Access/Hardship Funding

The Funds have different names depending on which country of the UK you are studying in, and may be run in slightly different ways by each University.

If you think you might need extra help find out who administers the Funds in your particular University and the application process as soon as you can.

Access to Learning Fund (ALF) (England)

• The Fund is available to all  eligible UK students studying in England.
• The Fund provides help for students on a low income who may need extra financial support for their course and to stay in higher education.
• You must have taken out your maximum maintenance student loan entitlement to be eligible to apply for ALF.
• Students are assessed on their individual need but certain groups have priority.
• Payments are usually grants but can be short-term loans.
• The Fund is administered through your University.
• Application forms are detailed as the Fund administrators have to make sure you are eligible to apply and need to know about your personal financial situation.
• There is an opportunity on the application form for you to put forward any extra information you feel would help your case.
• The best advice is to be honest and to try to put your points across briefly in a clear orderly and way.
• Remember to provide all the documents you are asked for to support your claim.
• Find out more about ALF under Student Finance fact sheets on the related website.

Discretionary Funds 08/09 (previously named Hardship Funds) (Scotland)

• The Funds are available to all UK students studying in Scotland.
• Discretionary Funds are provided by SAAS to Universities in Scotland to help students who, for whatever reasons, have financial difficulties.
• Your University decides which students should receive payments and how much each payment should be.
• You apply directly to the University for help.
• The Funds operate in a very similar way to the Access to Learning Fund (ALF) in England.
• You can find out more on the SAAS website - look under Other Sources of Funding.

Financial Contingency Fund (FCF) (Wales)

• The Fund is available to all UK students studying at Welsh Universities.
• The Financial Contingency Fund is similar in the way it works to the Access to Learning Fund (ALF) in England.
• You apply for help from the FCF through your University.

Support Funds (Northern Ireland)

• The  Support Funds are available to all UK students studying at Northern Irish Universities.
• The Support Funds are very similar in the way they work to the Access to Learning Fund (ALF) in England.
• Apply for help from the Support Funds through your University.
• Find out more on the Student Finance Northern Ireland website - look under Additional Help Available.