We recognise that the Cost of Living increase has had a financial impact on most students, with more of you at risk of facing increased costs or hardship as a result of this. The University of Staffordshire is currently offering cost of living initiatives to help our students who are facing difficulties. We are pleased to announce that this support is open to all home for fees, undergraduate students.
We currently have the following funds, however please check Blackbullion for details of when a fund is open/closed and the eligibility criteria.
Early Financial Assistance - if you If you are a new ‘home for fees’ student (including direct entrants) experiencing a delay in funding or have struggled to put in place some financial provision until your first maintenance loan instalment comes through, we may be able to support you with a Love to Shop voucher which you can use in various supermarkets. You can apply for the Early Financial Assistance Fund
1. Travel Bursary
Our travel bursary will support students living at our Stoke-on-Trent campus student village, and who are studying on an eligible health course based at our Stafford campus and starting their course in September 2026. The bursary offers £1,000 per year of study and will be paid in instalments throughout the academic year. This is to help you travel between our campuses to support you with the costs of using your preferred mode of transport.
2. Student (Art & Design) Support Fund
The University of Staffordshire is helping students who are exhibiting their work for end of year projects by helping to reimburse some money towards costs you may have incurred purchasing materials.
*Please note: Students can submit a request based on their expenditure (supported by receipts) and the maximum award is £200.
This fund is now closed but will open early May 2027.
3. Student (Summer) Support Fund
Our Student (Summer) Support Fund is a discretionary fund available to students who may find themselves in financial need who need extra support or help with day to day living, such as food travel and help with housing costs over the summer vacation period.
This fund is now closed but will open early July 2027.
4. Student Success (Employability) Fund
The Student Success (Employability) Fund is designed to provide financial support to undergraduate students to develop skills, attributes and experiences that will help them to progress into their chosen career.
If you have secured a recruitment, work experience or employability development opportunity*, you may apply to the fund.
What can you claim for:
Travel Support
- A one-off payment of up to £250 (one return journey) OR a weekly travel pass (£50 maximum) OR a monthly travel pass (£150 maximum) for eligible students. Only one of these options can be selected per application.
Clothing Support
- A one-off payment of up to £150 for eligible students. This relates only to the purchase of appropriate footwear and clothing to undertake the secured opportunity.
Expenses Support
- A one-off payment of £100 for eligible students, providing a contribution towards the cost of food, equipment or other expenses associated with the secured opportunity.
*Applications will be considered for activities such as:
- In-person and online recruitment activities (interviews, assessment centres)
- In-person and online/remote work experience (volunteering, part-time and vacation jobs, internships, vacation schemes, placements)
- In-person and online employability development opportunities (networking events, conferences, insight days, job shadowing, employer/opportunity provider workshops)
Where can I get further guidance?
If you require any further guidance and would like to book an appointment with the Student Life (Advice) team, please use the University's Solve portal - https://solve.staffs.ac.uk/portal to make your request.
For information about other Cost of Living support we offer please click here
In addition to the above funds, we continue to offer the Student (Support) Fund:
We also continue to offer students the opportunity to apply for the Student Support Fund. If you’re struggling financially and worried this could impact on your ability to continue with your studies we have a fund that might be able to help you. Our Student Success (Support) Fund is a discretionary fund available to undergraduate, home for fees students experiencing severe financial hardship. Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please click the link for information about this fund.