Student Support Fund Loans
The Student Support Fund (SSF) is run by the University of Bradford. The SSF can provide loans to help students in certain circumstances. These are for:
- Delays with student finance or funding
- Help with upfront placement costs that will later be refunded to you by the NHS
- EU or International students with a regular income that face upfront essential costs
You must also be fully enrolled at the University and be attending your course during the academic year.
We do not offer loans under any other circumstances and we will never offer you a loan for more than you have requested. If we decide to offer you a lower amount, we will check this with you beforehand.
Are there are any charges or interest on the loans?
SSF loans are interest free. We do not charge you any fees to provide you with the loan.
For funding delays, how much will I receive?
You can request an SSF loan of up to £50 per week if your student finance or funding has been delayed. If you have children that live with you, you can request up to £100 per week. We will need to see evidence of how long your funding is going to be delayed for and we will loan you the appropriate number of weeks. Student Finance will normally take a maximum of 6 weeks to process your funding, so the maximum we will loan you is for 6 weeks. If your funding is delayed for longer than expected, you can request an additional loan from us, provided you can show us evidence of the additional delay.
For placement costs, how much will I receive?
We can loan you up to the maximum of what the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) will refund you. The LSF will normally pay for some of your accommodation costs and travel costs whilst on placement. We will need to see evidence of any accommodation costs you may incur and a breakdown of your travel costs.
More information about the NHS Learning Support Fund
I am an EU or International student, what help can I receive?
If you are receiving a regular income (e.g. from a scholarship, sponsorship or employment), we may be able to offer you a loan if you need to pay an upfront essential cost, that you can’t afford to pay in one payment. The Fund can’t give you a loan to help with an accommodation/rent deposit. Each decision is made on a case-by-case basis. We will also need to check your income and spending for affordability.
How do I apply?
You will need to complete this application in full and provide supporting evidence of your situation and finances. This form will tell you what evidence you need to provide.
You will need to email your application and your evidence to supportfundloan@bradford.ac.uk. We accept both digital scans and photos of evidence.
We will not process your application if you do not send us all the required evidence.
Student Support Fund Loan Application Form
If you require this information in an alternative format, please contact our team. You can also read our Website Accessibility Statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will depend on the type of loan application you are making. The application form will guide you through the evidence you need to submit. For all applications, we will need to see copies of your bank statements for the last 3 months and details of your income.
Then we will not be able to process your application. Make sure you check you have submitted the correct documents, as otherwise your application will be delayed.
We will set a predetermined repayment date based on your circumstances. We will advise you of this date when we offer you the loan.
If your funding or reimbursement comes through later than expected, please email supportfundloan@bradford.ac.uk to request an extension. You must send us your bank statements as evidence to show that your payment has not yet come through. If for any reason your funding or reimbursement does not come through at all, you will still need to repay the loan to us.
For EU and International students with upfront costs, we will look at what is affordable for you to repay based on your income and spending. We will then set repayment dates based on this information. We will advise you of the repayment dates and amounts before we offer you the loan.
If you are facing an emergency - for example you have no money or food – please call 01274 236 504 in the first instance or email supportandguidance@bradford.ac.uk.
We will send an email to your student email address to make you aware of our decision. If we decide to offer you a lower loan than requested, we will email to check with you before we make a payment.
You can repay the loan through the University’s ePay system. You will need to quote your UB number on all payments made.
If you have any questions about the loan or the agreement, please contact supportfundloan@bradford.ac.uk.
Please contact supportfundloan@bradford.ac.uk in the first instance.
If for any reason you do not repay the loan, the University will take enforcement action to recover the debt. The University’s Credit Control department will contact you in the first instance and collection of the debt may be referred to an external debt collection agency if it remains unpaid. The University also reserves the right to take court action, which would mean additional costs being added to the debt.
You can ask to cancel your application at any time before you have received a payment from us. Once you have received a payment from us, you will need to repay the loan in full.