University of Sheffield bursaries - terms and conditions

Please note, terms and conditions are subject to change prior to the start of the 2025 academic year.

Terms and conditions applicable to all University of Sheffield bursaries

• A bursary is money from the University for students and it doesn't have to be paid back (unless your circumstances change). It is in addition to government funding. 
• The University will reassess your eligibility for a bursary for each year of your course. 
• Awards will not be assessed and paid until after the registration start date and when you are fully registered.
• University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme assessments take place during October and we will email you by the end of October to confirm whether you are eligible.
• If you have applied for an enhanced bursary as an estranged student or care leaver prior to the start of the academic year and plan to live in University accommodation, bursary assessments will take place before the first University accommodation instalment payment date. If you have applied after this point, we will process your application within 20 working days and then confirm to you when you will be paid.
• If you have applied for an enhanced bursary as an estranged student, care leaver, or student with caring responsibilities prior to the start of the academic year, bursary assessments will take place during October and we will email you by the end of October to confirm whether you are eligible and include details of your payment dates. If you have applied after this point, we will process your application within 20 working days and then confirm to you when you will be paid.
• The bursaries are paid each year of your course. This does include a year spent studying abroad, should you choose to do this, but excludes years in industry/placement/employment.
• The amount you receive will depend on a number of factors which may include: your household income, postcode, grades, and the year you started your course.
• To be considered for a bursary, you must be eligible for and have applied to Student Finance England or equivalent assessing agency to receive a tuition fee and means-tested maintenance loan via the undergraduate funding system. Those students undertaking a second degree may find that they are not eligible for loans, grants or bursaries. 
• If you do not wish to take out a loan, you can still apply for a household income assessment to be carried out by Student Finance England (or equivalent regional funding body) and request a £0 loan - this allows us to assess you for the bursary without you receiving any loan.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have had your household income assessed correctly by your funding body and the University. 
• If you are eligible for a bursary, we may contact you during your studies regarding other opportunities you might be interested in, such as other funding schemes. Your data will not be passed to other parties.
• There is no limit on the number of eligible students who can qualify for a bursary.
• If you are eligible to receive the award for full-time study and repeat part of your course part time, we may be able to consider you for a pro-rata award. For pro-rata assessments, your bursary amount is dependent on the number of internal credits you are completing. We will assess your eligibility for the bursary award using the applicable scheme criteria and then apply the following percentages:

• If you are completing any credits externally, these will not be taken into account. If you are registered externally for the academic year, you are not eligible to be considered for an award.
• If you withdraw from your course or transfer to another university, you may have to repay a percentage of your bursary that you received in that academic year. Your bursary entitlement will be reassessed in line with the tuition fee refund policy. Contact the Student Funding Team for guidance.
• If you take a leave of absence during the year, you won’t have to repay the bursary you have already received; however, you won’t be eligible to receive any further instalments due to be paid.
• If your circumstances change, for example, if your household income is reassessed by Student Finance England, the bursary amount that you are eligible for may be affected in future years. If this is the case, you will not have to repay any of your bursary you have already received.
• We will be running regular bursary assessments from October to the end of April each academic year. If you feel you are eligible for a bursary after this point, please contact the Student Funding Team.
• The last date for calculating bursaries is usually in June and will be confirmed at the start of the academic year.
• Bursary awards must be assessed and paid within the academic year and can not be backdated for previous years.
• Medics and dental students in years five and six do not need to be assessed for student finance. If you received a University bursary in year four of your studies, you will continue to receive this amount in years five and six of your studies.
• Students on the Graduate Entry Medicine course do not need to be assessed for student finance from year two of the course onwards. If you received a bursary in year one of your studies, you will continue to receive the same amount for years two, three and four of your course.
• If you are either a continuing Medic or Dental student, or Graduate Entry Medicine student receiving NHS funding, and have had a change of circumstances to your household income since your initial bursary assessment as indicated above, you can request a means-tested assessment from student finance in order for the University to reassess your eligibility for the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme. You will need to contact Student Finance England (or equivalent assessing agency) directly and request a means-tested assessment for HEP bursary purposes and contact our team to let us know once your assessment has been confirmed.
• Students studying Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy will receive 25% of their bursary award during their third year. This reflects the duration and reduced tuition fee in the final year. 
• The University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme for students studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education is instead of (not in addition to) the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme.
• If in receipt of an enhanced bursary, this is instead of (not in addition to) the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme.
• All bursary awards up to the value of £5,000 will be paid in two instalments.
• Bursary awards over £5,000 will be paid in four instalments.
• Exact payment dates will be confirmed in a bursary confirmation email.
• 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 - we will let you know if this is the case.

Additional terms and conditions applicable to the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme only

• We use the details you submit to Student Finance England or equivalent assessing agency and UCAS to assess your entitlement for the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme. You don’t need to apply for it. If you’re eligible, we'll email you by the end of October to confirm the amount you'll receive and when it will be paid.
• If you live in one of the devolved nations, you will not be eligible for either of the postcode dependent awards.
• You can only receive one of the postcode awards.
• We'll assess your postcode using POLAR3 and the Index of Multiple Deprivation scales. If you started your course in 2020, we'll assess your postcode using POLAR3 or POLAR4 and the Index of Multiple Deprivation scales. 

Additional terms and conditions applicable to the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme for students studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education

• We use the details you submit to Student Finance England or equivalent assessing agency and UCAS to assess your entitlement for the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme for students studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education. You don’t need to apply for it. If you’re eligible, we'll email you by the end of October to confirm the amount you'll receive and when it will be paid.
• Students on a part-time programme of study will be assessed for a pro-rata award.
• Students on a part-time programme of study must be studying at least 60 credits per year of study on an eligible course.
• If you are studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education full time or part time and you transfer to a full-time course outside of this, you will continue to be assessed using the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme for students studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education. 
• If you transfer to a full-time course, you will be assessed for the full-time University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme for students studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education.
• You will be assessed on household income only.
• You must complete your foundation year to continue to be assessed for the University of Sheffield Bursary Scheme for students studying a Lifelong Learning course within the School of Education.
• You must not already hold an equivalent or higher level qualification.