Trusts

It is unlikely that your whole course could be financed entirely by trust fund help. Educational charities and trusts can provide help to students who may be without funding for part of their course or those that need help over and above that provided by funding bodies.

Educational charities and trusts often have specific and unusual terms of reference. They may be restricted to helping, for example, students only on certain courses of study, above or below a certain age (often 21 or 25), from particular parts of Britain or countries of the world, or in defined occupations, professions or industries.

Payments of between £300 - £500

Students don’t usually receive more than about £300 - £500 from any one charity. Charities generally make single, rather than recurrent payments.

Payments tend to be for particular items, e.g. tools or equipment, or for a specific purpose, e.g. childcare, or payments that the charity or trust believes might make the difference between completion and non-completion for the student concerned.

Sympathetic towards sickness

Charities are more sympathetic to students whose need for assistance results from sickness or unforeseen circumstances, and many charities only give assistance to first-time students.

Postgraduate assistance is difficult

Assistance is more difficult to find if you are a postgraduate student or taking a second undergraduate course. Applications often take some time to process, so it’s wise to apply for support well in advance of the course start date.