Bursaries, Scholarships and Funding
Bursaries
Bursaries are financial packages sometimes offered to students to pay for them to study.
Cardiff University offers bursaries to eligible, full-time, UK students who started their Undergraduate course after 2016.
The financial amount that you may be eligible for can vary depending on your household income and the year that you started Higher Education. You can find out how much you may be awarded here.
How do I apply?
There is no application process for a bursary. If you are eligible, you should be notified by the end of your first term. At this point, you should receive clarification on the amount you will be awarded, and when to anticipate the payments.
Are there any other bursaries available for students?
- I’m a Care Leaver
- I’m an Estranged Student
- I am undertaking Work Experience to support my degree
- You may be eligible for a bursary to support your learning whilst undertaking a vocational work experience. To find out more about this, contact bursariesandscholarships@cardiff.ac.uk
- I’m a carer
- Cardiff University has a Student Carers Bursary that provides financial support to young adult carers who are studying at Cardiff University. If you are a Student Carer, the University has a dedicated mentor for carers who is able to address Student Carers Bursary enquiries. If you believe that you may be eligible for this bursary, contact Gareth Davies at daviesgt1@caridff.ac.uk .
- I’m a student veteran
- The Armed Forces give student veterans financial resource to support them in purchasing vocational equipment, cover travel costs or to contribute towards private rented accommodation.
- I went to secondary school in Cardiff and I am struggling financially
My circumstances have changed; will this affect my bursary?
You may have changed course, withdrawn from your course or taken an Interruption of Study. Perhaps your household income has changed. These factors may affect the Bursary that you are eligible for.
It is important that you let the University know if your circumstances change, and to enquire about how this may affect your bursary. If you have questions about this, we would strongly advise you to contact the Advice and Money Team using the contact details below:
StudentConnect@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 (0)29 225 18888
Scholarships
Scholarships are financial awards offered to students who meet certain requirements.
Undergraduate Scholarship
This financial award is available for Undergraduate students who meet certain grade requirements at A level or equivalent.
The award is distributed to students throughout the duration of their degree programme.
In order to receive the scholarship amount in full there are certain criteria students need to continue to meet. For example, students must ensure that their academic attainment is consistently above 60%.
You can find out more about the available on these webpages:
Postgraduate Scholarship
Cardiff University’s Postgraduate, titled the Masters Excellence Scholarship, is an award eligible to UK ad EU students, studying:
- A full-time programme leading to a Master’s degree;
- Part-time programme leading to Master’s degree;
- MRes Biosciences;
- Mres Stem Cell Neurobiology.
Whereas the Undergraduate Scholarship can be attained by virtue of meeting certain criteria, students must actively apply for the Masters Excellence Scholarship. Find out how to apply here.
NHS Funding
As a Healthcare student, there are two funding options available to you to provide financial support throughout your studies, NHS Funding or Student Finance. The terms and conditions of these Funding options may vary depending on which avenue you choose therefore we strongly advise you to consider both options before making a decision. For example, to apply for the NHS Bursary is a commitment to practise in Wales for two years after qualifying, which is not necessarily the case with the Student Loan.
- Student Finance Funding – if you do not want to commit to working in Wales for two years after qualifying, you are still able to apply for a Healthcare Course in Wales, and apply for funding via Student Finance.
If you select Student Finance Funding instead of NHS funding, you must register your decision with the NHS Wales Student Awards Service before applying for your student loan.
- NHS Bursary – The NHS Bursary is available for all UK students studying Healthcare and provides financial support for tuition fees and living costs.
To find out more about the NHS Bursary, and the application process, take a look at this webpage.
If you are studying BDS Dentistry or Medicine (MBBCh) you may also be eligible for funding from the NHS. This funding is not the same as that offered to Healthcare students and does not require students to practice in Wales post-registration.
Find out about additional funding available for you here.
Disabled Student Allowances
Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) cover extra disability-related costs or expenses you may have while studying a higher education course.
You can apply for a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) if you are from the UK and have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia.
DSA could help support funding for:
- Specialist equipment
- Non-medical help such as mentoring or specialist skills support
- Extra travel because of your disability
- General disability-related expenditures
DSAs are usually allocated owing to the need of the individual applying. There are maximum amounts available for each type of student, and each type of help (listed above).
If you are studying a short course which is not eligible for DSA, we would strongly advise you to contact the Disability and Dyslexia team in the University who may be able to offer you some additional support.
How do I apply for DSA?
To apply for DSA, you need to complete the application form for your funding body. This will either be who provides your student loan, or if you are a self-funded student it will be based on your home address. You can find the application forms and also check their current eligibility criteria and what you could receive below:
If approved, your funding body will advise you on your next step e.g. having a DSA Needs Assessment. They will give you information on how to book an assessment and where to find an Assessment Centre.
Do I need evidence?
Yes. To support your DSA application, you must confirm that you are managing a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010. You will need to provide professional evidence of this from a GP, medical professional or qualified assessor.
I’m an EU/International student – Am I eligible for DSA?
DSAs are only available to UK undergraduate and postgraduate students. If you are ordinarily a resident in another country, then you will not qualify for DSAs.
If you're an international or EU student, we strongly advise you to contact your home government for information about access to additional funding. Your sponsors may also provide an additional grant to cover any extra expenses you have because of your disability.
Postgraduate Funding
Postgraduate students may be eligible for funding through loans, studentships, bursaries and grants.
Postgraduate Masters Loan
A Postgraduate Master’s Loan can help finance course fees and living costs. The loan is paid directly to you; it is up to you how you spend it.
Am I eligible for a Postgraduate Loan?
This may depend on your course, start date, age, nationality and/or residency status.
Unlike the Undergraduate student loan, this loan is not based on your household income but the year that you started your postgraduate programme.
The eligibility criteria for this loan can vary depending on whether you normally live in. Please follow the links below to find out whether you are eligible and how you can apply:
How do I repay a Postgraduate Masters Loan?
You must start repaying your loan when your income surpasses the threshold amount. You will also be charged interest from the day you get the first payment.
International Student Funding
It may be possible for you to get funding to support your studies from your home country, even if you have chosen to study at Cardiff University. We would strongly advise you to consider the funding options available to you in addition to the funding mentioned below.
- EU Funding
If you are from an EU country, you may be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan to support you with student living costs.
If you have lived in the UK for more than five years before the first day of the first academic year of your course, you may be able to claim financial support for your living costs. To do so, you can apply for a student loan as though you were a UK national.
In order to apply for a Student Loan, you must apply via Student Finance Wales. Find out if you are eligible, and how to apply here.
- International Students
If you usually live outside of the EU, your tuition fees are likely to be substantially higher than those who live in the EU or UK.
As an International Student, you will not be able to access student finance from the UK government like home or EU students. Individual countries usually have their own schemes for this funding so make sure you research those that are available to you.
What funding options are available for me?
You may be eligible for financial support from a private company and you may want to enquire with some local companies to see they are able to sponsor your studies. You may need to clarify the terms of this sponsorship. For example, in some cases, in return for funding, students may need to return to their home country following graduation to work for the company in question for an agreed amount of time.
You may find that some Cardiff University Scholarships are available to International students. Take a look here to find out more.
I’m struggling financially, is there anything I can consider?
A lot of international students finance their studies with the help of family members. If you are struggling financially you may want to speak to your close family to see if they are able to provide any support. If this is not the case, we strongly advise you have a look at what other funding may be available to you here.
Student Advice
advice@cardiff.ac.uk
029 2078 1410