear an outcome for your application within a month*, provided that we have received all the required information. You will receive an email notifying you of the outcome.
*Please note that during exceptionally busy periods, processing times may take longer.
I have been granted an award but want to change my treatment provider. What do I do?
Please contact the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team at financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk, who can pass this information on to our Medical Advisor to be considered. Please ensure the new treatment provider is UK-based and provide us with their relevant contact details.
How will I receive my award?
You are required to pay for the cost of your treatment upfront, or your College may be able to assist you. Your College Tutor will then have to submit a report and a copy of the receipts for reimbursement. Reimbursement will be sent directly to your College.
How long do I have to spend my award?
Applicants have one year to claim their award. Appeals may be considered where an explanation can be provided for the delay - for example, the applicant was on a waiting list to receive the treatment for which they received support.
How do I appeal a decision?
If you are unhappy with the outcome you receive, please contact your College Tutor first. Appeals can then be directed to the Student Funding Manager at financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
I have appealed my outcome. When will I hear back about this?
If an outcome has been appealed, it is sent to the University Financial Assistance Sub-Committee for re-consideration. Unfortunately, we are unable to give an exact time frame as to when the outcome of an appeal will be made.