Resources

Guide to Hardship Fund

Guide to compelling personal reasons

Is there extra funding available?

If you are an undergraduate (or PGCE in some cases) 'home' student and you started your course in 2017/18 or later, you can apply for the SHU Student Success Scholarship. You may also be eligible to apply for the Hallam Hardship Fund if you experience unforeseen extenuating circumstances.

You may also be eligible for other bursaries.

If you started your course prior to 2017/18, you can apply to the Hallam Hardship Fund if you are experiencing general financial hardship or financial difficulties due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances.

You will need to have been assessed for your full student funding entitlement as a 'home' student (i.e. not just tuition fee support) before you can apply for the Student Success Scholarship. The Advice Service can do a funding check for you.

If you have applied on time for your funding but are still waiting to receive it, or you are experiencing a short-term financial crisis, you may be able to apply for emergency vouchers.

If you are a postgraduate 'home' student, you may be eligible for emergency vouchers and can apply to the Hallam Hardship Fund if you are experiencing financial difficulties due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances. Also, if you are a PGCE student and you are not receiving a separate PGCE / Initial Teacher Training Bursary, you may be eligible for the Student Success Scholarship depending on your circumstances (see above).

If your circumstances have changed you may become entitled to benefits or increased student funding. However, it will depend on your individual circumstances and you should seek advice. Also, if you are experiencing financial difficulties and this is affecting your ability to study, speak to your Student Support Adviser, come and talk to us, or refer to our academic information to find out more about studying in difficult circumstances.

Do I have to pay Council Tax?

Full-time students do not generally have to pay Council Tax. You can prove your student status by downloading a copy of your Certificate of Student Status from 'My Student Record' via My Hallam and submitting this to your local Council.

If you live with a non-student there may still be a bill to pay. You may be able to receive a 'single person discount' if there is only one adult in the property who is not exempt, for example, a spouse or partner.

You may also be entitled to Council Tax Support. Each Local Authority has its own scheme, so you should seek details from the relevant authority.

If you are not sure if you should pay Council Tax contact the Advice Service for further advice. If you are liable for Council Tax you should ensure that you maintain a regular payment agreement with the local authority. If you do not pay your Council Tax bill you may be issued with a Court Summons and Liability Order. Both of these incur extra costs. If you do not contact the local authority about arrears or fail to make payments, Enforcement Agents (formerly known as bailiffs) can be instructed to collect arrears from you. If you receive any letters regarding this action seek advice immediately.

Can I get funding to repeat a year?

The information below applies to full-time undergraduate 'home' students - please seek advice if you are on a different type of course or your circumstances are different, e.g., if you are not a 'home' student.

If you have failed a year of your course or had to take a break in study, and you have not previously repeated any years, you should be able to use your 'gift year' to fund an additional year of study. All Student Finance England funded students are allocated funding for the length of their course plus an extra year, which is called a 'gift year'.

If you have previously been enrolled on a different Higher Education course you may be subject to 'Previous Study rules' which may prevent you from receiving any extra years of funding needed to complete the course (this applies to fee support; you may still be eligible for support with your living costs). If this applies please contact the Advice Service. If you have experienced illness or other extenuating circumstances during the year you can apply to Student Finance England to grant you discretionary additional tuition fee funding for Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR). If you think this applies to you please contact the Advice Service for further information and support. You can also read our guide to compelling personal reasons. To apply for support on the grounds of Compelling Personal Reasons you will need to provide evidence of your situation from a professional agency/person, for example a letter from your GP giving details of your diagnosis and the dates it affected you (these need to be within the relevant affected academic year). You will also need to write to SFE explaining why you are applying and which year it is for.

If you only need to repeat part of the year, you should still remain enrolled on a full-time course and therefore be eligible for full-time funding subject to the rules around previous study. However, you may only get funding for part of the year depending on when you are required to be in attendance. Find out more. To check your individual circumstances, contact us.