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This bursary is for Home/UK undergraduates ordinarily resident in England who have experience of being in local authority care, are irreconcilably estranged from their family or have unpaid young adult carer responsibilities.

If you are a new Home/UK undergraduate student starting at City and can provide evidence that you fall into any of the following three categories, you may be eligible for the City Cares Bursary:

  • You live or have lived in care and are still receiving support from your local authority
  • You are irreconcilably estranged from your parents
  • You have unpaid young adult carer responsibilities.

In all cases, you must also:

  • Be ordinarily resident in England
  • Have a residual household income of £25,000 a year or less as assessed by Student Finance England (SFE) by the last day of the first term of each academic year. Priority is given to students with the lowest household income
  • Be 25 years old or younger on the 1st September in your first year.

Value

The bursary is worth £3,500 per progressive academic year, for a maximum of three years. Priority is given to students with the lowest household income.

How to apply

There is no formal application form for this bursary however eligible candidates must register with City Cares by emailing citycaressupport@city.ac.uk.

Receipt of the bursary is dependent on students attending an induction meeting with City Cares and submitting relevant evidence. In addition, students must consent to share their household income with us via Student Finance England by the last day of the first term of each academic year.

Please see further instructions below. After this, please arrange a meeting with City Cares to discuss any mitigating circumstances.

How to share your household income

When applying for student finance through Student Finance England (SFE) you must give your consent to share your financial information with City. Please follow the three steps below:

  • Apply for Student Finance through Student Finance England (SFE)
  • Provide your household income to Student Finance England
  • Both you and your sponsors/parents/partner/guardians must give consent to share your household income with City, University of London. Your consent must be activated on your Student Finance England account by the last day of the first term in each academic year. For any queries on giving your consent please contact Student Finance England directly on 0300 100 0607.

Please note, if you do not wish to apply for a means tested maintenance loan, your income can still be assessed by Student Finance England. To do this you should make an application. When completing the application for funding please enter ‘£0’ if you do not wish to take out a loan.

Alternatively, when the maintenance loan is approved you will receive an entitlement letter with a schedule of payment. At that point you do not need to take up the loan. Please contact SFE to cancel the maintenance loan on: 0300 100 0607.

Notification and payment

Students in receipt of the City Cares bursary will be notified of the upcoming payment by January via their City email address. Payments will be made in three instalments in January, April and June each academic year.

Students given the City Cares bursary may be eligible for The Lord Mayor of London Scholarship for Academic Excellence but not the City Education Grant or Sanctuary Scholarship.

Terms and conditions

  1. Eligible students must have had their household income assessed by Student Finance England by the last day of the first term of each academic year. After this date, please arrange a meeting with City Cares to discuss any mitigating circumstances.
  2. Eligible students must attend an induction meeting with City Cares and submit relevant evidence.
  3. Students must be new entrants to Higher Education (i.e. have not previously studied part or all of an undergraduate degree programme before)
  4. Students must be starting the first year of their degree as a new student (i.e. those starting in Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 are not eligible).
  5. The bursary is available to undergraduate students who are ordinarily resident in England. Students who normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are not eligible.
  6. Students whose tuition fee status’ are reassessed in the middle of their degree or who restart a degree will not be eligible.
  7. Students awarded the City Cares Bursary are not eligible for Sanctuary Scholarship or the City Education Grant.
  8. Bursaries do not need to be repaid.
  9. The bursary is payable for a maximum of three years and will be paid in three instalments in January, April and June each academic year. You must be enrolled full-time. In each subsequent academic year your household income must remain within the eligible threshold which is £0 to £25,000, as assessed by Student Finance England (SFE), to retain the grant.
  10. The bursary will not be paid during part-time or full-time repeat academic years, during any dormant/suspended periods, during a placement year or study aboard year.
  11. If a Sanctuary Scholar has a change in status part way through their course and are no longer eligible for the Sanctuary Scholarship, they can become eligible for the City Care Bursary irrespective of their year of study, at the manager’s discretion.
  12. The following categories of students are not eligible:
    • Students directly continuing from one course to another (for example, from a foundation degree or HND on to the final year of an honours degree).
    • Students transferring in from another institution.
    • Students undertaking a postgraduate qualification.
    • Part-time students.
    • Any other students whose fees are paid or part-paid through a sponsorship arrangement.