Here’s All The Places You Can Go For Extra Financial Help For Students In The UK

When student finance isn’t enough to live on, there are other ways you can get support.

Since the cost of living crisis, it’s been pretty clear that no-one has enough money to live off. This has filtered down all walks of life and students are no exception. When Student Beans surveyed freshers last year before they headed off to university, over 90% were worried about how money (or lack of) would affect their experience. This is a massive jump from our previous research on the cost of living crisis, which showed 74% students were worried about finances at the beginning of 2021. And with tuition fees on the rise, it’s certainly not helping alleviate any worries.

We know money isn’t everything, but when you don’t have it, the knock on effect to everything else in your life can be critical. A HEPI study from 2024 explored reasons for why students think about dropping out of university. The second biggest reason, after the emotional or mental toll university has on students, is financial difficulties. Which is likely to have an impact on your emotional and mental wellbeing too, right? And in 2024, a HEPI poll found that 58% students say their financial situation has got worse over the last year, leading 33% to think about dropping out as a result of this.

University is meant to be an exciting time of your life, not bound with stress and worry over money. So to try and relieve some pressure, we’ve got a list of all the places you can go for extra financial help for students in the UK. From funding to university hubs to help hustling a bit of extra dosh, it’s a good first step to cover the first bases.

Last updated: 5th February 2025

In this article:

• Extra funding for students
• Where to get support if you’re struggling

Extra funding for students

Hardship funds

Hardship funds, sometimes called Access to Learning funds, are there to help you if you’re facing short-term financial difficulties while at university. The rules for eligibility are pretty strict, as universities want to make sure that people that deserve it most receive the funding.

To be eligible, the financial difficulties you’re in have to be unexpected and through no fault of your own. So it’s unlikely that you’d get help if you spend all your maintenance loan on 2-4-1 jägerbombs, or you rent a place far more expensive than you can afford.

But if you were suddenly out of job or made redundant, or found yourself forced out of your home, then you could be eligible. There are other criteria for hardships funds too:

• You must be an undergraduate student
• You have to be a UK student, not an international student. If you’re facing financial struggles as an international student, then it’s worth talking to your university to see if there are separate hardship funds you could apply for
• You must receive or have applied for the maximum maintenance loan
• You have to show evidence of being unable to meet essential living costs like your rent and food
• The hardship fund must be able to fix your short-term financial difficulties with a one-off payment

There’s no set amount that universities will offer as a hardship fund, they’ll often do it as a case-by-case basis, and see how much money you actually need to help.

Scholarships, bursaries and grants

While you probably think of scholarships, bursaries and grants being offered before you start university, there are options for people already studying too.

There are so many scholarships to choose from in the UK, which can be a crucial part of extra financial help for students, but they can be quite competitive, so it’s worth looking around to see what’s available to you. Scholarships usually have a criteria such as:

• Academic excellence
• Sports scholarships
• Subject-specific

Alternatively, there are also bursaries and grants that you can apply for, which similarly to scholarships, are funds you don’t usually need to pay back. They are often less academically focused, and more focused on living costs and social mobility.

Where to get support if you’re struggling

At your university

Reach out to your personal tutor to let them know if you’re having concerns about your finances, or are taking up extra shifts at work which is impacting your university work. They may be able to offer assistance and flexibility in deadlines if you’re feeling overwhelmed about completing your work. Other places to consider are:

• Your students’ union – there may be dedicated teams to help support students through financial worries as well as help you apply for coursework extensions due to mitigating circumstances. You’ll also be able to find out about any schemes your union is running to help support those impacted by the student housing crisis such as petitions and protests.
• Your university counselling service – they can either talk to you about your worries or refer you to an external mental health support team. Counsellors are also great for general non-mental health talks, such as money troubles and uni workloads. The counsellors that work for your university will be able to work with your lectures to help grant extra deadlines and support you with your financial worries.

University cost of living hubs

Many universities still retain their cost of living hubs, which you can explore here:

• University of York
• University of Bath
• University of Glasgow
• UCL
• Sheffield Hallam University
• University of Warrick
• University of Liverpool
• University of Manchester
• University of Reading
• University of Kent
• University of Exeter
• Durham University
• University of Sheffield
• University of Edinburgh
• Newcastle University
• Royal Holloway
• University of Essex
• University of Plymouth
• University of Sussex
• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge
• Buckinghamshire New University
• Canterbury Christ Church University
• University of Leicester
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• University of Hull
• University of Lincoln
• University of Portsmouth
• University of Wales Trinity Saint David
• Queen’s University Belfast
• Queen Margaret University
• Swansea University
• University of Nottingham

Online resources

Money Saving Expert — the student hub has loads of advice for students around budgeting and the cost of living crisis.

Student Beans blog – far be it from us to promote our own blog, but our team is dedicated to finding all the best money-saving tips, and providing useful resources on where to go for extra financial help for students.

National debtline — online tools and webchats to help you discuss your financial worries, plus a cost of living hub with information on making the most of your money and dealing with debt.

Stepchange — for debt solutions and confidential advice.

Other places to get support

If you’ve exhausted all other options, then it’s worth considering other places to get support such as:

• Your GP – if your mental health is suffering due to your finances your GP can be a good place to start, they can refer you for additional treatment or therapy if they think that you’ll benefit from it.
• Disability support — if you’re eligible you can apply for the disabled students’ allowance for extra funding.
• Cost of living support for students — the government hub on what support is available to students and what loans and bursaries they can apply for if they’re eligible.

Make sure you’re making sensible financial choices and saving money wherever you can by accessing all your favourite brands with a Student Beans student discount.