University bursary for estranged students

Definition of estranged

Being estranged means you have no relationship with, or support from, your parents.

To be considered an estranged student, this situation must be permanent, and you must have little or no contact with your parents with this being unlikely to change.

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Eligibility

To be considered for the enhanced bursary, you must

• be estranged from your parents or legal guardians 
• be under the age of 25 on the first day of your course
• be registered on a full-time or part-time course
• meet the eligibility criteria of Student Finance England or an equivalent funding body. This applies to undergraduate students only
• have been assessed as independent by Student Finance England or an equivalent funding body. This applies to undergraduate students only

See Student Finance England's Confirmation of Estrangement form.

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Information for undergraduate students

This award is instead of the University of Sheffield bursary scheme. The money is yours to keep, it's non-repayable and it won't affect your student finance.

The year you started your course will determine which bursary scheme you are eligible for. Click on your year of entry below for more information:

2023-2024 entry

For students who start their course between September 2023 and September 2024, the bursary award, per level of study, is

• up to £10,000 for full-time students – see the table below for how the award will be paid
• up to £5,000 for DLL part-time students – paid in four instalments per year of study

If you're a full-time student, the way your award is paid will depend on where you choose to live:

University of Sheffield accommodation	£4,500 bursary (paid in two instalments), accommodation fees paid by the University
Private accommodation	£10,000 bursary (paid in four instalments)
Unite accommodation scholarship winners	£10,000 bursary (paid in four instalments), accommodation funded by the scholarship award

University of Sheffield accommodation consists of a single ensuite room in University accommodation. Contracts last 52 weeks. There is no cash alternative available if you choose to take a shorter accommodation contact.

If you have specific needs for accommodation that may increase the cost, contact the Fees and Funding team to discuss this.

2020 - 2022 entry

For students who start their course between September 2020 and September 2022, the bursary award, per level of study, is

• up to £10,000 for full-time students – see the table below for how the award will be paid
• up to £5,000 for DLL part-time students – paid in four instalments per year of study

If you're a full-time student, the way your award is paid will depend on where you choose to live:

 

Accommodation	Bursary award per year
University of Sheffield accommodation	£4,500 bursary (paid in two instalments), accommodation fees paid by the University
Private accommodation	£10,000 bursary (paid in four instalments)
Catalyst and Unite accommodation scholarship winners	£4,500 bursary (paid in two instalments), accommodation funded by the scholarship award

University of Sheffield accommodation consists of a single ensuite room in University accommodation. Contracts last 52 weeks. There is no cash alternative available if you choose to take a shorter accommodation contact.

If you have specific needs for accommodation that may increase the cost, contact the Fees and Funding team to discuss this.

2015–2019 entry

If you started your undergraduate course between September 2015 and 2019, the bursary award per level of study is

• £4,500 for full-time students
• £2,250 for part-time students

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Information for postgraduate students

If you are studying a postgraduate course, you are eligible to apply for an Enhanced Financial Support Award to support your additional costs.

For students who started their course between September 2020 and September 2023 the bursary award, per level of study, is £3,000 for full-time study (£1,500 for part-time study).

For students who started their course between September 2016 and September 2019 the bursary award, per level of full-time study, is £2,000.

For students who started their course from September 2015 the bursary award, per level of full-time study, is £1,600.

Where you are studying by distance learning you will not be eligible for a bursary. If you are facing financial difficulties, we recommend applying for financial support (student login required).

You do not need to provide any additional evidence if you studied your undergraduate degree with us and received the Estranged Student’s Bursary.

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How to apply

You will need to complete an application form.

This will involve providing some details about your personal circumstances and relevant documentation to support your application, ie evidence confirming that you are estranged. 

You will need to provide evidence confirming your estranged status and (if an undergraduate) a letter or email from the Student Loans Company confirming your independent assessment (if you have had your assessment completed).

Your evidence confirming your estranged status can be a copy of the evidence that you are using or have used to apply for your student finance, for example:

• A Confirmation of Estrangement form
• A supporting letter on headed paper from a professional or third party, such as your former head teacher or an external agency, supporting your status

If you do not provide the relevant documentation, we will not be able to progress your application.

Enhanced Support for Estranged Students application form

You will receive a response within 15 working days of submitting your completed application.

We will not share your personal circumstances or a copy of any of the evidence that you submit as part of your application. However, if we feel that you may benefit from support offered by other University services, then we may ask them to contact you directly.

If you are an estranged undergraduate student but have not been assessed as an independent student by Student Finance, you must make an appointment with a Money Adviser in the Student Advice Centre. They can talk about your circumstances with you, determine whether you may qualify for independent statutory funding due to your circumstances, and help you contact the relevant agencies.

Contact the Student Advice Centre

Contact the Funding team if you are having difficulty obtaining evidence, or if you have any accessibility concerns or issues submitting the form.

Contact the Funding team

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Terms and conditions 

• Exact payment dates will be confirmed in your bursary confirmation email.
• Your bursary is non-repayable and will not affect your student finance.
• Bursaries must be assessed and paid within the academic year, and they cannot be backdated for previous years.
• Your bursary will be paid as a direct payment into your bank account to help with your study costs.
• If you withdraw from your course, you may need to repay a percentage of your bursary that you received in that academic year. Contact the Funding team via financialhelp@sheffield.ac.uk for guidance.
• If you take a leave of absence during the year, you will not be eligible to receive any further instalments due to be paid.
• If you receive an enhanced bursary from the University, we will contact you on each year of your course to confirm that you still meet the eligibility criteria. You may also need to provide evidence to confirm this.

Read the full bursary terms and conditions