Discretionary & Childcare Funds

We have a range of funds available to help you while you study. Exactly what is available can be different for different types of students, so please read the section below that applies to you in order to find out more.

Please note: We accept applications via email so you do not need to submit paperwork to us via post, or in person at our campuses. However, you can always contact us at the email address below if you have any questions or concerns about submitting your application. 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at fundingadvice@uws.ac.uk 

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Undergraduate

The following funding may be available to you if you are an Undergraduate student from Scotland or the Rest of the UK. As PGDE students are funded through the undergraduate funding system, you should also use this section to find out more about discretionary and childcare funds.

If you are a Pre-registration Paramedic Nursing or Midwifery, International or EU student, please scroll to the specific sections below to find out more about discretionary and childcare funds that may be available to you.

Discretionary Funds, including the Childcare Element, may be available to UK students who are in receipt of the maximum student support available to them and can demonstrate a need for financial support whilst adhering to our various rates for appropriate expenditure. The only exception are students studying Paramedic Sciences and pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery courses, who are not eligible and should consult the section below.

Although funding comes from the Scottish Government, you do not need to be Scottish to be eligible, but should be in receipt of student support from Student Finance England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

Discretionary Funds may provide additional financial support to top up the support you receive from government, and help you meet the basic cost of living. The Childcare Element of these funds can be awarded in addition to the Discretionary Fund and can help meet the cost of study related childcare.

Any award from the Discretionary Fund, including the Childcare Element, is in the form of a non-repayable bursary.

You may apply if you struggle to makes ends meet each month, or if you experience an unexpected cost that you have not budgeted for. These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints.

It is unlikely that any award will cover your shortfall in full so we would encourage you to use our money advice resources to help you budget effectively.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applying for THE childcare ELEMENT?

You should read the Childcare Factsheets below, which detail what can be applied for.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

The following documents will help you complete your application:

Read the information below to find out how the funds work, and how you can apply when you have enrolled on your modules for the 2022-23 academic year.

Discretionary and Childcare Funds are available to UK students funding their studies through the SAAS Part-time Fee Grant, or having an annual income under £25k. Funding is limited to help meet the costs of books/course materials, travel and childcare, and is designed to ensure that those students on low incomes are not significantly out of pocket as a result of their studies.

We will provide a flat rate award of £150 per 20 credit module, towards books/course materials and travel. You do not have to submit any evidence, such as receipts, in order to claim this. You can also use the award at your discretion, to best suit your individual needs. We would encourage students to interpret books/course materials broadly, and this may include anything from stationary to IT equipment.

These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. We cannot award retrospectively, for modules that have finished, or for modules that you are resitting.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

Applying for childcare?

We accept applications from those who require support meeting the costs of study related childcare. Applying for help meeting the costs of childcare should be a priority.

If you also wish to apply for help meeting the costs of study related childcare, we simply include that in your application to the Discretionary Fund. This means you only need to complete one application and we will assess you for both elements. Your childcare provider will need to complete a form and you should read our Student Childcare Fund Factsheet for details of the childcare costs we can consider.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

 

Postgraduate

The following funding may be available to you if you are a Postgraduate student from Scotland or the Rest of the UK. As PGDE students are funded through the undergraduate funding system, you should also use the section above to find out more about discretionary and childcare funds.

If you are a Pre-registration Nursing/Midwifery, International or EU student, please scroll to the the specific sections below to find out more about discretionary and childcare funds that may be available to you.

If you are undertaking postgraduate research study, such as PhD level study, please scroll to the specific section below to find out more about discretionary and childcare funds that may be available to you.

Discretionary Funds, including the Childcare Element, may be available to UK students who are in receipt of the maximum student support available to them and can demonstrate a need for financial support whilst adhering to our various rates for appropriate expenditure. The only exception are students studying pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery courses, who are not eligible and should consult the section below.

Although funding comes from the Scottish Government, you do not need to be Scottish to be eligible, but should be in receipt of student support from Student Finance England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

Discretionary Funds may provide additional financial support to top up the support you receive from government, and help you meet the basic cost of living. The Childcare Element of these funds can be awarded in addition to the Discretionary Fund and can help meet the cost of study related childcare.

Any award from the Discretionary Fund, including the Childcare Element, is in the form of a non-repayable bursary.

You may apply if you struggle to makes ends meet each month, or if you experience an unexpected cost that you have not budgeted for. These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints.

It is unlikely that any award will cover your shortfall in full so we would encourage you to use our money advice resources to help you budget effectively.

MSc Social Work:

If you are studying the MSc Social Work, what you can apply for through this fund is slightly different to other postgraduates and is detailed in the fund procedures document below.

In a nutshell, if you are funded through SSSC, you may apply to the Discretionary Fund, but not for any Childcare Element. If you are not funded through SSSC, you may apply for the Discretionary Fund and Childcare Element. However, this fund is not an alternative to SSSC funding, so you will need to demonstrate that you have adequate support in place to meet your tuition and living costs.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applying for THE childcare ELEMENT?

You should read the Childcare Factsheet below, which detail what can be applied for.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

The following documents will help you complete your application:

Read the information below to find out how the funds work, and how you can apply when you have enrolled on your modules for the 2022-23 academic year.

Discretionary and Childcare Funds are available to UK students funding their studies through the SAAS Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan, or having an annual income under £25k. Funding is limited to help meet the costs of books/course materials, travel and childcare, and is designed to ensure that those students on low incomes are not significantly out of pocket as a result of their studies.

We will provide a flat rate award of £150 per 20 credit module, towards books/course materials and travel. You do not have to submit any evidence, such as receipts, in order to claim this. You can also use the award at your discretion, to best suit your individual needs. We would encourage students to interpret books/course materials broadly, and this may include anything from stationary to IT equipment.

These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. We cannot award retrospectively, for modules that have finished, or for modules that you are resitting.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

Applying for childcare?

We accept applications from those who require support meeting the costs of study related childcare. Applying for help meeting the costs of childcare should be a priority.

If you also wish to apply for help meeting the costs of study related childcare, we simply include that in your application to the Discretionary Fund. This means you only need to complete one application and we will assess you for both elements. Your childcare provider will need to complete a form and you should read our Student Childcare Fund Factsheet for details of the childcare costs we can consider.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery

The following funding may be available to you if you are a Paramedic or pre-registration Nursing/Midwifery student from Scotland or the Rest of the UK. This includes courses leading to registration with the NMC at both BSc and MSc levels.

If you are a Paramedic or pre-registration Nursing/Midwifery student, but are also an International student, please use the International section below to find out more about the funds that may be available to you.

Paramedics and pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Students may be able to apply for help meeting the cost of study related childcare through the UWS Childcare Fund. Full eligibility details can be found in the application pack and fund procedure document below.

This fund is unique to UWS, allowing us to offer additional financial support to help you meet the costs of childcare that may not be available in all universities.

You are applying for a contribution towards your study related childcare costs for an academic year, which will be determined based on your costs for the full academic year, and any other financial support for childcare costs that you should be entitled to, such as the SAAS Childcare Allowance of £2,466.

It’s important that you carefully consider the costs associated with using childcare, and do not rely on this fund as it is likely only to contribute a small amount towards your total childcare costs, as detailed in the application pack and fund procedure document below. 

As this fund provides a contribution towards your childcare costs, you should be able to apply using your best estimate of your childcare costs for the entire academic year. You can find out more in the Factsheet below, and will also find a Childcare Fund Factsheet that you should share with your childcare provider to help them understand how the fund works.

These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints and we would not want you to be disappointed.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

Students complete the main application, and should ask childcare providers to complete the Childcare Form. Both elements should be submitted by the student, along with the required supporting evidence.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

Discretionary Funds may be available to UK students who are undertaking a full-time Paramedic, Nursing or Midwifery course that leads to registration with the NMC. This includes students studying at both BSc and MSc levels.

To be eligible, students must be in receipt of the maximum student support available to them and can demonstrate a need for financial support whilst adhering to our various rates for appropriate expenditure.

Although funding comes from the Scottish Government, you do not need to be Scottish to be eligible but should be in receipt of student support from Student Finance England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

Discretionary Funds may provide additional financial support to top up the support you receive from government, and help you meet the basic cost of living. Any award from the Discretionary Fund is in the form of a non-repayable bursary.

You may apply if you struggle to makes ends meet each month, or if you experience an unexpected cost that you have not budgeted for. These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints.

It is unlikely that any award will cover your shortfall in full so we would encourage you to use our money advice resources to help you budget effectively.

HOW TO APPLY:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

If you have questions about the process or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

The following documents will help you complete your application:

International

The following funding may be available to you if you are an International student, including EU students.

International/EU Students may be able to apply for help meeting the cost of study related childcare through the UWS Childcare Fund. Full eligibility details can be found in the application pack and fund procedure document below.

This fund is unique to UWS, allowing us to offer additional financial support to help you meet the costs of childcare that may not be available in all universities.

You are applying for a contribution towards your study related childcare costs for an academic year, which will be determined based on your costs for the full academic year, and any other financial support for childcare costs that you should be entitled to.

It’s important that you carefully consider the costs associated with using childcare, and do not rely on this fund as it is likely only to contribute a small amount towards your total childcare costs, as detailed in the application pack and fund procedure document below. 

As this fund provides a contribution towards your childcare costs, you should be able to apply using your best estimate of your childcare costs for the entire academic year. You can find out more in the Factsheet below, and will also find a Childcare Fund Factsheet that you should share with your childcare provider to help them understand how the fund works.

These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints and we would not want you to be disappointed.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

Students complete the main application, and should ask childcare providers to complete the Childcare Form. Both elements should be submitted by the student, along with the required supporting evidence.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

The purpose of the International Students’ Emergency Fund is to provide financial support to International Students who experience financial hardship as a result of a significant change of circumstances and are at risk of not being able to continue with their studies due to that hardship.

Full eligibility criteria are detailed in the fund procedure document below, but this significant change in personal circumstances must have resulted in an application to the Home Office for a form of leave or extension of right to stay in the UK.

Support is in the form of a non-repayable bursary and is designed to help meet basic living costs* in the short term and assist a student in being able to engage in their studies, while identifying a longer-term solution.

*We are unable to provide funding to help meet basic living costs to anyone with a status of Asylum Seeker due to Home Office restrictions. Instead, we can provide support for study related expenses, and will communicate this in more detail with individuals during the application process.

Scottish Government provides the funding for the International Students’ Emergency Fund and stipulate how the funds must be used. UWS has followed this Scottish Government guidance to create the procedures below.

These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints and we would not want you to be disappointed.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

The following documents will help you complete your application:

Asylum Seeker

The Following funding may be available to you if you are a student with asylum seeker status.

Discretionary Funds, including the Childcare Element, may be available to students who have joined UWS with asylum seeker status and continue to hold that status. As such, these students are not eligible for student funding through the Scottish Government.

The purpose of the Discretionary Fund is to provide additional financial support to eligible students who will face additional expenses as a direct result of their studies, that might cause financial hardship and prevent engagement in studies. This considers cost of books/course materials, travel and childcare. 

The fund is unable to support the general living expenses of students with a status of Asylum Seeker as this could negatively impact standing with the Home office.

Applicants must have the status of Asylum Seeker, having claimed asylum but who hasn't yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim. In addition, applicants must have held this status at the point of starting their studies, and be in receipt of financial support from the Home Office.

Any award from the Discretionary Fund, including the Childcare Element, is in the form of a non-repayable bursary.

The payment method will be in the form of vouchers, to be used by the student to contribute towards these study related costs. Individual applicants circumstances will be considered when determining the type of vouchers awarded.

HOW TO APPLY:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

APPLYING FOR THE CHILDCARE ELEMENT?

You should read the Childcare Factsheets below, which detail what can be applied for.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

Doctoral Level Study

The following funding may be available to you if you are undertaking a research degree, such as PhD, DBA, etc.

Research Students may be able to apply for help meeting the cost of study related childcare through the UWS Childcare Fund. Full eligibility details can be found in the application pack and fund procedure document below.

This fund is unique to UWS, allowing us to offer additional financial support to help you meet the costs of childcare that may not be available in all universities.

You are applying for a contribution towards your study related childcare costs for an academic year, which will be determined based on your costs for the full academic year, and any other financial support for childcare costs that you should be entitled to.

It’s important that you carefully consider the costs associated with using childcare, and do not rely on this fund as it is likely only to contribute a small amount towards your total childcare costs, as detailed in the application pack and fund procedure document below. 

As this fund provides a contribution towards your childcare costs, you should be able to apply using your best estimate of your childcare costs for the entire academic year. You can find out more in the Factsheet below, and will also find a Childcare Fund Factsheet that you should share with your childcare provider to help them understand how the fund works.

These funds are limited and they are awarded on a first come, first served basis so it is recommended that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The fund can close with little notice due to budget constraints and we would not want you to be disappointed.

How to apply:

Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You should download these from here and follow the guidance carefully to complete your application, and submit this to us in a format that we are able to accept and process.

Students complete the main application, and should ask childcare providers to complete the Childcare Form. Both elements should be submitted by the student, along with the required supporting evidence.

If you have questions about the process, or are struggling to complete and submit your application as detailed in the guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us via email and we will do our best to help.

Applications, Procedures & Guidance

London Campus

Students studying on our London Campus may also be eligible to apply for Discretionary and/or Childcare Funds, but what you are eligible to apply for, and the process of making an application may be slightly different for you. You can find out more in the section below.

International and EU students
International and EU students are eligible to apply to the UWS Childcare Fund as detailed in the International/EU section above. If you wish to make an application to this fund, you should follow the guidance above carefully to submit this via email.

You are not eligible for any living cost support.

UK Students
UK Students funded through Student Finance England, are not eligible for any Childcare Funds through UWS as you should apply for help meeting this cost through Student Finance England.

You may be eligible to apply to the Discretionary Fund but your eligibility for this is slightly different due to the student funding you receive, and we will explain below how this impacts the process.

Discretionary Funds come from the Scottish Government and are designed to provide some additional financial support to students who demonstrate a need for this. The funding is limited, and we do need to ensure that it is awarded to students that need it the most. Scottish students typically receive less student funding than those funded by Student Finance England. As such, they remain the priority for the funds so we may not always be in a position to offer support to you.

If you do feel you have circumstances that merit an application, you should follow the guidance above carefully to submit to us for consideration.

If you have any questions or require advice, please contact: fundingadvice@uws.ac.uk  

UWS London campus students studying

English language support

If English is not your first language we appreciate that it might be more difficult for you to understand our instructions or explain your financial situation.

UWS has software installed on all open-access PCs that can help with reading, writing, planning and organising. This software can be used to better understand our guidance notes, or to help you write an explanation of your financial circumstances that fully explains your situation.

Find out more about these resources (pdf)

Additional funding

If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.

Find out more about additional sources of funding

Last updated: 14/10/2022