Hardship funds

Birkbeck Hardship Fund

We anticipate that the Birkbeck Hardship Fund will open in the first weeks of February.  

If you are a current student and you have experienced an unforeseen change of circumstance in your personal situation while studying, such as redundancy, illness or domestic problems, the Birkbeck Hardship Fund may be able to help you.  

Eligibility criteria

• If you are a current student and you have experienced an unforeseen change of circumstance in your personal situation while studying, such as redundancy, illness or domestic problems, the Birkbeck Hardship Fund may be able to help you.  
• You must:
• be currently enrolled on a minimum of 30 credits, or fully enrolled on a research programme at Birkbeck  
• be up to date with fee payments and not a debtor to the College  
• be currently experiencing financial hardship and usually have a household income of less than £25,000  
• be currently residing in the UK  
• have made realistic provision to cover tuition fees, course and living costs prior to the start of the 2024-25 academic year (e.g. a work contract which covers the duration of the academic year)  
• have experienced an unforeseen change in circumstance after the start of the 2024-25 academic year, such as redundancy, illness or domestic problems which has affected the provision you made, or due to which you have incurred unexpected costs. Please note: if you started your course/academic year in January you will not be able to apply for the fund until the start of the Summer Term 28th April 2025 as all applicants must have funded themselves for the first term of their academic year. 
• have applied for any government support available to you, such as student loans or benefits.  
• Evidence required can be extensive, as this fund is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Student Advice Service and explain how you meet all above seven criteria. If you are deemed eligible, you will be sent an application form. 

Birkbeck Summer Support Fund 2023/24

Please note the Summer Support Fund is currently closed. The information below is for reference only.

The Birkbeck Summer Support Fund has been set up to support current Birkbeck students with an immediate need of money for living costs, to enable them to continue studying their programme of study in 2024/25.

Awards of up to £600 are available, and are scaled based on the intensity of your study in 2023/24.

Essential eligibility criteria

• You must meet all of the essential eligibility criteria listed below, and one of the categories to be eligible for an award.
• You must be a fully enrolled student in the 2023/24 academic year.
• You must be continuing your course at Birkbeck in the 2024/25 academic year. (Final year students in the 2023/24 academic year and October/January intake postgraduate students on one-year courses, who started their courses in the 2023/24 academic year, are not eligible to apply).
• You must currently be in financial hardship.
• You must be currently living in the UK.
• You must have an annual household income of less than £30,000. (Household income is defined as your annual gross income from the tax year ending in April 2024 and the annual gross income of your spouse or partner - if you are cohabiting - for the same period. The income limit is raised by £2,000 if assessed on a joint income, and by £2,000 for the first dependent child, and a further £1,000 for each child thereafter).
• You must not currently be in debt to the College.
• Additionally, you must also fall into one of the following categories. Please note that you can only be considered under one category:
• Category A: Any student who has made a new application for government means-tested benefits in the four weeks preceding your application to the fund.
• Category B: A full-time undergraduate student who in 2023/24 was in receipt of the maximum means-tested maintenance loan from SFE (approx. £13,022) who has a current tenancy agreement that extends over the summer period and is currently struggling to find work (has been looking since the end of term)/unable to work due to ill health or caring responsibilities.
• Category C: An undergraduate student who has been classified as independent by Student Finance England due to being estranged from their parents, or a care leaver. (We will check our records to confirm you meet this criteria). 
• Category D: Any student with rent arrears. Please note that the following criteria apply to this category:
• Your arrears must be evidenced by a recent formal statement of your rent account issued by your landlord, and supported by a formal tenancy agreement.
• This documentation must be in your name.
• Your arrears will only be considered if they were accrued before July 2024, and will not be considered if they were accrued before the start of the current academic year 2023/24.
• Category E: Any student who received a Birkbeck Needs-Based Assessment Award in the 2023/24 academic year and is still experiencing financial hardship. (We will check our records to confirm you meet this criteria). 
• Please note that you must meet the criteria as outlined above in order to apply. As this scheme is running over a limited timeframe we will not be able to accept any applications which are incomplete or missing any supporting evidence. We would therefore strongly advise you to seek advice from the Student Advice Service before submitting your application if there is any evidence you are struggling to provide. Applications submitted without all of the required supporting documentation will be automatically rejected.