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In addition to statutory student support such as student loans, grants or bursaries, UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These funds come from the University and the Scottish Government, and are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare as a result of their studies.
You can find out more about what funds you might be eligible for by reading the information in the section below. If you are unsure about your eligibility, please do not hesitate to contact us at fundingadvice@uws.ac.uk for further guidance.
Applications should be submitted in person to The Hub or Student Link on your campus. If you are unable to submit your application in person then we recommend you submit your application by post. We cannot accept applications and supporting evidence via email.
Applications should be submitted in person to The Hub or Student Link on your campus. If you are unable to submit your application in person then we recommend you submit your application by post. We cannot accept applications and supporting evidence via email.
If you have any questions you can contact fundingadvice@uws.ac.uk where you enquiry will be answered by a member of our team. Please rest assured that the assessment of your application will not be delayed as a result of this.
download the Funding & Advice Team's postal addresses (pdf)
Full-time undergraduate students (including PGDE)
Discretionary and Childcare Funds are available to all 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 can provide additional financial support to top up the support you receive from government, and help you meet the cost of living. Childcare Funds can be awarded in addition to the Discretionary Fund and can help meet the cost of study related childcare. Any awards made are in the form of non-repayable bursaries.
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.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
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.
The following documents may help you complete your application:
Part-time undergraduate students
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 meeting 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.
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 accept applications from those who require support meeting the costs of both registered and unregistered childcare. Applying for help meeting the costs of childcare should be a priority. If applying for unregistered childcare, the maximum contribution we will consider will be £10 per 20 credit module, per week.
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.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
Discretionary and Childcare Funds are available to all 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 can provide additional financial support to top up the support you receive from government, and help you meet the cost of living. Childcare Funds can be awarded in addition to the Discretionary Fund and can help meet the cost of study related childcare. Any awards made are in the form of non-repayable bursaries.
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. The budget available is limited, so you should not rely on support from this fund to support your living costs in full.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
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.
The following documents may help you complete your application:
Part-time Postgraduate Students
Discretionary and Childcare Funds are available to UK students funding their studies through the SAAS Tuition Fee Loan, or having an annual income under £25k. Funding is limited to help meeting 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.
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 accept applications from those who require support meeting the costs of both registered and unregistered childcare. Applying for help meeting the costs of childcare should be a priority. If applying for unregistered childcare, the maximum contribution we will consider will be £10 per 20 credit module, per week.
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.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Students may be able to apply for help meeting the costs of study related childcare through the UWS Childcare Fund. Full eligibility details can be found in the application pack and guidance notes below.
We would expect you to claim the SAAS Childcare Allowance of £2,466 before applying to this fund, which may provide a top up to the SAAS allowance, should your childcare costs be in excess of this.
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.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
International and EU Students may be able to apply for help meeting the costs of study related childcare through the UWS Childcare Fund. Full eligibility details can be found in the application pack and guidance notes below.
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 childcare costs.
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.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
Research Students may be able to apply for help meeting the costs of study related childcare through the UWS Childcare Fund. Full eligibility details can be found in the application pack and guidance notes below.
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 childcare costs.
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.
Application packs, guidance notes and procedures all follow. You can download these from here, or pick up a copy if the application from The Hub or Student Link on your campus. When complete, submit this with your supporting evidence to The Hub or Student Link on your campus.
If you are studying at the UWS London Campus you may be eligible to apply to the Discretionary and/or Childcare Funds.
International and EU students are only eligible to apply to the UWS Childcare Fund. Read the information in the section above for more details.
If you are funded through Student Finance England, you may be eligible to apply to the Discretionary Funds and can read more in the section above titled Full Time Undergraduate Student. You should apply through Student Finance England for help meeting the cost of childcare. Remember, funding is limited and applications are fully income assessed. Considering the different level of student support that you receive compared to Scottish students, we may not always be in a position to offer support.
If you wish to make an application you must do so within 4 weeks of your course start date. You can print the relevant applications from this webpage and should submit them by post to Paisley Campus. You should send these to us via recorded delivery as they will contain sensitive material. The postal address is:
Paisley Campus
Funding and Advice Team
Student Services
University of the West of Scotland
High Street
Paisley
PA1 2BE
If you have any questions or require advice, please contact: fundingadvice@uws.ac.uk
The Pre-Registration Nursing and Midwifery Discretionary Fund is available to all UK students studying a full-time pre. Registration programme, and who are in receipt of the maximum student support available to them. 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 can provide additional financial support to top up the support you receive from government, and help you meet the cost of living, where something unexpected has impacted your finances.
We appreciate that the vast majority of students on these courses will struggle to meet their cost of living throughout their studies. However, as a result of the limited budget available, we can only consider applications from students experiencing unforeseen financial hardship.
Unforeseen financial hardship is when a situation has arisen that is causing you financial hardship but for which you could not reasonably have planned for. Advisers will also consider how well you manage your money in general, the financial choices you make and the impact that an award might have.
Any awards made are in the form of non-repayable bursaries. These funds are limited and are not a guaranteed source of income, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. While every effort will be made to budget the fund across the entire academic year, we will stop accepting applications when the fund runs out, which can happen with little notice.
Please read the guidance notes below before applying. When you are ready to apply, you should print out the application, complete this in full, gather together the required evidence, and submit the application to The Hub or Student Link on your Campus*.
Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Discretionary Fund Application 18-19
Guidance Notes for the Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Discretionary Fund 18-19
Extra sheet to list additional creditors for students with multiple debts (if required)
* We cannot accept applications and evidence via email, so if you are unable to submit in person, please use the postal address detailed above.
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.
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.
If the thought of having student loan debt worries you, you can talk to the UWS funding and advice team to make sure you have the facts before you make any decisions.
If you are worried about managing your money or debts that you already have, you will find lots of useful advice on our money and debt advice webpages.