Students with medical needs
Financial support is available in some cases from the Crane's Charity medical support fund in the form of partial payment of certain expenses incurred by students experiencing physical or mental illness. The treatment applied for should not be conveniently or readily obtainable under the NHS. (Contact your GP in the first instance). See below for information about the NHS for international students. Students are encouraged to access all available services from both the University Student Support (see below) and the NHS before applying to the Fund. This will ensure that only students in the greatest financial need receive assistance.
- If you have not already tried to access the required essential medical treatment on the NHS, contact your GP. Find out the estimated NHS waiting list time for your treatment.
- If the waiting list for NHS treatment is too long and you are unable to finance private treatment yourself, read the eligibility criteria on the link here .
- Read the application guidance including looking at the details of the application form. Applications now have to show financial as well as academic need in addition to medical.
- Talk to your College Tutor about applying. You may be asked to see the Nurses.
- Use this Word copy of application form to draft your responses, share your application and discuss your needs with your College Tutor, the Nurses and/ or Financial Welfare Officer.
- Once you have the support of your Tutor, you can apply online here
- Make sure that you upload a letter from your GP confirming the clinical diagnosis and the recommended treatment you are requesting
- You should not start treatment before Cranes have approved an award
- For further guidance at any stage, contact the Financial Welfare Officer
Practitioners must be based in the UK and the treatment must be in line with NICE guidelines
Dental Treatments are usually ineligible except in exceptional circumstances
Privatised Medication is ineligible for support
Assessments for ADHD and autism are ineligible for support. Students should instead go to the ADRC for an educational assessment
Students may not apply within the last term of their course.
Treatments which occur before the award date will not be reimbursed
Full eligibility Criteria are available on the Cranes website
includes the following services to students free of charge, all year round:
- Postgraduate wellbeing advice
- Counselling
- Mental health groups and workshops
- Support for students, whose everyday lives are significantly impacted due to mental health issues
- Sexual and racial harassment and violence support
- Screening service for a specific learning difficulty, ADHD or Autism
- Study and exams support for disabled students
- Help to find funding covering course-related costs for disabled students
If you are unsure what NHS service to use, the NHS Symptom Checker might be helpful.
Students seeking screening for additional needs
Students who believe they would benefit from screening for possible SpLD, ADHD, or Autism Spectrum Conditions should discuss this first with their Tutor or the Nurses.
There is a new ADRC Neurodiversity Screening Service. Due to the level of demand for the service, the screening service is not available to students who do not meet all the criteria:
- The student is experiencing significant difficulties with daily learning and/or functioning, and thinks this could be as a result of undiagnosed Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, ADHD and/or Autism
And
- The student has not already disclosed a disability or mental health condition at the ADRC, for which they are already eligible for support
And
- The student does not already have an existing diagnosis of Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, ADHD and/or Autism
Students who do not meet this criteria will be advised to contact their ADRC disability adviser who will be able to review the student’s support & make any additional recommendations for support that are appropriate and necessary. Contact the ADRC here.
Students with disabilities, students who are neurodiverse or students who are experiencing difficulties can refer to the ADRC ( Accessibility and Resource Centre) for assessment and advice. The ADRC may recommend setting up a Student Support Document (SSD) if they think this would benefit you. Students with home fee status may also be eligible to apply for Disabled Students Allowance
You can access more information about government support here:
Cambridge University's Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) offers further support and advice for UK, EU and International students as well as information about other funds. If UK students require human support (e.g. note-takers, specialist mentoring), they should apply to the Reasonable Adjustments Fund. Students with international fee status can apply to the International Disabled Students’ Fund to fund their support. Here is some further information:
The ADRC provides further guidance about some of the funds available here
International students pay an NHS surcharge as part of their visa. On arrival, you should register with your local GP or medical service in order to access free health care. Prescriptions are charged at a reduced rate.
You may find the following guide for international students helpful.