The BNU Financial Aid Fund exists to support students through the cost-of-living crisis who encounter a financial emergency and is separate to our Bursaries and Scholarships. The allowance provides immediate short-term relief as emergency payments that do not need to be repaid. 

Awarding Amount: The maximum amount available per student is capped at £200.00 and students can only be awarded once per academic year. Please note, there is no guarantee of an award and assessments are made on a case-by-case basis.

Criteria:

• To Apply you must be a Home/UK or E.U student (in receipt of Student Finance Tuition Fee Funding) and complete the linked application below providing a brief outline of your circumstances and completing all mandatory fields.
• E.U Students will need to upload a copy of their tuition fee funding confirmation from Student finance along with their supporting evidence.

When to Apply: Students can apply once during each academic year. Please note students starting in the 25-26 academic year will not be able to apply until they have started their course.

How to Apply: Students can apply via Black Bullion.

You will be asked to create an account if you have not done so already.

The BNU Financial Aid- Hardship Fund provides discretionary financial assistance for students to help them access and remain in higher education.

It is particularly aimed for those students who need financial help to meet specific course and living costs that cannot be met from other sources of support. The fund can provide emergency payments for unexpected financial crises.

The University follows NASMA guidance when deciding how to allocate the funding.

Awarding Amount: This fund is assessed on a case-to-case basis, we cannot guarantee an awarding amount. 

Criteria:

• Must be a Home/UK or E.U student (in receipt of Student Finance Tuition Fee Funding)
• Studying Full time or Part-Time, Distance Learning or Sandwich courses (Part-time students must be studying the equivalent of 50 per cent of a full-time course)
• Must not be a debtor to the University and must be up to date with their tuition fee payment plan.
• Been approved for student finance or equivalent funding body for their current academic year of study.
• Must be able to demonstrate that they have made adequate provision to fund their Tuition Fees and living costs (Including eligible Maintenance loans).

When to Apply: Students can apply once during each academic year. Students must be enrolled and within their course start and end dates for their current academic year of study. Students completing referral work outside of these dates can apply with an official end date extension.

How to Apply: Please contact the Students' Union Advice Centre to make an appointment. Email suadvice@bucks.ac.uk or call 01494 603016 to apply.

For more information, please visit our Financial Aid – Hardship Fund webpage.

The government offers Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) to help meet the extra costs of studying that some students face as a direct result of a disability, mental health difficulty, specific learning difficulty or chronic medical condition.

How to Apply: Find out how to apply.

Awarding amount: £500

Criteria:

To apply for this bursary, you must be a UK student in receipt of full funding which includes both tuition fee and maintenance loan and meet one of the below.

• Have a combined household income of less than £25,000 (Checked by your Student finance Maintenance loan above £10,500 [Outside of London], £13,500 [Inside London] or £8,750 [Living at Home] excluding any grants). See section 4.8 Maintenance Loan Entitlement); or
• Live in a low participation postcode, see if your postcode qualifies (POLAR4 quintiles 1 and 2); or
• Live in high deprivation area, check your area (Index of Multiple Deprivation 40% most deprived) (Please use Topic: Finance & Economy and Map: Deprivation Indices IMD)

This bursary is for those who have been in a local authority care system, such as foster care.

Awarding amount: £1,100*

*Plus, an available room for you in our accommodation all year round. Students are expected to pay the given rent and you may not be able to choose which Halls you are in subject to availability. Find out more information about accommodation.

UCAS and Student Finance define a care leaver as “If you have been in the care of, or have been given accommodation by, your local authority (LA) for a period of at least 13 weeks ending after you turn 16”. You must also meet the criteria below.

Criteria:

• You must be aged 25 or younger at the start of your course.
• Be a UK student in receipt of full funding which includes both tuition fee and maintenance loan.
• You must provide evidence of your confirmed Care Leaver Status from your Local Authority or Student Finance.
• You must be studying an undergraduate degree or a degree with foundation year full-time or part time at one of our main campuses.

Key dates

Care Leavers should also check with their local council and on the GOV website for additional grants and support offered to assist with higher education.

Our estranged student bursary is for those who have had no contact with both parents for over a year.

Awarding amount: £1,100*

*Plus, an available room for you in our accommodation all year round. Students are expected to pay the given rent and you may not be able to choose which Halls you are in subject to availability. Find out more information about accommodation.

Criteria:

• You must be aged 25 or younger at the start of your course.
• Be a UK student in receipt of full funding which includes both tuition fee and maintenance loan.
• You must be estranged from your parents or guardians for a minimum of 3 years and be able to provide evidence of your confirmed Estranged status from your local Authority or Student Finance. (guidance on Estrangement can be found here: View UCAS and Student Finance guidance on Estrangement definitions)
• You must be studying an undergraduate degree or a degree with foundation year full-time at one of our main campuses.

Key dates

BNU is proud to commit to the GTRSB Pledge, supporting Students within Higher Education gaining a valuable experience, increasing access to employment, social mobility and equality.

Awarding amount: £1,100*

*Plus, an available room for you in our accommodation all year round. Students are expected to pay the given rent and you may not be able to choose which Halls you are in subject to availability. Find out more information about accommodation.

Criteria:

• Be a UK student in receipt of full funding which includes both tuition fee and maintenance loan.
• You will need to disclose your ethnicity of GTRSB on your UCAS form or after enrolment
• You must be studying an undergraduate degree or a degree with foundation year full-time at one of our main campuses 

Key dates

Students will need to apply in line with the opening times outlined above. Please remember our Bursaries do not include repeat years of study.

Students can apply via Black Bullion;

Our funds are available on the funding hub, which you can filter by University. You will be asked to create an account if you have not done so already.

We aim to assess applications within 10 working days after your cooling off period. However, please note this can take longer during busy periods of the year. Please note if any evidence is missing from the application this can delay the process.

Applying for one of our bursaries does not guarantee an award as spaces are limited and subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.

Notification of awards are sent to your student email address, and payment is made directly to your chosen bank account. 

Please note we are still working on updating our payment system; therefore, payments are currently taken 10 working days to reach your chosen account. 

You are welcome to contact us at Bursary@bnu.ac.uk if you have any questions or visit the Student Hub at your campus for guidance.

Students who are awarded the £150 Learning Resource Fund in Year 1 of their studies at BNU will retain access to spend these funds through the Aspire portal. These funds will remain available until the final day of your last year on the course, at which point any remaining amount will be withdrawn automatically.

Students will be able to use their student login to access any funds available here.

You can also contact the customer services team for the site at customer.services@bucksfuturesuccess.co.uk should you have any problems accessing the site. 

Unfortunately, due to funding regulations students studying on an apprenticeship course or with a partner institution cannot apply for the funds or Bursaries below. However, support may be available through your own institution of study or trust/employer, and we would encourage you to contact them directly. You are welcome to contact us at bursary@bnu.ac.uk should you have any questions.

If you are a student studying a course linked to the NHS, we recommend you visit this NHS website to explore what bursaries are on offer and information on how to apply.

The RCN Foundation have a number of exciting grants open for applications this autumn. Applicants do not need to be an RCN member to apply; for further eligibility details, see the individual grant pages.

This fund exists to help nurses, midwives and health care support workers make ends meet during times of financial hardship. Whether you’re retired, unemployed or in work, we can provide support. Grants can be offered no more than once per calendar year.

Open year-round: Apply now.

BNU are proud to support the wider armed forces community and offer programmes for UK Armed Forces personnel that maps the skills of staff to the characteristics of typical civilian businesses and services.

The Armed forces offers a range of different financial support, Bursaries and Scholarships for selected candidates during further and higher education. Click the relevant link and service below to find out more on these opportunities.

• Army Financial Support
• Royal Air Force Support
• Royal Navy Support

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) currently run a bursary for eligible apprentices who are in care or are care leavers. 

They currently offer £1000.00 for those who started their apprenticeship up to and including 31^st July 2023. They also offer £3000.00 for those starting after or on 1^st August 2023 paid in instalments over their first year. 

Full information and Criteria can be found here: Apprenticeships care leavers’ bursary guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

Please complete this application form with required evidence and return to apprenticeships@bnu.ac.uk as the apprenticeships team will need consent to share your Care Leaver Status with your employer.

Heart of Bucks Community Fund are pleased to bring to your attention our wide selection of bursary programmes for young people in Buckinghamshire.

A variety of different bursaries and grants for young people are available on the Young Futures Fund website, visit the site to find out more. 

Heart of Bucks runs a range of grants which are also display on the Young Futures Fund website. They are a partnership of local organisations providing funding opportunities for young individuals in Buckinghamshire.

Frogmoor Funds offer funds to help with education courses, equipment, and possibly more for students from 16 to 25.

The William Harding's Charity provides grants to learners living in Aylesbury, Fairford Leys, Berryfileds, Buckingham Park, Watermead and Kingsbrook. The main aim of William Harding's Charity is to support young people in education including funding for school trips, uniforms, and grants towards tools for those in an apprenticeship. The Charity supports those at university or higher education too.