Frequently asked questions

It’s true that financial aid can help students in financial difficulty but this must be because of unforeseen circumstances / emergencies or because you are a Home full-time undergraduate student and your means-tested assessment shows a shortfall over the academic year.

Students are expected to have planned and budgeted for their time at University and to live within their means. Our Student Money Adviser can offer budgeting and debt management advice.

Please email studentmoneyadvice@brookes.ac.uk,

Payments from Financial Aid are usually an award following an assessment and don't need to be repaid.

The University doesn't offer loans.

We do not deal with bursaries within the Financial Aid team. For bursary queries, please see our funding pages or contact the Oxford Brookes Student Finance/Funding team at slcfunding@brookes.ac.uk.

Assessments do not usually take pre-existing debts into account. It is assumed that, when students embark on a degree course, they have made sure that they have put their finances in order. Our Student Money Adviser can offer advice on dealing with creditors and budgeting. Please email studentmoneyadvice@brookes.ac.uk.

University Financial Aid works on similar lines to the government’s benefits system and is based on income and allowable expenditure. That means there is a limit put on the amounts you spend on day-to-day living (see Composite Living Costs explanation in the guidelines). There are also caps, e.g. on travel, rent, course costs.

Students without dependants or disabilities which prevent them from working are expected to have additional income from part-time work, family support, savings, etc. This is called ‘assumed income’. The figure is determined by the NUS and the University. Final year undergraduate students have the assumed income figure reduced as it is recognised that they may not be able to take as much part-time paid work.

These rules for standard assessment have to be followed by the University assessor.

We will usually be able to give you an answer within 4 working weeks of receiving a complete application form. A complete application is one that has all the documents required including those we have asked for after you have submitted your form.

Assessment is over the entire academic year and any award is made on that basis. Therefore, you may only apply more than once during an academic year for University Financial Aid if your circumstances have changed from your original application and you did not receive the maximum award available. Applicants will be asked to provide appropriate documentary evidence.

Students who are experiencing financial difficulties over the summer can make an application for this period.

You can apply for University Financial Aid if an award would demonstrably help you return to study.

A priority debt is defined as meaning that non-payment would give the creditor the right to deprive the debtor of his/her home, liberty, essential goods and services, e.g.:

• Secured loans (loans that are secured against a debtor’s home, e.g. a mortgage)
• Rent arrears
• Council tax
• Gas and electricity charges

If you’d like advice on completing your application form and what documents are required as evidence, you can contact the Financial Aid team at finaid@brookes.ac.uk.

Our Student Money Adviser offers budgeting and debt management advice. They can also advise you on what funding and benefits you may be entitled to. Please email studentmoneyadvice@brookes.ac.uk. 

Your Student Support Coordinators can also help you complete the application form and submit evidence.