Student Support Fund

The LJMU Student Support Fund can provide extra financial help if you are struggling to pay for essential costs.

Apply during the academic year

There is no application deadline - you can apply at any time during the academic year. But your application must be submitted before the end of the year.

You can apply

The fund is open to all LJMU students, including international and postgraduate students.

Due to visa restrictions, international students can only receive help with short-term, unexpected financial difficulties.

How the fund can help you

You can apply if you are struggling to pay for essential costs, such as:

• food
• energy bills
• rent
• unexpected costs, such as a broken heating system

There are also specific funds for students who:

• have childcare responsibilities
• are Young Adult Carers
• have a disability
• have extra costs from unpaid work experience or placements

You can find out more about these funds in the Student Support Fund policy and its appendices.

The fund cannot be used to pay tuition fees.
However, we can advise you about other sources of help with tuition fees.

Energy Cost Assistance

You may be able to receive a one-off payment if you can demonstrate that you contribute towards the energy bill at your term time address.

The payment is:

• £100 for students without children
• £300 for students with children

You may be eligible if you:

• are struggling to top up a prepayment meter during the winter
• have built up energy arrears during the winter
• have bills included in your rent but have exceeded the fair usage limit

If you have already received an award from the Student Support Fund this academic year, email moneyadvice@ljmu.ac.uk with evidence of your energy costs.

Opportunity Fund

LJMU is committed to helping all students reach their potential, regardless of their financial circumstances.

The Opportunity Fund helps students take part in placements, internships and other work-related opportunities that are not part of their course.

These opportunities can have extra costs. For example, you may need to reduce your paid working hours or give up paid work to take part. Sometimes, the opportunities can impact statutory funding.

The Opportunity Fund aims to make sure that financial difficulties do not prevent students from gaining valuable work experience.

How to apply

You can apply online via MyLJMU - go to My Services and scroll down to LJMU Student Support Fund.

Or, you can select the button below.

You will need to:

• explain why you need extra financial support
• provide information about your financial situation
• upload documents in PDF format, such as your student funding details and bank statements
• check that you have entered your bank details correctly

Make sure you upload the documents in PDF format. Missing or unreadable documents are one of the main reasons applications take longer to process.

Apply for the Student Support Fund

What happens after you apply

If you are unsure about something on the form, don’t worry. Staff will check the application and make corrections where needed.

A Student Money Advisor will assess your application using the University policy. At least two members of staff will assess each application to help make sure it is assessed correctly.

We may contact you if we think another source of funding would be more suitable.

This does not mean we do not want to help you. We want to make sure you get the right support.

We will email your LJMU email address with the outcome of your application.

If you are successful, the email will tell you:

• how much you have been awarded
• when you will receive the money

Most awards are paid in instalments to help you manage your money.

How long it takes

Applications can take up to four weeks to process, although we aim to process them as quickly as we can.

If your need financial help urgently, contact us using the details below or visit one of our drop-ins at Student Life Building or James Parsons Building.

Remember to upload your documents in PDF format – this helps to prevent any hold ups.

Successful applications

If your application is successful, the money will be paid into your bank account in instalments.

It is important that you enter your bank details carefully before submitting your application.
LJMU cannot be held responsible for payments that are delayed or not made because incorrect bank details were provided.

Unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful, it means that it did not meet the criteria in the Student Support Fund policy.

You can still contact us. We may be able to suggest other sources of financial support and are always happy to discuss your options.

Still need help?

If you have any questions about the Student Support Fund or any other aspect of your funding, please contact us.

• Email: Moneyadvice@ljmu.ac.uk
• Telephone: 0151 231 3153