Guild Hardship Fund

The Guild Hardship Fund (GHF) offers a £145 non-repayable award to University of Birmingham students facing sudden or unexpected financial difficulty, helping with essential living costs.

This may include difficulties covering basic living costs such as food, hygiene products, or travel to and from university.

Thanks to funding from Student Services at the University of Birmingham, the Guild can support even more students through this provision.

Any award made is as a grant and does not have to be repaid.

So, if you feel like you could use some support, please do check your eligibility and apply.

Important Information

If you have a question about the application process, please email us.

For information about alternative financial support available at UoB, please refer to the ‘what other financial support is available’ FAQ. Please note that any enquiries relating to financial support or individual financial circumstances will be referred to Guild Advice.

Important Information

If your question is not answered below please contact Support.

When Will The Fund Be Available?

A set number of Guild Hardship Fund awards are available each term. The fund will remain open until all available awards for that term have been allocated. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis, after which the fund will close until the next term.

For the 2026/27 academic year, the fund has a budget of £10,150, enabling 70 awards to be made. Awards will be distributed across the year as follows:

- 25 awards in Term 1
- 25 awards in Term 2
- 20 awards in Term 3

How Do I Apply?

Please check the eligibility to ensure you meet the criteria to apply for this fund.

You can apply once per academic year. The Guild Hardship Fund offers a fixed grant of £145. Requests for a higher award amount cannot be accommodated.

Complete the GHF Application Form – all questions are mandatory to allow us to assess your circumstances fairly.

Eligibility Criteria

You Will Be Eligible For This Fund If:
Are a currently enrolled UoB student who is not on a Leave of Absence, or participating in an external programme
Have not previously received a Guild Hardship Fund award in the current Academic Year
Require financial support due to sudden or unexpected financial hardship
Request financial support towards essential basic living costs

You Will Be Rejected For This Fund If:
The application is not due to sudden, immediate or unexpected hardship
The application is incomplete or did not contain enough information for us to make an informed decision regarding eligibility.
Requests for any of the following: - Long-term medical costs - Fixed car costs – car insurance, road tax or car purchase - Tuition fees - Visa and Immigration Costs - Asking for money to support somebody else

How Are The Applications Considered?

Applications are reviewed weekly, with outcomes communicated by email and payments processed the following week.

Each application will be assessed against the fund criteria to determine eligibility for an award.

Grants are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all available awards for the term have been allocated, the fund will close until the following term.

In some cases, applications may be submitted after the final award has been allocated but before the fund has been closed. If this applies to your application, you will be contacted and informed that funding is no longer available for that term.

When Will A Decision Be Made?

Applications are reviewed on a weekly basis, and we aim to notify you of the outcome within one week.

What Other Financial Support Is Available At UoB?

Explore our Cost-of-Living pages to see a range of information, available services and initiatives to support you during your studies.

Send In Your Application

Submit your completed application below. Please have your relevant bank statements ready to submit at the same time.

Applications are Closed

Guild Hardship Fund applications are currently closed. Please keep checking this page for updates.

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