Core Bursary

The Core Bursary offers financial support to students from lower-income backgrounds during their time at university. 

You don't have to apply for the Core Bursary as eligibility is automatically determined based on your Student Finance assessment. The bursary is paid directly to your bank account in three instalments across the academic year. Unlike a student loan, the bursary is non-repayable and can be spent on anything you like to help you while you study. 

Bursary criteria and amounts are reviewed each year, so the amount you receive and the eligibility criteria for the bursary can differ based on your start date. If you are applying to join us in September 2026, please scroll down to ‘Bursary information by academic year’ to check the amount and eligibility criteria for your year of entry.

If you have any questions about this bursary or your eligibility, please contact us.

Are you eligible?

To be eligible for the Core Bursary as a student starting in September 2025, you must:

• have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance
• have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
• have first joined the university in September 2025
• be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/Graduate Entry Nursing/Graduate Entry Medicine) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2025/26
• have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
• be liable for the tuition fee set in 2025/26

If you joined the university prior to September 2025, please scroll down to ‘Bursary information by academic year’ to check the amount and eligibility criteria for your year of entry.

Part-time students - The university offers financial support through the Core Bursary on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2025. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) in order for us to assess your eligibility for the bursary. Your award will depend on your household income taken from the SF assessment and the number of credits you are taking. Further information can be found on our web page 'Funding for part-time undergraduates'

How to claim your bursary

You don't have to apply for the Core Bursary. We conduct automatic assessments using Student Finance and applicant data to determine which students are eligible. 

If you are eligible, confirmation of the bursary will be shown in the awards section of the Nottingham Hub by the end of October and you will receive the bursary payment directly to the bank account registered on the Nottingham Hub. The bursary is paid in three instalments over the academic year, typically in November, January and May (although this may vary year on year).

If you believe you are eligible, but the award is not showing in the Nottingham Hub by the end of October, please contact us.

Assessments will close for the 2025/26 academic year on Friday 19 June 2026. You must have applied for your means tested assessment with Student Finance by 4 May 2026 in order to ensure that Student Finance can complete your assessment by the 19 June 2026 deadline. We are unable to accept late assessments.

What happens if my eligibility changes?

We conduct several automatic assessments throughout the academic year, including a final assessment at the closing date.

If your household income has decreased to meet the bursary criteria during a reassessment, you will be entitled to receive the Core Bursary from that point onwards, or to receive a larger award if applicable.

If your household income has increased above the threshold during a reassessment, you will not receive any more bursary payments. However, we will not ask you to repay any previous payments to this point unless your income was assessed incorrectly.