The Aspire Guide - Flipbook - Page 20
Did you know?
43% of students surveyed in 2021 feel they weren’t made aware of funding options
available to them, such as grants.9
Government bursaries and grants
While many students will pay off their student loans, there are other sources of funding which don’t
require you to repay a penny - free money! You may be eligible in England for a grant from Student Finance
if you have a disability or dependents. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are various grants
and allowances, so be sure to research if you are eligible for these through the Student Finance websites
for where you live. You can find out more about bursaries and grants via the Complete University Guide.
University bursaries, grants and hardship funds
It’s not just the government that financially supports students - most universities also offer free money!
This can include everything from grants for books, travel or research, bursaries for students from lowincome, care-leaver or refugee backgrounds, and even prizes for students with high grades, sporting
talents, or musical abilities. There’s also support available if you hit unexpected financial difficulties,
known as “hardship funds”, which you can apply for at any point during your course. You would be
surprised as to how many bursaries there are - and you wouldn’t be alone in not knowing about them
all. You might be entered automatically for these based on your UCAS data, but to ensure you don’t miss
out, check out the different bursaries available through individual university websites or by reaching
out to their student services team. They’re always happy to chat - it’s their job to ensure this money
reaches students!
Muhammad is a trainee solicitor who previously graduated from SOAS with a
degree in Law. In his own words, attending university “changed his life forever”.
However, due to his faith, he faced a difficult decision surrounding taking out a
student loan. He shares below his top tips for navigating this:
It is important that you do not immediately discount the importance and
significance of accurately completing your student finance information. Growing
up in a low-income family, I was eligible for bursaries at university and of course
for employability programmes like upReach. However, in order to be eligible, my
university and other charities must be able to make a genuine determination of
financial need. I of course knew what the financial situation of my family was,
but the only way in which I could share that information was through Student Finance.
Therefore, despite not intending to take out any amount of the maintenance loan, I filled out the
documentation accurately and asked to receive the maximum amount possible. Incidentally, I was eligible
for the maximum amount of maintenance and once this was confirmed and I received confirmation from
Student Finance, I immediately changed my requested loan total to £0. In doing so, I was able to show I
am eligible for bursaries whilst ensuring I did not take out a maintenance grant.
If I had not filled out the information or simply ignored applying for student finance, I would have missed
out on approximately £5,000 worth of bursary and eligibility to social mobility programmes, simply
because the assumption from Student Finance would have been that I am financially stable enough that
I am not eligible for the maintenance loan. Don’t miss out, make sure you fill out your maintenance grant
application!
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