Care Experienced and Estranged Student Bursary

Care experienced student bursary

A non-repayable care experienced student bursary of up to £3,500 per year is available to UK undergraduates, Graduate-Entry Medicine students and PGCE students to help towards financial shortfalls relating to your circumstances. New applications must be from those who were under 25 on the first day of their course. Before applying, students must have taken out the full government support available to them, unless there is a good reason why this is not the case. All new applications include a financial assessment of the funds available to you and your expected costs; only those who are considered to be in financial need will be eligible for an award.  

How do I apply?

Using information available from student records, we will contact those who are automatically eligible at the start of the academic year and invite them to apply for this funding via the Oxford Financial Assistance online application form. Care experienced students who started prior to 2022 and were in care for less than 3 months may not be contacted automatically. If you believe you may be eligible to receive this support but have not been contacted by Week 2 of Michaelmas term, please contact the Student Fees and Funding team at [email protected] to discuss your situation. Please note that this support is available to new students (2024 entrants), those continuing on course in 2024/25 and those who are currently suspended.

If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of their application they may appeal in writing to Student Fees and Funding within 28 days of the date of the outcome notification. Full details of the appeal process are provided in the application materials.

What else am I entitled to as a UK care experienced undergraduate?

Government funding: If you have not been reconciled with your parents between leaving care and starting your course, you are eligible to be assessed for government support through Student Finance as an independent student. This means that only your income will be taken into account when your student finance entitlement is calculated. If you have queries about this or require assistance with your application, you can contact your college finance office or the University’s Student Fees and Funding team at [email protected].

Oxford funding: If you have a household income of £32,500 or less in your first year (for those starting in or after 2023/24) you will be eligible for a Crankstart Scholarship and invited to join the programme (please note that the Crankstart eligibility threshold is different for students starting in or before 2022/23).

If your household income is less than £50,000 and you are not in receipt of a Crankstart Scholarship, you will be eligible for an Oxford Bursary (please note that the upper eligibility threshold is different for students starting in or before 2022/23).

These schemes provide funding of up to £5,970 p.a. to help with the cost of living. The level of support and your entitlement depends on your year of entry and on your household income, which is reassessed annually.

You should also contact your college office to find out what support is available to care experienced students through your college in addition to the above provision, if you have not already been contacted about this.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties whilst on course, the University and its colleges have a number of funds available to support students. Visit our Financial assistance and support pages for details of other available funding. 

For more details about the range of support that Oxford offers to care experienced students, visit Further student support | University of Oxford and click on the 'Care Experienced' tab.

Estranged student bursary

A non-repayable estranged student bursary of up to £3,500 per year is available to UK undergraduates, Graduate-Entry Medicine students and PGCE students who are studying without the support of their family, to help towards financial shortfalls relating to your circumstances. New applications must be from those who were under 25 on the first day of their course. Before applying, students must have taken out the full government support available to them, unless there is a good reason why this is not the case. All new applications include a financial assessment of the funds available to you and your expected costs; only those who are considered to be in financial need will be eligible for an award.  

How do I apply?

Eligible students can access a link to the Oxford Financial Assistance online application form and a copy of the accompanying guidance notes through their college finance office or from Student Fees and Funding from week 0 of Michaelmas term. Please note that this support is available to new students (2024 entrants), those continuing on a course in 2024/25, and those who are currently suspended. You do not have to be legally estranged from your parent(s) (as defined by Student Finance) in order to apply, however we will seek to verify your circumstances as part of the application process by asking you to provide a letter from an independent person who knows your situation.

If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of their application they may appeal in writing to Student Fees and Funding within 28 days of the date of the outcome notification. Full details of the appeal process are provided in the application materials.

Stand Alone Legacy Pledge

Following the announcement that the Stand Alone charity will be closing, the University has confirmed its continued commitment to supporting and advocating for estranged students through the Stand Alone Legacy Pledge. For more detail on the pledge please visit the following webpage www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/estranged-students.

What else am I entitled to as an estranged UK undergraduate? 

Government funding: If you are legally estranged from your parent(s), you are eligible to be assessed for government support through Student Finance without the income of your parent(s) being considered, i.e. as an independent student. Please refer to the following guide, which has been compiled by Stand Alone in consultation with Student Finance, https://www.standalone.org.uk/guides/student-guide/ and provides details of the assessment and validation process. If you have any queries or require assistance with your application, you can contact your college finance office or the University’s Student Fees and Funding team at [email protected].

Oxford funding: If you have a household income of £32,500 or less in your first year (for those starting in or after 2023/24) you will be eligible for a Crankstart Scholarship and invited to join the programme (please note that the Crankstart eligibility threshold is different for students starting in or before 2022/23).

If your household income is less than £50,000 and not in receipt of a Crankstart Scholarship, you will be eligible for an Oxford Bursary (please note that the upper eligibility threshold is different for students starting in or before 2022/23).

These schemes provide funding of up to £5,970 p.a. to help with the cost of living. The level of support and your entitlement depends on your year of entry and on your household income, which is reassessed annually.

You should also contact your college office to find out what support is available to estranged students through your college in addition to the above provision, if you have not already been contacted about this.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties whilst on course, the University and its colleges have a number of funds available to support students. Visit our Financial assistance and support pages for details of other available funding.

For more details about the range of support that Oxford offers to estranged students, visit Further student support | University of Oxford and click on the ‘Estranged’ tab.