Undergraduate Financial Assistance Fund

Applicants to the Fund must be registered current undergraduate students of the University who have matriculated. The Financial Assistance Fund classifies registered students as students who have not met their course requirements.

Applications must be submitted 6 weeks before the completion of course requirements (this is 6 weeks before the last day of Easter Full Term).

Applicants should have sought the maximum support from all available sources before applying. It is expected that if a student has access to a funder or a government-supported educational loan they will take out/extend this loan before applying for financial assistance from the University. 

Financial assistance will not be provided for:

• students who are on intermission
• students who have not made adequate financial provision prior to starting their studies
• students with access to savings of over £1,000 or alternative funding that could meet their shortfall
• students with high living costs that exceed the indicative amounts for undergraduate admissions of £11,160 for students in 2025/26, without acceptable justification
• students without a student loan, who are otherwise eligible to receive one
• students in the first term of their course
• 5th and 6th year clinical medics who are applying due to a reduction in Student Finance support
• students paying off debt or overdrafts
• situations that could reasonably be foreseen or had occurred prior to the student enrolling on their course
• situations that occurred more than 1 term ago
• students supporting family members or friends
• laptop or other IT costs
• currency fluctuations, with the exception of a currency collapse*
• cost-of-living crisis costs that are the sole reason for the application. 
• COVID-19 costs
• tuition fees
• medical costs
• College accommodation costs over the holidays, without an exceptional reason
• childcare costs**
• visa costs
• shortfalls exceeding £3,000 where there is no viable plan to cover the remaining costs.
• applicants who have received the maximum award this academic year (£3,000)
• costs that have already been mitigated against by a previous award from the fund
• students applying during the last 6 weeks of their course
• students who are applying due to a DSA shortfall***.

* Please see the FAQ section for the definition of a currency collapse.

**Please approach the University's Childcare Fund or the Central Childcare Bursary Scheme for EU and overseas students in the first instance.

***Please approach the DSA in the first instance. If no funding is available and there is a shortfall, a supporting letter from the DSA is required for any application to the fund, explaining why the DSA award is insufficient and why there is a financial shortfall.

Financial assistance is available for undergraduate students studying on a Year Abroad who have not received funding from the Turing Scheme or equivalent University funding. Please answer 'yes' to the question in the application form asking if you are applying for financial assistance for your Year Abroad. 

Students must be able to demonstrate that without this award, they will be placed in severe financial difficulty. In addition, it is expected that students would have taken advantage of the maximum Government education loan that might be available during their Year Abroad. You may also be eligible to receive a travel grant, please see the Travel grants for students studying abroad or on placements page. 

This scheme is managed by the International Student Office and the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team. 

Applications must be supported by a statement submitted by a College Tutor as confirmation that they have spoken to the student about their financial circumstances. College Tutors will request evidence of financial documentation regarding income and expenditure in order to provide their supporting statement.

We ask for a College Tutor's support form to ensure assistance is available to students within the College in the form of pastoral care, as well as potential financial support from other sources.

You can download an offline copy of the application form to practise. Please note that this is for practice only and the link to the online application form can be found below. Applications need to be submitted via the online form in step 2 and not via email. 

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.

2. Discuss the application with your College Tutor
3. Apply

4. Support forms and support documents

   Your College Tutor will be asked to complete a supporting form for your application.

5. Receive your outcome

You will receive an outcome via email at the end of the month after you submit your application. You will then be invited to add your bank details on CamSIS after receiving an award confirmation. Payments will be made within 2 weeks of receiving your bank details on CamSIS. In most cases payments will be made directly to the applicant, in cases of significant college debt, payments will be made to the College. 

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 2025, you should expect to receive an outcome by 30th November 2025 via email.

*Please note, in cases where we are waiting for additional information, or in busy periods, the length of time to be notified of the award may be extended.

Am I eligible to apply for the fund?

Undergraduate students who may be eligible to apply include those who are:

• Studying for a BA, MusB, BTh, MB BChir, VetMB or an integrated Master's degree (MEng, MMath, MSci) taken as Part III of a Tripos.
• Affiliated students who already have a degree from another University and are taking the Cambridge BA in two years rather than three.
• Students studying on a Year Abroad who have not received funding from the Turing Scheme or equivalent University funding.

As well as being on one of the above courses, you will also need to meet our eligibility criteria.

How much support is available? 

Eligible, full-time students can receive a grant of up to £3,000 per academic year to assist with unforeseen financial difficulties. Eligible part-time students can receive a grant of up to £1500 per academic year.

Can I apply to the fund for support with cost-of-living costs?

Cost of living is not usually supported as a sole factor for financial difficulties anymore, as it is no longer considered unforeseen. In exceptional cases it will be considered for final year students who have seen a greater than 5% inflation of living costs.

When can I apply to the fund?

Students can apply to the fund any time between 1 October and 31 August.

How many times can I apply to the Undergraduate Financial Assistance Fund?

You can apply to the Undergraduate Financial Assistance Fund once per term. However, the maximum amount that can be awarded per academic year is £3,000. If you have already received awards totalling the maximum award for the academic year, you will be ineligible to receive further funding.

Who do I contact regarding my application?

The Student Funding and Fee Policy Team manage the administration of the Undergraduate Financial Assistance Fund. Please contact them via email at 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 email financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk 

How will my application be assessed?

We will assess your expected income against reasonable expenditure and annual indicative rates for living costs (£11,160 for undergraduate students in 2025/26). Additionally, we will consider your application against our eligibility criteria and your CamSIS record, to determine if an award can be made.

When/how will I hear my outcome?

You will be notified of your outcome via email. For instance, if you submitted your application in May, you will be notified in June.

How will I receive my award?

Awards are paid directly to students via CamSIS payments.

How do I appeal a decision?

An appeal is only possible if procedural irregularities occurred when considering an application for an award that materially (or potentially material) affected the outcome. Please contact the Secretary at financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk with any enquiries about an appeal. 

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

What is considered a high shortfall?

Any shortfall over £3,000, where a sufficient financial plan has not been provided.

Do you expect me to run my savings down to £0?

No, savings over £1,000 will be considered as spare money to be used towards any financial shortfall.

Why am I unable to claim for the cost-of-living crisis?

The cost-of-living crisis is not supported as a sole factor for financial difficulties anymore, as it is no longer considered unforeseen. In exceptional cases, it will be considered for final year students who have seen a greater than 5% inflation of living costs.

What is a currency collapse?

A devaluation of currency exchange rate of or equal to 20% or more, verified on https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/en/ by the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team over the course of the last month. Preference will be given to students whose money is in a currency experiencing a devaluation of 50% or more, or those on a course with a duration longer than 12 months. Devaluations of currency of under 5% are considered a reasonable reduction over the course of a period of study and will not be awarded where currency fluctuations are the only reason stated for financial difficulties. 

What should I do if my household financial circumstances have changed?

If household financial circumstances have worsened since their initial application, students can apply to have their household income reassessed by Student Finance, which may result in further support and a higher Cambridge Bursary. Your College Tutor can advise you. 

Will Student Finance provide support during an intermission?

Student Finance funded students having to intermit their studies may apply for their maintenance funding to continue for up to 60 days (8 weeks) due to 'Compelling Personal Reasons'. Please read the Withdrawing or suspending study page. 

How do I add my bank details onto CamSIS?

Log in to CamSIS and click on the ‘Student Payments’ tab. You will then be prompted to upload your bank details (name, sort code and account number). Your details will then be checked and verified. You will need to provide the details of a UK bank account.

CamSIS says I need to contact an administrator. What do I do?

We expect that the majority of students will be fine with the automatic verification of bank details online. However, if there are issues you will be redirected to contact your school administrator. Please contact financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk who will be able to assist you.