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Manchester Hardship Fund now open

17 Nov 2015

Do your students need help with essential living expenses because of caring responsibilities, health problems, an emergency or significant change of circumstances?

The Manchester Hardship Fund (MHF), a University fund set up to support students in financial hardship, is now open for applications.

MHF was set up to replace the Access to Learning Fund (ALF), a national hardship fund financed by HEFCE which ceased at the end of the 2013/14.

The MHF is financed largely from University income; the 2015/16 fund is made up of donations from Alumni and an endowment fund specifically setup to support students in financial hardship, and this year there is an additional amount from HEFCE for UK/EU PGT students.

MHF assists students facing difficulty meeting their essential living expenses, particularly because of higher than expected costs associated with caring responsibilities or health/disability related expenditure, or because of an unexpected financial emergency, or a significant change of circumstances.

There are several principles taken into consideration when assessing an application which are summarised:

  • Students must be able to demonstrate that they commenced their programme of study having made adequate provision to meet the cost of their study.
  • Students must be able to demonstrate that they have exhausted all other sources of financial support.
  • The assessment calculates the annual income as lower than the annual expenditure.
  • No awards will be made to help meet the costs of tuition fees. 
  • No awards will be made where there is evidence of money mismanagement or non-essential/lifestyle expenditure.

More information

For further information about the application process, eligibility requirements and assessment guidelines, visit: