The Student Support Fund
The Student Support Fund is now closed and will reopen in November 2024.
About the Student Support Fund
The Student Support Fund is a range of different pots of money set aside to assist students who are experiencing unexpected financial difficulty. The Student Support Fund can only be used to help with living costs and are provided by the University based on an assessment of need. You can apply via the RISIS portal.
See further details and eligibility on the fund below and please read the Guidance Notes and instructions for applying before you start.
The Student Financial Support team are available to assist with your queries.
Are you struggling to manage a change in your money situation?
Life can change unexpectedly; loss of a job, illness or family etc. In the event of unexpected changes in circumstances, the university is here to support you. Especially in cases where you are struggling financially.
The University may be able to provide short-term solutions in the form of bursaries, support funds and essential food and household items. The Student Financial Support team can also help ensure you are receiving all the funding available while at university.
Deadline
The deadline for application is 1pm on Friday 9 May 2025.
Maximum Award Levels
The below maximum award levels have been agreed for applications submitted until the end of the academic year. The Student Support Funds are heavily oversubscribed and in the vast majority of cases we are only able to award a portion of the calculated shortfall or amount requested.
Single students | £1,500 |
Families (students with dependents) | £3,000 |
Final year students who apply after Semester 2 | £1,000 |
The maximum level of award is only given in situations of extreme hardship, it is NOT the standard level of award.
What can awards be used for?
The primary purpose of the Funds is to relieve unexpected financial hardship that might impact on a student’s participation in higher education.
Awards from the Student Support Funds are not required to be repaid and can be used towards unexpected living costs, internet connectivity, specialist software, as well as IT-related study equipment costs.
The Student Support Funds cannot support students with any fee-related payments; including Tuition fees, Resit fees, Library fees, late payment charges and Hall fines.
Who can apply?
To be eligible to apply to the Student Support Fund, UK/EU or International students need to meet the below criteria:
- Be currently fully-registered (enrolled) on a degree-awarding programme or above with a minimum of one year in length, at the University of Reading.
- Be on a full-time programme, a part-time programme, a sandwich year, or a placement period.
a. With the exception of Degree Apprenticeships (see Degree Apprenticeships below) and online or distance learning courses (see Online or distance learning programmes below).
b. Part-time students must be studying at least 25% of a full-time course. Any award will be prorated to match the intensity of the course.
- Be able to demonstrate that realistic and sufficient financial provision was made before starting their studies (including applying to their funding provider for support before advertised deadlines).
- Have more than 4 weeks left remaining on their programme at the University of Reading.
In accordance with the University’s Suspensions Policy students who are suspended from studies cannot access the Student Support Fund.
- Degree Apprenticeships - students on a Degree Apprenticeship programme are not usually eligible to apply for student support, unless evidence of unexpected and unforeseen circumstances can be provided, eg a car break-down preventing travel to the University for the study element of the programme. Students on a Degree Apprenticeship experiencing financial difficulties should discuss this with their employer in the first instance.
- Online or distance learning programmes - students studying online only or by distance learning are not eligible to apply. Students would be expected to consider other options, such as suspending studies or deferral.
How to apply
The Student Support Fund is now closed and will reopen in November 2024.
When the fund reopens you will be able to apply via the RISIS portal.
Go to the “Actions” menu and then click on “Financial Support”. From this page you will be able to read the guidance notes and click on the link “Begin/Continue application for financial support or bursary”. When you have completed your online application you will get an acknowledgment email sent to you.
If you get stuck with finding the application on the RISIS Web Portal then do take a look at the screen shots of the process.