Help with unexpected living costs or one-off expenses
Students are expected to have planned their finances for the year. However, we appreciate that occasionally problems arise.
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 or you can 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's Bell Abbott and Barnes fund. In such cases, complete this Undergraduate Hardship form offline and take it to discuss your needs with your Tutor. Here is a personal budgeting form which may also be helpful for these discussions.
Here is some more information about the support available and the eligibility criteria. In all instances, any applications will require your Tutor’s support. Hardship Funding for Undergraduate Students | Cambridge students. Once you have your Tutor's support and have checked that you meet the eligibility criteria, you can complete 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 hardship funds .
Intermission and year abroad students
A student on intermission or year abroad who experiences financial problems may be able to apply to the Special Hardship Fund for help in certain cases. Complete this form offline to discuss with your Tutor before applying.
Injury related transport issues
If you have an accident and require short term help with transport costs, speak to your Tutor who will ask you to provide receipts for consideration for reimbursement. You will also need to meet with the College Nurse.
For longer term health issues, see our Students with Additional Needs pages instead.