The Realise Financial Assistance Fund aims to support home fee undergraduate students on intermission in financial need, who fall into groups identified in The Realise Project as follows:
- Care experienced and/or estranged students
- Refugee, asylum seeker and forced migrant students
- Young carer students
- Gypsy, Roma, traveller, showman and boater students
Information about the Fund
The Realise Financial Assistance Fund can provide awards of up to £3,650 (including support from SLC) to help Realise-Project-identified students on intermission who are in financial need.
Applications are carefully reviewed by the University's Financial Assistance Sub-Committee and the application process is managed by the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team.
Eligible students are only able to access this financial assistance once during their studies at the University.
Please note this fund closes on 31 August 2025 and will re-open on 1 October 2025.
Additional Support
Students eligible for the Realise Fund should also take advantage of the support available from the Student Loans Company, which can provide up to 60 days (8 weeks) of additional maintenance support for students on sickness absence. Other useful links are:
- Budgeting Advice from the Students' Union
- Money Saving Expert - Student Budgeting Planner
- Budgeting Advice from UCAS
- The Crane Medical Fund
- The University's Childcare Support Fund
Applicants to the fund must be current registered undergraduate home students on intermission and fall into one of the Realise groups. The Realise Fund classifies current registered students as students who have not met their course requirements.
Eligible students must fall into one of the below categories as identified by the Realise Project:
- Care experienced and/or estranged students
- Refugee, asylum seeker and forced migrant students
- Young carer students
- Gypsy, Roma, traveller, showman and boater students.
Please note that eligible students must apply to the fund before or at the beginning of their period of intermission. Please read the information below carefully.
Financial assistance will not be provided for:
- Students who have not made adequate financial provision prior to starting their studies
- Students with access to savings or alternative funding that could meet their shortfall
- Students with high living costs above the indicative amounts from UG admissions of £10950 for 2024-25, without acceptable justification
- Students without a student loan who are otherwise eligible to receive one
- Students in the first term of their course
- Students paying off debt or overdrafts
- Situations that occurred before the current academic year
- Students supporting family members or friends
- Laptop or IT costs
- Cost-of-living crisis costs as a singular factor for the application. However, students who have seen a rise of more than 5% in living costs per year since they started may be considered
- Covid-19 costs
- Tuition fees
- Medical costs
- College accommodation costs over the holidays, without an exceptional reason
- Childcare costs
- Visa costs
- Shortfalls higher than £3,650, where there is no viable plan to meet the rest of the shortfall
- Applicants who have already received financial assistance from the Realise Fund.
Applications must be supported by a statement submitted by a College Tutor, which confirms they have spoken to the student about their financial circumstances. College Tutors will request to see evidence of financial documentation regarding income and expenditure to provide their supporting statement.
A step-by-step process of how to apply for financial assistance
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 financial information.
Step 3. Apply to the financial assistance fund online
Complete the application form online.
Step 4. Support forms and support documents
Your College Tutor and potentially Academic Supervisor will be asked to complete supporting forms for your application. Please note, that if a form is not received within one month, your application may be rejected.
Step 5. 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 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 the results at the end of the month following your application*. For example, if you applied to the fund in October 2025, you should expect to receive an outcome by the 30 November 2025. You will be notified of your outcome via email.
Please see the below table to clarify when you will receive an outcome:
*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?
Home-fee-paying undergraduate students who are on intermission and fall under one of the categories below are eligible to apply:
- Care experienced and/or estranged students
- Refugee, asylum seeker and forced migrant students
- Young carer students
- Gypsy, Roma, traveller, showman and boater students
How much support is available?
Eligible students can receive a grant of up to £3,650 (2024/25 rate) once during the course of their studies at the University.
When can I apply to the fund?
Students can apply to the fund any time between 1 October 2024 and 31 August 2025.
Who do I contact regarding my application?
The Student Funding and Fee Policy Team manage the administration of the Realise Fund. Please email 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 (£11,715 for undergraduate students in 2024/25). 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?
Please see the below table to clarify when you will receive an outcome. You will be notified of your outcome via email.
How will I receive my award?
Awards are paid to your College, which will then reimburse you.
What is my payment reference?
This is made up of: Fund, USN and last name e.g. Realise 123456789 Smith
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.
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 reconsideration. Unfortunately, we are unable to give an exact timeframe as to when the outcome of an appeal will be made.
I have additional information in support of my application. Where shall I send this?
Please send any additional supporting information that has not been included in your initial application to financialassistance@admin.cam.ac.uk
What is considered a high shortfall?
Any shortfall over £4,000 where a sufficient financial plan has not been provided.
Do you expect me to run my savings down to 0?
No. Only savings over £1,000 will be considered as spare money to be used towards any financial shortfall.
Why am I unable to claim the Cost-of-living Crisis as a reason for financial difficulties?
The Cost-of-living Crisis is not usually supported as a sole factor for financial difficulties anymore, as it is no longer considered to be unforeseen. In exceptional cases, it will be considered for final year students who have seen a greater than 5% inflation of living costs since they started their course.