Hardship Fund - The Warwick Hardship Fund for Full-Time Undergraduates - Post-Triage
| This webpage is for Home Full-Time (FT) Undergraduate (UG) students who have been advised to make an application to the Warwick Hardship Fund (WHF) following a triage appointment with one of our Student Funding Advisers. If you have not undergone a triage appointment, please submit an Expression of Interest form in the first instance. We cannot consider WHF applications from students who have not undergone a triage appointment. For more information regarding triage, please see our WHF FT UG Triage webpage. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
- What is the Warwick Hardship Fund (WHF)?
- How does the WHF process work?
- How do I submit a WHF application?
- What happens during my WHF appointment?
- What happens after my WHF appointment?
- What help can I expect to receive?
- Are there any implications on my UK Government means-tested benefit(s)?
- How long does he application and assessment process take?
- Can I re-apply to the WHF?
- Is there any help offered by the Student Loans Company?
- Who should I contact if I have any questions?
What is the Warwick Hardship Fund (WHF)?
The WHF is a fund of last resort to help Home students who are experiencing short-term financial difficulty. The fund is designed to help these students with their essential living costs and some course related costs (e.g. accommodation, childcare, transport, books, utilities etc).
- The funds available are limited and cannot be used to help with tuition fee costs or to provide any high value, ongoing support.
- Awards from the WHF are needs-related and are non-repayable.
- As the WHF is a fund of last resort, students must be able to demonstrate that they have made every effort to meet their needs from any other available sources.
| Applications to the WHF, can include those that are primarily for students seeking financial assistance with payment of their:
Applications to the WHF for these purposes are treated in the same manner as applications to the WHF when a student is struggling to meet their essential living costs (i.e., these applications will be means tested). |
How does the WHF process work?
Below you will find a flowchart which outlines the basic process of the WHF. This process is the same as the International Students' Emergency Fund (ISEF) for International and European Union students.
How do I submit a WHF application?
Your invitation to apply to the WHF is only valid for 4 weeks from the day you receive this via email. Any submissions made after this 4-week deadline will be rejected as you will need to first re-attend a triage meeting. If you are a final year student, then your date of submission must not be within 5 weeks of your course end date.
| Applications to the WHF are made via an online form. You will need to be logged into your University account whilst completing the form to be able to submit. The links to the application forms, depending on your personal situation, can be found below: You will be able to save the above applications to return to at a later date, if required. |
| You will be required to submit evidence with the above application forms. You will be able to upload your evidence to the application at the end of the form. You will have likely spoken with your Student Funding Adviser at your triage appointment to discuss the evidence you will need to upload in your situation (which may include evidence specific to your circumstances). However, a full list can be found at the end of the application. You can also find these lists, depending on your personal situation, below:
The stipulation of the level of evidence required can be found in the above checklists. If you require guidance on How to Download Bank Statements, please see our useful guidance. Alternatively, you can visit or call your bank to request your bank statements. Please note, we do not accept screenshots to demonstrate bank transactions over a protracted period of time. If you live with a partner and/or have pre-school child dependents, you will be required to submit the following forms relevant to you:
Both the Partner Information Form (including any partner evidence) and Childcare Information Form will need to be printed, fully completed and submitted with your application. |
| Students who are applying to the WHF for re-imbursement of a diagnostic test will need to provide the following additional evidence with their application:
For students who are applying to the WHF for re-imbursement of a diagnostic test, the Student Funding Team will also confirm that they attended an appointment with one of the University’s Disability Advisers, prior to undertaking a full diagnostic test. Students who are applying to the WHF for financial assistance with their £200 Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) Equipment Contribution will need to provide the following additional evidence with their application:
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If you are struggling to upload your evidence to your online application form (Application for Students Without Child Dependents or Application for Students With Child Dependents) or you are submitting evidence at a later date, you can send us your evidence via email at .
What happens during my WHF appointment?
| Once we have received your application form and supporting documentation, we will contact you to arrange a short, confidential appointment with a Student Funding Adviser.
You will be required to email evidence of your up-to-date balances (for all accounts held in your name and, if applicable, all accounts held in your partners name), on the day of your appointment.
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Please be assured that your Student Funding Adviser will consider your best interests at all stages of the application and assessment process. However, you should be aware that all of our Student Funding Advisers work within guidance issued by the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA) for the assessment of awards and distribution of funds.
It may be necessary during your appointment to refer to your bank statements, credit history and spending patterns (and if applicable, it may be necessary to refer to your partners bank statements and evidence). The discussion may also explore opportunities for part-time working and other funding opportunities that may be available to you. Any questions are not intended to be intrusive, but instead allow your Student Funding Adviser to form a complete and comprehensive assessment of your financial situation and, if possible, to recommend a successful outcome to your application.
During your appointment, it may become clear that further evidence will be required to complete your assessment. Your Student Funding Adviser will request this of you, should this be the case. You can submit this via email to .
What happens after my WHF appointment?
After your appointment, your Student Funding Adviser will create a report based on your appointment and assessment. This is then submitted to the Student Funding Manager for review and approval. The Student Funding Manager will also consider your best interests and works within NASMA guidelines for the assessment of awards and distribution of funds.
| Providing we have received all your required documentation prior to your appointment, you will be notified of the outcome of your application via email within 10 working days.
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Your outcome email will outline how your award will be paid. This may be paid as:
- A one-off instalment directly into your bank account.
- Multiple instalments directly into your bank account.
- Credit to your University account for outstanding Emergency Loan(s).
- Credit to your University account for Accommodation arrears.
If you have applied to the WHF for re-imbursement of your £200 DSA Equipment Contribution, and you are found to have an additional need on our standard assessment, you would be eligible for re-imbursement. Please see our flowchart explaining the process below:
The £200 DSA Equipment Contribution award may be paid as:
- A one-off instalment directly into your bank account.
- This is the case for students who have paid the £200 DSA Equipment Contribution themselves in the first instance.
- These students will be required to upload bank details for both the WHF and the £200 DSA Equipment Contribution fund separately. These students will be sent two different emails with instructions explaining how to do this.
- Credit to your University account.
- This is the case for students who requested that the University's Disability Team pay the £200 DSA Equipment Contribution on their behalf in the first instance.
- These students would have had the £200 subsequently added to their University account as a debt to be repaid by the end of the academic year.
- These students who are eligible for a £200 DSA Equipment Contribution re-imbursement, will have this re-imbursement credited to their University account to clear this debt.
What help can I expect to receive?
Awards from the WHF are needs-related and assessed on an individual case by case basis. As a result, we are unable to give a clear indication of the likely value of any possible award until an application has been submitted and the assessment process completed.
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Please note that if your enrolment status changes during the application and assessment process then you may become ineligible to receive support from WHF (e.g., students who become permanently withdrawn).
Are there any implications on my UK Government means-tested benefit(s)?
Awards from the WHF may have implications on your entitlement to UK Government means-tested benefits. If you receive an award from the WHF, you can request a document from the Student Funding Team to present to the relevant body explaining the circumstances of your award (including the amount).
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How long does the application and assessment process take?
It can take up to 5 weeks from a fully completed application to receipt of funds, if you are found to be eligible (this time scale does not include from submission of your Expression of Interest, only from submission of a fully completed WHF application).
If you need more urgent financial assistance, we may be able to offer you an interest free Emergency Loan of up to £250.
Please see below further ways in which the wider University may be able to assist you, if you are in financial difficulty:
Can I re-apply to the WHF?
You can submit a new Expression of Interest in applying to the WHF, if you find yourself in financial difficulty at a later date or if you have had a change in circumstances since your triage or application outcome. The process of re-application is the same as applying in the first instance and hence you will need to undertake all stages of this as outlined in our Warwick Hardship Fund for Full-Time Undergraduates Pre-Triage webpage.
Is there any help offered by the Student Loans Company?
If you are in financial difficulty, you may wish to Contact the Student Loans Company (SLC) directly to see if there is any assistance that they can offer you.
Who should I contact if I have any questions?
If you have any questions related to the WHF or Student Funding in general, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Funding team on , or by telephone on 024 7615 0096. You can also view our WHF Guidance Notes 2022-23 for further information.
