The Advice Centre provides confidential and independent advice on issues connected to finance.
These pages provide you with information on common finance enquires and issues, as well as information about how to contact an Advisor.
The SU Advice Centre holds a food bank within our centre which is accessible for students. If you are also experiencing difficulties with cost of living, please click the link provided here, which will take you to the SU Advice Centre's Cost of Living Support page, where you can find further support and tips on saving money.
Click on each category for guidance and the support available to you.
Information regarding maintenance and tuition loans
The amount of maintenance loan you are entitled to is means tested. This means that your eligibility will be dependent on your household income.
Click here for Student Finance England's contact information.
For a Quick Start Guide provided by Student Finance England, please click here
Please see FAQs for unanswered questions.
Compelling Personal Reasons
You may need additional years of funding. If so, please contact Student Finance England.
FAQ's
- Contact Student Finance England
- Contact Student Support for further support.
If you are concerned that you have not been paid the correct amount of maintenance loan please contact Student Finance England as above or contact us for more support.
Book an appointment and attend a drop-in session with the SU Advice Centre.
All students are entitled to a basic amount of financial help. However, Student Finance England normally determine your eligibility through means testing. This means that you will receive the full amount of tuition fee loan but the amount of maintenance loan you receive is dependent on your household income. You are an Independent Student if you meet one or more of the following criteria:
- You are aged 25 or over on the first day of the academic year
- You care for a person aged under 18 on the first day of the academic year
- You have been married or in a civil partnership before the start of the academic year
- You have supported yourself for at least 3 years
- You have no living parents
- You are permanently estranged from your parents and have not communicated with your parents for at least 1 year prior
- Your parents live outside the EU and an income assessment would put them in jeopardy, or they cannot practically send funds to be UK to support you
- You have been in care for any period of three months ending on or after the date of your 16th birthday and before the first day of the academic year
Please click here if you are an independent student to applies to one or more of the criteria.
Student Finance England define estrangement as
- "To be considered irreconcilably estranged from your parents, you won’t have had any written or verbal contact with either parent and this is unlikely to change. Usually, for a period of at least twelve months, but they will consider all cases."
You will need to complete an estrangement form as part of your Student Finance England application. Please click here for more information
For more help and information about applying for student finance as an estranged student go to: standalone.org.uk/guides/student-guide
If your circumstances have changed since your student finance application, you can apply for a change of circumstances. This will allow you to be means tested on your current circumstances. Click here more information on how to change your application.
This information relates to Student Finance England funding. If you are funded by an alternative body (e.g. Student Finance Wales or Scotland or NI) please get in touch with us.
Please note that these sections cover the majority of additional funding available to students, however this list is not exhaustive and if you are in financial difficulty we would recommend that you come in to speak to an Advisor about your circumstances.
Financial Assistance Fund (Single)
This is a non-repayable grant. A Financial Assistance Fund is available during term time, and a Summer Financial Assistance Fund is available for financial support over the summer break. The application is heavily evidence based and an assessment of the evidence you provide will be made.
To submit an application, please click here
We strongly advise you get in touch with an Advisor to talk through the application form and support you through this process.
If you are an international or EU student and are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of Covid-19, please email [email protected].
Financial Assistance Fund (With Dependents)
This is a non-repayable grant for undergraduate students with a child or adult who is financially dependent on them.
A Financial Assistance Fund is available during term time, and a Summer Financial Assistance Fund is available for financial support over the summer break. The application is heavily evidence based and an assessment of the evidence you provide will be made.
To submit an application, please click here
We strongly advise you get in touch to talk through the application with an Advisor and allow us to support you through this process.
For more information about how your application will be assessed please see the additional assessing notes provided by the University here.
Blackburn Bursary
The Blackburn Bursary is a bursary which is eligible for undergraduate students who have received local authority care within the last five years and are defined as ‘care leavers’, according to the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. Application forms are available from the Student Funding Team, at [email protected]
Course Related Travel Grant
This is a grant intended as a contribution towards the costs of travelling, within the UK or abroad, that are associated with your course. For an application form, please click here
We would strongly advise to get in touch to talk through the application with an Advisor and allow us to support you through this process.
Financial Assistance Commuting Travel Grant
This is a grant intended as a contribution to travel costs for undergraduate students who attend University from their permanent home address. To be eligible for the grant, you must be:
- An undergraduate student enrolled at the University of Lincoln
- Eligible for a maintenance loan, according to your 2018/19 Student Finance England assessment
- Have to pay for travel to attend the University from your permanent home address and live in either Lincolnshire or North Lincolnshire.
For an application form, please click here
We would strongly advise to get in touch for advice and support on the application process
Disability Student Allowance
The Disability Student Allowance is a grant intended as a contribution towards the extra costs associated with a Mental Health problem, long-term illness or disability. For support with the application for Disabled Student Allowance, we would advise you contact the Student Wellbeing Centre
Short Term Loans
Repayable loans are available for full time UK home students. The student must be eligible for a maintenance loan from Student Finance England which has been delayed and have no other means of financial support. Application forms are available from the Student Funding Team, at: [email protected]
Foyer/Supported House Bursary
A bursary for students enrolled at the University of Lincoln who have come directly from living in a Foyer or other supported housing and in which they have lived between the ages of 16 to 18. Application forms are available from the Student Funding Team, at: [email protected].
George Major Bursaries
George major Bursaries aims to provide student bursaries for students with disabilities.
Please click here for further information.
Financial Assistance Fund (Postgraduate)
If you have made adequate provisions for your living costs and course fees before embarking on the course and have applied for/taken out all statutory funding/benefits, but course materials and travel for example, are not easily affordable to you, you can apply for the Postgraduate Financial Assistance Fund.
This is a non-repayable grant. A Financial Assistance Fund is available during term time, and a Summer Financial Assistance Fund is available for financial support over the summer break.
To submit an application, please click here.
We strongly advise you get in touch to talk through the application with an Advisor and allow us to confidentially support you through this process.
For more information about how your application will be assessed please see the additional assessing notes provided by the University here
Course Related Travel Grant
This is a grant intended as a contribution towards the costs of travelling, within the UK or abroad, that are associated with your course. For an application form, please click here
We would strongly advise to get in touch to talk through the application with an Advisor and allow us to support you through this process.
George Major Bursaries
George major Bursaries aims to provide student bursaries for students with disabilities.
Please click here for further information.
Course Related Travel Grant
This is a grant intended as a contribution towards the costs of travelling, within the UK or abroad, that are associated with your course. For an application form, please click here.
We would strongly advise to get in touch to talk through the application with an Advisor and allow us to support you through this process.
Dr E Jackson EU/International Exceptional Financial Assistance Fund
EU/International students are expected to have made adequate provision for their personal and university costs before they embark on the course. If successful the amount you are awarded will depend upon the information you supply and your individual circumstances. For more information about this fund please come in and speak to an Advisor.
The university also provides the following emergency funds for international students who have experienced an unexpected event that caused financial difficulty;
Emergency Repatriation Fund
This is a non-repayable fund to provide exceptional emergency support to international students who are required to go home urgently due to an unanticipated event
Please contact the Student Funding Team at studentfundingteam.ac.uk for more information and an application form.
Emergency Cash Loan
The small amount of cash which can be loaned is to assist with immediate food costs. The student is expected to provide evidence of the delay in the receipt of their maintenance funds as well as evidence of their hardship. This is a loan and is therefore repayable.
Please contact the Student Funding Team at studentfundingteam.ac.uk for more information and an application form.
Financial Assistance Fund (with dependents)
Undergraduate students with a dependent are eligible for the Financial Assistance Fund. A dependent is a child or adult who is financially dependent on another.
A Financial Assistance Fund is available during term time, and a Summer Financial Assistance Fund is available for financial support over the summer break.
To submit an application, please click here
We strongly advise you get in touch to talk through the application with an Advisor and allow us to confidentially support you through this process.
Full-Time Childcare Grant
A Childcare Grant is available from Student Finance England for students with children, which is intended to help with the costs of childcare during study. You may be eligible for a Full-Time Childcare Grant if you are a full time student and have children either under 15 or under 17 if the child has special educational needs.
Please click here for further information
Full-Time Adult Dependants’ Grant
Please click here for further information.
Full-Time Parents’ Learning Allowance
For a full list of scholarships and bursaries provided by the University, please see here.
We would advise to get in touch with our advice centre to confidentially speak to one of our Advisors about the funds eligible for you
If you received government welfare benefits before your studies or think you may be eligible please speak to the University’s Student Funding team to discuss your circumstances and eligibility.
Please see our list of on campus support services for information about how to get in touch with their service here
Part-time work
Please click here to see University jobs.
Please click here to see jobs within the local area.
International Students
You are aware of the amount of hours you are able to complete a week. For any further advice, please contact International Advice.
Please click here for contact information.
Budgeting tips
At the Advice Centre, we have created resources you can download and use to plan and manage your expenditures.
We would advise that you budget termly.
Please see the University’s Financial Assistance Funds section above for information on how they can help with immediate financial hardship.
The Students' Union Advice Centre accepts and distributes food parcels for students in extreme hardship. If you're interested in finding out more, just contact a member of our team at [email protected] or 01522 837000.
Please reach out to Student Wellbeing via [email protected].
