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The Crane Fund
About the Fund
The Crane Fund can provide awards of up to £1800 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 re-imbursed if treatment occurred after a successful outcome has been communicated via email from the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team.
Applications are carefully reviewed by a Medical Advisor 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 for this fund.
Please note, the Crane's Fund closes for a month, from 31 August 2025- 30th September 2025.
Before you apply
Before applying to the Crane Fund, you should 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 which could help you.
Quick Links for Other Support
- 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
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If you are unsure which NHS service to use, the NHS Symptom Checker might be helpful.
Eligibility Criteria
- 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 for PhD students who have not submitted their soft-bound thesis
- Students currently on intermission are eligible to apply to the fund
- 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 defined to be where a student is unable to complete a period of assessment without accessing private treatment in a timely manner
- Where the treatment can be quickly and easily accessed via the NHS, the application will be rejected, and the applicant advised to access NHS treatment
- Treatments being applied for must be from UK-based providers with the necessary qualifications and meet NICE guidelines (NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)
Please read the below criteria to determine your eligibility for the fund.
Financial assistance will not usually be provided for the following medical treatments or circumstances:
- Medical treatments which do not meet NICE guidelines
- Medical treatments which are not conducted in the UK
- Students with private medical insurance
- ADHD assessments or medication
- Autism assessments unless there is an exceptional circumstance where a educational diagnosis is not sufficient for study
- Private medication costs (on the basis that the student may not be under GP care whilst on medication and may find it difficult to continue with medication on the NHS)
- Ordinary dental treatment
- Treatments which have occurred prior to the date of the award
- Debt arising from medical expenses
- Treatment-associated costs (such as travel costs)
Financial assistance will not usually 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 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, which cannot be reasonably justified
- Students in receipt of full funding 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 which could meet their shortfall
Please note that applications which do not meet the above eligibility criteria will be rejected.
Application Requirements
Please note 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 must be provided with the application. This does not need to be bespoke and can just be a referral letter. If there is a fee for the letter, please approach your College for support with this.
- Additional recommendations can be provided from another suitably qualified professional in addition to the GP letter, but this is not a requirement.
College Tutor Requirements
- Applications must be supported by a statement submitted by a College Tutor which 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 if the above documents are not submitted within 1 month of the application, the application may be rejected.
Application Process
- Read carefully through the eligibility criteria to see if you are eligible to apply
- Discuss your application with your College Tutor and share with them any necessary information requested
- Contact your GP to request a supporting letter detailing their awareness of and recommendation for the medical treatment sought
- Complete your application form online
- Submit the supporting GP letter, either via the form or by email to financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
Application Outcomes
You will be notified of the results of your application at the end of the following month after you have applied to the fund. For example if you applied to the fund in October 2024, you should expect to receive an outcome by the 30th November 2024.
Please see the below table to clarify when you will receive an outcome:
Successful applications will be notified via email. Applicants have 1 year from the date of their outcome email to claim their award.
FAQs
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How much support is available?
Eligible students can receive a grant of up to £1800 per academic year to assist with medical expenses.
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When can I apply?
Students can apply to the Crane Fund any time from 1 October up to 31 August.
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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.
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Can my treatment take place outside the UK?
No, the Crane Fund will only support medical treatment provided by UK-based clinicians.
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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).
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How many times can I apply to the Crane Fund?
There is no limit on the amount of applications you can make to the fund. However, the maximum amount that can be awarded per academic year is £1800. If you have already received awards totalling £1800 in an academic year, you will be ineligible to receive further funding.
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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 with this.
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I have additional information in support of my application. Where shall I send this?
Please send any additional supporting information, which has not been included in your application, to: financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
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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
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Who do I contact regarding my application?
The Student Funding and Fee Policy Team manage the administration of the Crane Fund. Please contact them here: financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
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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 been provided with 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.
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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.
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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.
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How long do I have to spend my award?
Applicants have one year to claim their award, after which it lapses. 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.
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How do I appeal a decision?
If you are unhappy with the outcome you receive, please contact your college tutor in the first instance. Appeals can then be directed to the Student Funding Manager at financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
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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.