Discretionary & Childcare Fund

The Discretionary & Childcare Funds can provide support towards the childcare, living and/or study costs (excluding tuition fees) of eligible students.

Funds are limited and we advise students to submit completed applications as soon as possible after the beginning of their degree.

Funds are unlikely to meet all needs and not intended to be a primary source of income.

Awards are normally payable in monthly non-repayable instalments until the end of July however some awards will be paid as a one-off non-repayable grant.

Childcare Information

It is your personal responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Team ASAP of any changes to registered childcare arrangements. Changes can result in over/underpayment therefore you should inform the team ASAP, so payments can be corrected. 

Childcare awards are paid direct to students, in arrears; we do not pay childcare providers direct.  It is your personal responsibility to ensure your childcare provider receives payment for the service provided. If you experience difficulties with payments e.g. you have missed a payment, please contact the Financial Aid Team to discuss your situation as soon as possible.

Childcare costs are verified in liaison with childcare providers and any fraudulent claims reported as appropriate.

Discretionary Fund - What support is available?

The Discretionary Fund may assist students meeting the eligibility criteria above with study and/or living costs (excluding tuition fees).

Students on courses with longer term dates e.g. postgraduates, will typically receive more than students with shorter term dates.

The Discretionary Fund cannot assist directly with a laptop purchase.  If you cannot afford a laptop you should apply for the Discretionary Fund, then request a laptop via the Laptop Loan Scheme.

Students who are carers, estranged from family, mature or who have dependent children will usually receive more than students not in these groups:

Student Carers
Students who are carers may be awarded funds in recognition of any extra costs associated with this status.  Please clarify your status as a Student Carer in the Personal Statement section of your application and evidence any additional costs resulting from your caring responsibilities.

Parental responsibilities do not constitute Student Carer status (unless for a disabled child), nor do caring responsibilities as part of a voluntary placement or that you are paid for.

Estranged Students
Estranged students may receive funds in recognition of extra costs associated with this status.

An 'estranged student' is someone who no longer has the support of their family due to a breakdown in their relationship which has led to ceased contact. This might mean biological or adoptive parents or wider family members who have been responsible for supporting a student in the past. Estranged students have no experience of being in care and do not have a corporate parent responsible for them.

The University of Glasgow has specific support in place for estranged students.  If you are not care-experienced but will be studying without the support of your family, please let us know.

Declarations of estrangement will always be treated confidentially and will only ever be used in a positive manner, allowing us to contact you with regards extra support that is available for you.

Mature/Independent Students
You may receive additional funds if:

  • You are 25 or over on the first day of the current academic year
    or
  • You are under 25 but have been granted independent status by your funding agency

You will not be considered a mature student if you receive any young student bursaries or allowances.

Childcare - What support is available?

Funds are available to assist with registered or formal childcare costs that are not covered from any other source, for full-time students eligible for SAAS tuition fee funding.

Funds are only available to cover childcare costs during study time i.e. not during working hours.

Students in receipt of Student Finance England/Northern Ireland/Wales tuition fee funding are not eligible for the Childcare Fund but can apply for the Discretionary Fund.

We cannot consider any childcare costs incurred by you before the start of your academic year therefore your Registered Childcare Pro Forma should be completed from the official start date of your academic year and your child(ren) should have taken up a place with the provider before you apply.

The Lone Parents Childcare Grant (LPCG) is not means tested and may be awarded to lone parents who have formal registered childcare expenses while studying.

Appeals

If your application has been unsuccessful, you can submit an appeal for your application to be reviewed.  Only applications which included all required supporting documents can be reviewed under the appeals process.

To appeal the outcome of your application, email the relevant application mailbox (see How to Apply), explaining in detail why you feel your original application meets the eligibility criteria above.  You can also provide any additional information and evidence you feel are relevant to your application.  Please mark your email as high importance and enter Discretionary/Childcare Fund Application Appeal as your email subject.

Appeals will be considered by the Financial Aid Team and the outcome of your appeal will be confirmed via email within 28 working days of receipt.

Reassessments

If an unforeseen incident results in your financial position significantly suffering (after you have received support from the funds) and you are having difficulty meeting your living costs, you can submit a request to have your application reassessed.

To request a reassessment, email the relevant application mailbox (see How to Apply), explaining in detail the changes to your financial position.  You should provide evidence of any changes to your income/expenditure.  Please mark your email as high importance and enter Discretionary/Childcare Fund Reassessment as your email subject.

If you have received support from the funds this year, please do not submit a second application unless invited to do so by the Financial Aid Team.

Reassessments will be considered by the Financial Aid Team and the outcome will be confirmed via email within 28 working days of receipt.

Awards provided via reassessment will be limited in nature and typically not at the same level of any initial award from the funds.

Eligibility

To apply for the Discretionary Fund, you should be:

  • A UK domiciled student, in receipt of your full Student Loan entitlement.
    and
  • Fully registered for the current academic year, at undergraduate degree level or above.  (Short Courses, Upskilling and undergraduate certificate students are not eligible)

To apply for the Childcare Fund, you should:

  • A full-time, Scottish domiciled student, in receipt of your full Student Loan entitlement.
    and
  • Be eligible for full-time tuition fee support from SAAS (not Student Finance, you should apply directly to Student Finance for childcare funding).

All students applying to the funds should be able to clearly demonstrate financial difficulty via a shortfall between income and expenditure.

Who is not eligible?

  • International and EU students
    (excluding students who have been ordinarily resident in the UK prior to starting their course and who are in receipt of UK Student Loans).
  • Students studying below undergraduate degree level, such as Short Courses and undergraduate certificate students.
  • Students studying an Upskilling course.
  • Students who have not taken out their full Student Loan entitlement.
  • Students in receipt of Student Finance England/Northern Ireland/Wales tuition fee funding are not eligible for the Childcare Fund but can apply for the Discretionary Fund.
  • Part-time students cannot apply for the Childcare Fund but can apply for the Discretionary Fund.

Students registered on the following basis are not eligible to apply for the funds:

  • Erasmus Incoming
  • Exchange In
  • Reassessment of Dissertation
  • Sabbatical
  • Visiting In

Supporting Documents Guidance

Please take the time required to collate all supporting documents as separate, clearly labelled PDF files before applying.

All supporting documents should be saved and attached to your application as separate, clearly labelled PDFs.  For example:

There are online tools to assist with converting documents to PDF and combining multiple pages of a document to a single PDF e.g. www.ilovepdf.com 

There are various online tools to reduce file size, if you are having difficulty attaching to an email e.g. https://www.adobe.com/uk/acrobat/online/compress-pdf.html

Please do not submit any supporting document as multiple files e.g. individual bank statement pages as separate images.  Applications containing these cannot be processed.

Please do not include any further information on your application e-mail. Only your attached and labelled PDFs will be assessed.  Any additional information should be included on the Personal Statement of your application form.

Please do not provide documents as zip files, or shared documents.

Documents cannot be added to an application after initial submission, unless specifically requested by a member of the Financial Aid Team.

Applications with supporting documents missing or not meeting the detailed supporting documents requirements cannot be processed.

If your application is incomplete, you will be invited to reapply, and new applications will move to the back of the processing queue upon resubmission.

Required Supporting Documents – Important, Please Read

Bank Statement(s) (including spouse/partner if cohabiting)

  • Mandatory for all
  • Students should also provide spouse/partner’s bank statements when co-habiting.
  • Document should show the last 30 days transactions from the date of application for all accounts held in your name (and your partner/spouse’s name where applicable).
  • Online statements and transaction lists are acceptable. Excel spreadsheets and word documents are not.
  • Bank statements should be highlighted clearly to match income, expenditure and debt on your application form.
  • Food and social costs do not require to be highlighted on bank statements.
  • Transfers between accounts should be highlighted and clearly explained in your Personal Statement.
  • Out of date bank statements and statements that are not highlighted/annotated appropriately will be rejected.

Tenancy Agreement/Mortgage Statement

  • Mandatory for all applicants with rent/accommodation costs.
  • Tenancy agreement should be current and show your name, property address, dates of agreement and monthly costs.
  • Annual mortgage statement or a letter from provider confirming your name, address, and monthly payments. An amount on a bank statement itself is not acceptable.
  • If you are a sub-tenant and do not have a formal lease agreement, please provide a letter from your landlord.

2023/24 Award Notification Letter - SAAS/SFE/SFNI/SFW

  • Mandatory for all students in receipt of Student Loans.
  • This document is available via your online account with the appropriate Student Finance body (SAAS, Student Finance England/Northern Ireland/Wales).

Birth Certificate for Dependent Child(ren)

  • Mandatory for students with dependent children. Any funds provided may be impacted if this document is not provided.
  • If you have difficulty obtaining a birth certificate, we will accept passports or tax credit/UC statements. If providing the tax credit/UC statement, please attach the full statement. The statement should confirm you have dependent children.

Universal Credit Statement

  • Mandatory for all applications when a student has Universal Credit.
  • You should provide a copy of your full, most recent statement that shows any contribution towards childcare costs and/or rent for the academic year.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR CHILDCARE APPLICANTS

Registered Childcare Pro Forma

  • Mandatory for all applications seeking support with childcare costs (via either fund).
  • Document should be completed by the childcare provider.
  • One Registered Childcare Pro Forma per child, per childcare provider. If you have more than one child that attends the same provider, multiple Registered Childcare Pro Forma are required.
  • Please ensure you complete the section of the Registered Childcare Pro Forma asking the level of support you are requesting (full or partial).

Tax/Universal Credit Statement

  • Mandatory for all applications seeking support with childcare costs (via either fund).
  • You should provide a copy of your full, most recent statement that shows any contribution towards childcare costs for the academic year.

How to Apply

How to Apply

  1. Check you are eligible to apply.
  2. Ensure you have completed registration. 
  3. Collate all supporting documents as individual PDFs (ilovepdf.com).
  4. Complete the Discretionary and Childcare Application Form.
  5. Sign Student Declaration and Privacy Notice (on application form).
  6. Submit application.

Emailed applications should contain:

  • Single PDF containing your application form.
  • Separate PDFs containing each supporting document, clearly labelled
    eg. 1 Current Account Transactions PDF, 1 Savings Account PDF, 1 SAAS Award Letter PDF etc.

Submit your application as a single email, from your University of Glasgow e-mail account to the relevant email address:

Discretionary Fund Applications:          discretionaryfund@glasgow.ac.uk
Applications Including Childcare:         childcarefund@glasgow.ac.uk

The following cannot be processed:

  • Applications submitted before your course has begun.
  • Applications not submitted as PDFs.
  • Applications with missing/unsuitable supporting documents.
  • Applications sent over multiple emails.

Complete applications will be prioritised.  If your application is incomplete, you may be invited to reapply.  New applications are placed at the back of the processing queue.

Applications will be processed as quickly as possible however this can take upwards of 4 weeks during busy periods such as the beginning of term.  Childcare Fund applications are prioritised wherever possible.