Help with unexpected living costs or one-off expenses
Students are expected to have planned their finances for the year and home students are expected to have applied to Student Finance. The University provides further guidance about Student Finance loans and when household contribution may also be expected here
Despite this, we appreciate that occasionally problems arise. Here is an explanation of College and University support.
The BUSS Student Support Fund
The BUSS fund may provide small grants to Undergraduates experiencing financial difficulty due to an unavoidable change in their circumstances. You can apply for this by talking to your Tutor first or the Financial Welfare Officer and then complete this application form. All applications will be shared with your Tutor for their approval.
If you are experiencing more significant problems and may need longer term or higher value support than £300, you may be eligible to apply to the University Financial Assistance fund.
University Financial Assistance Funds
Here is some more information about the support available and the eligibility criteria: Cambridge University Financial Assistance Funds. In all instances, any applications will require your Tutor’s support.
It is recommended that you complete this DRAFT Word copy of application form (to be used to draft your responses and share your application with your College Tutor before applying). Here is a personal budgeting form which may also be helpful for these discussions.
Once you have your Tutor's support and have checked that you meet the eligibility criteria, complete and submit the online application here.
It can sometimes be difficult to navigate what financial support may be available. Here is a useful online guide to applying to Financial Assistance Funds .
You can also contact the Financial Welfare Officer for any queries or support.
Realise Financial Assistance Fund
The Special Hardship Fund has been replaced by the Realise Financial Assistance Fund which will provide limited assistance during intermission to home undergraduate students who fall into one of the following groups as identified in the Realise Project only (The Realise Project | Undergraduate Study (cam.ac.uk)):
• Care experienced and estranged students
• Refugee, asylum seeker and forced migrant students
• Young carer students
• Gypsy, Roma, traveller, showman and boater students
This is available to any student from a country on UNICEF's Level 2 or 3 Emergency list, or who has Refugee, Asylum Seeker or Humanitarian Protection status.
Students can apply for support with living costs. Further details are here:
Humanitarian Response Fund to support students affected by conflict | University of Cambridge
Injury related transport issues
If you have an accident and require short term help with transport costs, speak to your Tutor and arrange to meet with the College Nurse. The University U bus now stops twice an hour at Girton Corner - U bus timetable .The Tutor and College Nurse can authorise reimbursement of bus fares, and can authorise taxis in certain circumstances. Taxis should be arranged with the Porters and bus fares can be claimed retrospectively. Please send any queries to the Financial Welfare Officer
For longer term health issues, see our Students with Additional Needs pages instead.
Some of the funds listed above : University Financial Assistance, Realise and Humanitarian Response funds are outlined in this table here