The Cost of Living Support Fund is a University scheme that provides financial support to students who are unexpectedly suffering financial hardship.
The fund exists thanks to generous donations from alumni and friends who want to ensure that no University of Manchester student is left struggling. The fund is open all year long, it is non-repayable and can help students overcome food insecurity, support them with utility bills, and address any other issues arising from financial hardship. More details of what can be supported can be found below.
For new students commencing their studies in September 2025, please note that this fund should not be considered as a potential means of funding your studies, and any applications for this reason will be unsuccessful. You can find information on potential funding opportunities available whilst at University here.
The University funds are discretionary with a maximum non-repayable award of £2,000, however, this amount is not guaranteed and will depend on the outcome of your assessment. Awards are granted on a case-by-case basis after consideration of each application, and we cannot guarantee financial support to every student who applies.
The application process for the Cost of Living Support Fund has changed. Instead of submitting an Excel document, the process is now fully online. This makes applying simpler, faster, and more convenient!
You can complete your application from any device, at any time, without downloading anything, safe in the knowledge your information is securely submitted in one place. To access the form, please see Application Process below.
The Cost of Living Support Fund is open to ALL students, regardless of level of study, nationality, or social background, who are experiencing unforeseen circumstances or unexpected financial hardship.
If you are an Architecture student, please get in touch with our MMU contact: Student Financial Support | Manchester Metropolitan University (mmu.ac.uk)
What do we mean by financial hardship?
If you're struggling to make ends meet and you're unable to cover essential, day-to-day living costs, then you may be eligible for support.
Before you apply for assistance, you should have accessed all other sources of funding available to you, including your full entitlement of student loans/NHS Bursary. The fund cannot assist with the cost of tuition fees for any student.
This fund is intended to assist as many students as possible, so we have designed a specific assessment process to determine the level of assistance that we may be able to offer you. For detailed information on our assessment process please refer to our guidelines, in particular section 12.4 relating to 'non-essential' expenditure.
When assessing applications we take a holistic approach, considering students' financial circumstances, alongside any specific elements of need or disadvantage.
Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your situation in your supporting statement, so that we can consider all matters when assessing your application.
For example, this might include highlighting if you fall into one of the following categories, and the challenges that might present:
We can support students with living costs they may be struggling to meet whilst studying, including accommodation costs, utilities, food shopping, study related costs e.g. placement travel costs etc. However, note that this does not include laptops/desktops/tablets.
Please note that this fund is to help students experiencing unforeseen circumstances or unexpected financial hardship. Therefore, we generally can only support students who have started their course with adequate funding in place.
What do we mean by adequate funding?
We would expect students to commence their studies with adequate funding in place to cover both their tuition fees and expected living costs - these are published on our website: Cost of Living.
To start your application please complete our online form using the link below. Please ensure you set aside at least 30 minutes to complete the form:
Once your application is successfully submitted, you’ll receive an email requesting your supporting documents. You’ll have two weeks to provide these; if not, you may need to start the application again. After your documents are submitted, an assessment will be carried out.
Our assessment time can vary depending on the complexity and number of applications received. It is currently taking up to four working weeks for us to complete assessment of applications after receipt of all supporting documentation. Please be mindful that no applications will be reviewed until the University reopens on January 5th, and it may take up to four weeks from this point for an application to be assessed.
Even if you believe that your situation isn't as serious as some of your peers, if you're struggling with financial hardship we can support you. There is no shame in asking for help.
If you have questions or problems with the application process, please contact us via our online enquiry form.
Additional Financial Support Available:
If you are in need of urgent support, please view more options available to you below:
(University Switchboard)
+44 (0) 161 306 6000
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
