Sports Scholarships
We have a history of supporting talented sportsmen and sportswomen that dates back to the 1960s. Our Sports Scholarship programme is more than just financial assistance; it is designed to the particular needs of athletes with outstanding sporting ability in higher education.
Music Awards
All our Undergraduate and Postgraduate students can apply for a Music Award audition, except those are taking music performance as part of their academic course. The Awards are open to both singers and instrumentalists.
Many of our students have skills in fields other than those they choose to study for their degrees. So we make awards from the Music Tuition Fund each year to help students from all Schools to continue their musical tuition.
Other funding
The following awards and allowances don’t usually have to be paid back unless there has been a change in circumstances. These allow some of our students to get extra help towards their living costs over and above the loans and scholarships.
Disabled students
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) help pay for the extra costs a student may incur as a result of a disability or specific learning difficulty. These non means-tested allowances can help with the cost of having items of specialist equipment, support workers, travel and other course-related costs such as books and equipment.
The University Hardship Fund may provide funding for the cost of a diagnostic assessment of a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia). This can only be arranged by the Disability and Dyslexia Service following a screening appointment with a Dyslexia Adviser.
For more information see the Disability and Dyslexia webpages or email disability@brunel.ac.uk
While you’re a student, you may be able to continue receiving other benefits and allowances such as the Disability Living Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.
Training as a teacher
There are financial incentives for taking Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses available from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), as well as funding from the Government.
Students with dependants
Students with children may be eligible for a Childcare Grant which could cover as much as 85 per cent of your childcare costs or a fixed amount whichever is less.
This could be up to £199.62 per week if you have one child, or £342.24 per week if you have two or more children.
Please refer to the Childcare Grant webpage for further information on the eligibility criteria and application process.
The Parents' Learning Allowance helps towards your course costs, such as books, materials and travel. You could get between £50 and £2,024 for 2026/27 depending on your household income.
You can apply for the Parents’ Learning Allowance when you apply for student finance. You can apply before or during your course, by completing the section concerning extra help for students with children on your application form. For more information see the Parents Learning Allowance web page.
If an adult depends on you financially, you may be entitled to help through the Adult Dependants’ Grant. The amount you can get depends on your income and the income of your dependants. The maximum for 2025/26 and 2026/27 is £3,545. You don't usually have to pay this back.
Please refer to the Adult Dependant's Grant web page for more information.
Support levels depend on your household income, and this support is in addition to the standard student funding package.
Financial difficulties during your course
The University Hardship Fund provides financial assistance in the form of grants or emergency loans to students who face difficulty in meeting their living costs or course costs (but not tuition fees). This can be because you fall into hardship unexpectedly and through no fault of your own. You can only apply once you have enrolled as a student, since the University assesses how much should be awarded. You’ll not be entitled to help unless you have already applied for any loans, grants and bursaries to which you are entitled.
Students should be aware that the University Hardship Fund is intended to act as a safety net for those in financial difficulty and not their main source of income.
A short-term repayable loan of £200 is also available to students who are experiencing financial hardship in the current academic year before the arrival of the first instalment of their Maintenance Loan. For further information, including eligibility factors and contact details, visit the Brunel Student Hub website.
Students on professional health courses
Students applying for professional health courses such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Specialist Community Public Health Nursing are subject to different fees and receive different funding. Find out more on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) site.
Students living in England applying for an Allied Health course that started on or after 1 August 2018, are eligible for the standard Undergraduate package of support from the Student Loans Company (SLC) The Undergraduate support package consists of a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your Tuition Fees and a Maintenance Loan to help cover the cost of your living expenses.
In line with SLC regulations, you should apply as an Undergraduate student. Further details about eligibility can be found on the government website.
Social Work students
Students enrolled on a Master's programme in Social Work are not permitted to receive both a Postgraduate Master's Loan and a Social Work Bursary for the same period of study. Students should carefully consider which source of funding is most appropriate for their circumstances before applying.