Student Carers

The £550 cash bursary is to support a student’s learning and living costs. It's available to UK undergraduate students, both full-time and part-time, who are verified as having caring responsibilities. 

In Higher Education, a Student Carer is someone who provides unpaid care to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour who could not manage without this help because of frailty, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability. Please note that being a parent is not a carer for the purposes of this bursary.

All students who declare their status as a Student Carer either through UCAS or the Online Registration Portal will be eligible for the award provided they have the required evidence to verify their caring role. This evidence will be verified by the Campus and Student Life Team. 

Every eligible student will be awarded a £550 bursary directly to their Inspire account at the end of April 2024 for this academic year. Part-time students will be given a pro-rata award.

To be eligible for this award, you will need to have successfully registered your caring responsibilities with the Campus and Student Life team via the registration form, have your evidence accepted and meet the bursary eligibility criteria.

Returning student carers will need to fill out a returning carers form. If you require any further information on this bursary or the application process, please contact us on specialistsupport@salford.ac.uk.

The £550 bursary will be paid at the end of April 2025 to students who meet the eligibility criteria at the time of allocation. 

Bursaries will be awarded to those who meet the eligibility criteria at the University at the time of allocation. To receive the bursary students must meet all the following criteria: 

• Have a current Carer Support Plan in place or have provided the required evidence to be eligible for a Carer Support Plan.  
• Be verified as a Student Carer by the Campus and Student Life Team. Please contact us on specialistsupport@salford.ac.uk if you are unsure. 
• Be studying a undergraduate course either delivered by the University on the University’s main campus (including MediaCity) or at a UK partner college: Salford City College or Bury College.  
• Be classed as a home student, (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland) for fee purposes.  
• Have consented to the sharing of data submitted to Student Finance. 
• Have met the required progression criteria for their course.  
• Have not been previously registered with the University for any course except where the student is progressing from a foundation course to the first year of an undergraduate course (level 4). Foundation level students are eligible for this bursary.

For the 2024/25 academic year students must also:  

• Be registered on a full-time or part-time undergraduate course being delivered by the University at its main campus either at the University, a UK partner college and must be paying the maximum undergraduate fee of £9,250 per year. This includes those students on a Higher National Certificate (HNC or HND) course; or 
• Be registered and studying a foundation course (level 3) delivered either by the University at its main campus or at a UK partner college: Salford City College or Bury College.

Those not eligible for this bursary: 

• Students who are not classed as 'home students' for fee purposes, or whose fee status is unresolved. 
• Students who were not ordinarily resident in the UK (i.e. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) or the Republic of Ireland.
• Students studying on a degree apprenticeship course.
• Students who have not provided the required evidence to register their caring responsibilities. 
• Students who are studying at postgraduate level.

Verification will be undertaken by the Campus and Student Life Team, who will cross-reference information provided through UCAS and Online Registration. Each student who has declared their status will need to verify their status and eligibility for the Bursary to gain support. 

Students who have no current Carer Support Plan in place and have not previously registered with the team in a previous academic year will be asked to provide evidence to the Campus and Student Life Team. In line with recommendations from Carers Trust, the evidence must be dated within 12 months of the start of the academic year and may take the form of any of the following: 

• A doctor’s or consultant’s letter confirming the responsibility of caring for a close friend, relative or neighbour and any perceived impact on the student 
• A local authority carers’ assessment 
• A DLA letter that names you and must clearly state either higher or middle rate care component  
• Carer Allowance documentation from DWP showing the termination due to start of studies 
• A letter from a counsellor / support worker or an organisation such as the Carers Trust, a local Carers Centre 

NB: Medical evidence of the person being cared for is not sufficient unless accompanied by one of the above as evidence.  You must gain written permission from the person being cared for if you share their medical information. 

There may be additional sources of evidence that would be considered suitable, but if the student is unable to provide the evidence requested, an adviser will discuss this in further detail. Please email specialistsupport@salford.ac.uk with any further questions regarding this. 

Students who have registered their caring responsibilities in a previous academic year will need to submit a returning carer form. Please contact the team at specialistsupport@salford.ac.uk regarding this if you have not received it by March 2025. 

Awards are not transferable and should be used to assist with living costs.

• All cash payments are paid through the Inspire scheme and details of how to download the cash will be provided when the award is made. 
• Payments must be downloaded within one month of payment. Failure to do so will mean loss of award. 
• If a student does not meet the eligibility criteria by Friday 18 April 2025, they will not receive this bursary for the current academic year. 
• Any students not claiming their bursary may claim it at a later stage in their course, including if they have become carers during their course. However, payments cannot be backdated. 

• Changing a course and starting again at level 3 (foundation year) or 4 (first year undergraduate). Students who, having started a course, subsequently change courses starting again at either level 3 or 4, will not be eligible for the award against the new course. The award will remain, but there will be no second payment against the new course. Once the student progresses onto the next level they will be eligible for the appropriate award to be made for that year of study.
• Temporary breaks in study. Students who arrange with the University to interrupt or leave their course on a temporary basis will have their award frozen until they resume studies.
• Suspension of study. If students are suspended by the University, their award will be frozen until the suspension has been lifted
• Repeat/extended study. Repeat periods of study and temporary breaks in study that lead to repeat periods of study will not qualify for any additional award. The award entitlement is for the scheduled minimum duration of the course and is not extended for any student.
• Leaving or being removed from the course. Students who leave or are removed from their course will not be expected to repay the amount of their awards which have already been spent. However, the accounts of these students will be closed, and any remaining award will not be available to them and entitlement to all future payments will stop on the date they leave or are removed.
• In accordance with the Student Privacy Policy, the Campus and Student Life team and the schools will need to liaise to verify student status and eligibility to receive payment.