Student Funding

From basic advice on funding entitlements to complex advice about serious financial problems. The service offers impartial, confidential and professional guidance and information to students.

What we do

We administer the University Hardship Fund, Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursaries and University Emergency Loans. (Please see below for further information)

We offer appointments to discuss:

  • Financial or personal situations which may affect study.
  • Financial implications of interruption, re-start, course transfer or withdrawal of study.

Who we are

Debbie Smitham – Student Adviser (Funding & Academic)
Lorrine Penwarden – Student Adviser (Funding & Academic)

To book an appointment with a funding adviser or for any funding related queries please email: studentfunding@marjon.ac.uk

Twitter: @Funding_Marjon

Care Leavers

If you are student who is estranged from your parents or guardians and are concerned about studying without the support of a family network please contact StudentFunding@marjon.ac.uk. Our Student Funding Advisor can offer advice and guidance for applying for independent status from Student Finance England, assess whether you might be eligible for a Care Leavers or Estranged Student Bursary and help with other financial concerns. 

You may also wish to visit www.standalone.org.uk which is a charity that offers support and guidance for estrangement.

Visit the Care Leavers Information pages to find out more.

Estranged Student Bursary

Plymouth Marjon University provides a Estranged Student Bursary of £1,000 per academic year for eligible students.

If you are under 25 and estranged from both of your biological/adoptive parents or only living parents you may be eligible to apply.

To download the Estranged Student Bursary Guidance for further information on the bursary please click: ESTRANGED STUDENT BURSARY GUIDANCE 2021-22

For an application form please contact studentfunding@marjon.ac.uk

Securing independent status on the basis of estrangement with Student Finance can sometimes be difficult and time consuming so if you are struggling with this process please contact studentfunding@marjon.ac.uk for help and/or visit the Stand Alone website.

University Hardship Fund

The University Hardship Fund is available to help students who need extra financial support because they have higher than expected costs or experience severe financial difficulty during their course due to unexpected events.

All applications will be means tested and payments will usually be made in instalments.

For the full University Hardship Fund guidelines detailing further information regarding eligibility, application, assessment procedures etc. please click: UHF full guidance notes 21-22

To download the 2021/22 application form please click: UHF application form 2021-22

University Emergency Loan

University Emergency Loan’s are intended to help students who need extra financial support in emergency situations due to unforeseen events and who do not have any other means of financial support.

Each application is assessed on an individual basis during a meeting with the Student Funding Adviser to discuss the situation and to assess if a University Emergency Loan is appropriate for the circumstance and/or if there is any further support that we can offer.

For further information the University Emergency Loan Guidance can be downloaded here: University Emergency Loan guidance 21-22.

To arrange an appointment regarding an University Emergency Loan please email: studentfunding@marjon.ac.uk

Useful Websites

Student Finance England: 
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/overview 
Information regarding funding, access your online account, use the calculator to see how much funding you may be entitled to, find forms and apply for funding. 
Twitter: @SF_England

Money Saving Expert: 
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/ 
Advice on student bank accounts, student funding, budgeting and debt including useful tools and guides.
Twitter: @MoneySavingExp

The Student Room: 
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=5659-Student-Finance 
Information regarding student funding, discussion boards and live chat on funding related topics. 
Twitter: @thestudentroom

National Union of Students:
http://www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra/
Buy/renew your NUS discount card, find out where you can get discounts and special offers to save money.
Twitter: @nusextra 

StepChange Debt Charity: 
http://www.stepchange.org/
Free debt advice, budgeting tools and debt management plans.
Twitter: @StepChange

Citizens Advice Bureau: 
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/  
Advice charity helping with benefits, work, debt and money, relationships, housing, laws and rights, discrimination, tax, healthcare and education. 
Twitter: @CitizensAdvice

Stand Alone: 
http://standalone.org.uk/students/ 
Charity supporting people who are estranged from their families. Specific student advice on applying for student finance as a estranged student.
Twitter: @UKstandalone

Find A Masters:
https://www.findamasters.com/
FindAMasters is a directory of Masters degrees and postgraduate qualifications at universities around the world. Including information of finding a masters course.

Masters Compare:
https://www.masterscompare.co.uk/PGscholarship
Masters comparison site which also offers a PG scholarship.

Student Cook: 
http://www.studentcook.co.uk/ 
Ideas and recipes for cooking on a student budget.

 

Educational Psychologist Assessment Contribution

If a student requires an Educational Psychologist Assessment, then they are requested to pay a £50 contribution towards the cost of the assessment. The rest of the assessment cost is paid from the University Hardship Fund.
The contribution will be raised as a University Emergency Loan to the student once the student has signed and returned the declaration form linked below. Once this form is received then the assessment booking can be finalised.
The student will receive an invoice from Marjon’s Finance Department detailing how to repay the loan.
The loan must be cleared by the end of the academic year otherwise it may prevent a student from re-enrolling on the following academic year or registering for graduation.

If a student cannot afford the £50 contribution then they need to contact a Student Funding Adviser in order to apply to the University Hardship Fund to see if they are eligible for an award to cover the contribution cost and possibly help with any other financial difficulties that they may be experiencing: studentfunding@marjon.ac.uk 

The University Hardship Fund Guidance Notes which give further information on the fund and how Educational Psychologist contributions are assessed can be found on the Student Funding Advice section of the Student Handbook or a copy can be requested via email: studentfunding@marjon.ac.uk