Financial support and cost of living

Student support advisers administer the University’s Access to Learning Fund (ALF). This fund provides discretionary financial assistance for UK students to access and remain in higher education.

Undergraduates must have applied for their maximum student funding entitlement and have received the first instalment before submitting an application.

ALF monies may be awarded as a short-term loan in instances whereby receipt of student funding is delayed. Alternatively, ALF can be awarded as a grant. The amount awarded will depend on your individual circumstances and the number of applications received throughout the year.

It is important to note that ALF is intended to act as a safety net for those in financial difficulty, rather than a main source of income.

Applications will be accepted throughout the academic year until 12 noon on 3 July 2024, or until the fund is exhausted - whichever is the earliest.

How to Apply

Students must meet with student support advisers who can assist them with their application.

The Exceptional Support Fund (ESF) provided by the University is a discretionary hardship fund to help students who find themselves in extreme financial hardship during their studies. 

Most students who find themselves in financial difficulty can apply to the Access to Learning Fund (ALF). The exception to this is students with overseas, Channel Islands/Isle of Man or EU status, and students who would normally be eligible to apply to the ALF but cannot due to the fund being exhausted, or before the fund opens.

The ESF could support you if you’ve received financial support from ALF but, despite the grant that you’ve received, you find that you’re experiencing another situation of unexpected extreme financial hardship.

The ESF is assessed via a panel and they will consider your income, essential expenditure, circumstances and the exceptional reason you’ve given for making the application. Any award will be paid to you in the form of a non-repayable grant, up to a maximum of £500.

Eligibility Criteria

Any full-time and part-time foundation year, undergraduate and postgraduate student can apply to the fund for financial aid, except:

• Students who are studying on courses that are under one year in length (30 weeks).

• Students who are eligible to apply to the NHS Exceptional Support Fund. This applies to students who are studying an NHS undergraduate course, which started after August 2018.  These students can apply to the NHS ESF once they have been fully assessed by the ALF.

To apply, you must be fully registered, currently enrolled on and attending your course.

How to Apply

Students must meet with student support advisers who can assist them with their application.

Award

• £5,000 per year awarded by the government

Eligibility criteria

Students on the following courses will be eligible to receive this grant:

• Diagnostic Radiography
• Adult Nursing
• Child Nursing
• Mental Health Nursing
• Midwifery
• Operating Department Practice
• Occupational Therapy
• Paramedic Science
• Physiotherapy
• Speech and Language Therapy

Students studying on our Mental Health Nursing and Diagnostic Radiography courses will also receive an additional £1,000 per year from the government.

How to apply

• New students - you can apply from 1 March 2023
• Continuing students - you will be invited to apply from 3 April 2023

Payment schedule

• Payments will be made in three instalments over each academic year.
• Payment dates vary depending on your course start date.

Useful information

• Find out more information about the NHS Learning Support Fund here.
• Students who are planning to undertake nursing, midwifery and allied health professional subjects (except paramedic science) as a second degree will currently be able to access the standard student support system on the same terms as students studying for a first degree. Please check the NHS website for eligibility and the latest funding information.

Extra support for childcare costs - NHS Learning Support Fund

Award

• Covers £2,000 of childcare costs per academic year

Eligible criteria

• Available for students who are on a full-time pre-registration healthcare course.
• Parents who meet the above criteria and have a child under the age of 15 OR under the age of 17 if they are registered with SEN.

How to apply

• Follow this link for the application process.
• You must re-apply each academic year.

Payment schedule

• Payments will be made over three instalments over the academic year.

Useful information

• You must provide evidence for your childcare costs in order to be reimbursed.
• Find out more information here.

Award

• Outside London - £4,862.50 per year awarded by the government

Deadline

• For September to December start - 1 November 2023
• For January onwards start - 16 February 2024
• For March onwards start - 22 March 2024.

Eligibility criteria

• You are a Year 2 or 3 undergraduate student studying Social Work.
• You have lived in England for at least three years.
• All eligible criteria can be found here.

How to apply

• Create a My Funding account on the NHSBSA website.

Payment schedule

• Payments will be made in three instalments over each academic year.
• Payment dates vary depending on your course start date.

Useful information

• Find out more information about the NHS Social Work bursary here.
• The University is allocated a certain number of awards that is not equivalent to the number of students on the course. Therefore, not all students will receive the bursary even if they meet the criteria. We administer a fair system for allocating available bursaries.
• This bursary also covers childcare allowance - be sure to read the guide on the website for all information.
• All students will receive a travel allowance of up to £862.50 even if they do not receive the full Social Work bursary.
• Students studying on our partnerships top-up BA Social Work Studies one year course in Bromley are also eligible. However, the same ranking process applies.

Awards of up to £1,500 per year.

We are dedicated to supporting student athletes in both academic and sporting success through our Sport Scholarship programme.

The University is recognised by Sport England’s Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) as a Dual Career Accredited Site.

This acknowledges a high level of academic flexibility allowing talented athletes to balance their studies alongside a sporting schedule.

To apply for the award you can be studying any subject, but must be:

• competing at county level or above in your sport
• a current or prospective full-time, undergraduate student at Canterbury Christ Church University.

How to apply:

Visit the Christ Church Sport pages to apply.

The Progression Awards

Award

• £500

Eligible criteria

• For students studying BA (Hons) Music
• Awarded to students with the highest marks in Performance and Musicology.

Payment schedule

• Paid to students at the end of Years 1 and 2 following ratification of marks by the Board of Examiners (June/July each year)

Useful information

• This will be paid automatically to students.

Chapel Choir Scholarship

Award

• Choral Scholarship - £500 per year + tuition
• Organ/Conducting Scholarship - £750 per year + tuition

Eligible criteria

• Available to all Canterbury Christ Church University students

Useful information

• Complete this form by the beginning of October.
• Auditions will be held in October.
• Throughout each academic year, the Choir sings an Evensong every Thursday evening during term time, and several other services, including the Candlemas and Pentecost services in Canterbury Cathedral.

Award

• £4,800

Eligibility criteria

• Available to undergraduate or PGCE students
• You are under 25, in care, or a care leaver in the UK.
• Your household income is £25,000 per year or less.
• You normally reside in England.
• Your fees for each year of study are more than £6,165 (full-time) or £4,625 (part-time).
• You do not receive other financial support from Canterbury Christ Church University.
• You are, or have been, looked after under a Care Order when age 16 for at least 13 weeks

OR

• You are recognised by the Foyer Federation or have otherwise been homeless.

Payment schedule

• For full-time students, £4,800 will be paid over four years of study.
• You will receive £1,200 each year paid in three instalments.
• For part-time students, this will be paid pro rata.
• This will be paid via SLC alongside your tuition fee loan.
• The SLC will notify you of the amount paid beforehand.

Useful information

• This award will not cover repeat years of study.
• You may be asked for proof for the above eligible criteria. This will be done through your local authority. Please contact studentwellbeing@canterbury.ac.uk for support.

If you are looking to undertake a career development opportunity but finding it financially difficult to do so, then you may be eligible to benefit from the Career Development Fund.

The bursaries available are:

• Travel Bursary: for assistance with travel costs (individual applications only).
• Career Start Bursary: for all other costs associated with the work experience. Examples of possible uses for the Career Start Bursary include costs for buying suitable workwear, ad hoc childcare, specialist software and money to attend a conference (individual and group applications welcome).

Find out more about the Career Development Fund.

Diamond Jubilee Academic Excellence Scholarship 2023

Award

• £2,000

Eligible criteria

• You must achieve AAA or equivalent at A Level or equivalent.
• You must meet qualification requirements.
• You must be enrolled onto a full-time, campus-based undergraduate degree at Canterbury Christ Church.

Payment schedule

• Two instalments of £1,000 will be paid directly into your bank account.
• First instalment - 1 December in Year 1
• Second instalment - 1 December in Year 2

Useful information

• This scholarship will be automatically awarded in addition to other bursaries that you may receive.
• Applicants who are awarded this scholarship are not eligible for the Jubilee Academic Scholarship or the Jubilee Bursary.
• Students who are not eligible include: students taking top-up degrees; students starting in Year 2 or 3; students studying a collaborative course, which is taught at or delivered by a partner institution.
• For full Terms and Conditions.

Diamond Jubilee Academic Scholarship 2023

Award

£1,000

Eligible criteria

• You must be a home, fee-paying student.
• You must be enrolled onto a full-time, campus-based degree programme in September 2023.
• You will have achieved ABB or AAB at A level or equivalent.

Payment schedule

• This will be paid directly to 2023 entry year students.
• Two instalments will be paid for £500 each.
• Instalment 1 - 1 December once student is registered onto Level 4.
• Instalment 2 - 1 December when student re-registers onto Level 5.

Useful information

• This scholarship will be automatically awarded in addition to other bursaries that you may receive.
• Applicants who are awarded this scholarship are not eligible for the Jubilee Academic Excellence Scholarship or the Jubilee Bursary.
• Students who are not eligible include: students taking top-up degrees; students starting in Year 2 or 3; students studying a collaborative course, which is taught at or delivered by a partner institution.
• For full Terms and Conditions.

The scholarship payment will be made via CCCU Aspire. You will receive an email from student.info@CCCU-Aspire.co.uk advising you when the scholarship is available and instructions on how to access these funds. We recommend you transfer the funds to your bank account as soon as you can. Any unclaimed funds will be donated to the Student Hardship Fund 120 days after your course's official end date.