The Fund will open for the 25/26 academic year at 9am on Monday 20th October 2025.Ìý
The International Student Support Fund is a limited fund which offers discretionary financial support in the form of a single payment of up to £540 in the 25/26 academic year. This is dependent on circumstance for when a student has come into unexpected financial difficulty through no fault of their own, which has disrupted robust funding provision. Provision is meant to cover essential living costs, as well as any other costs known or generally expected before the course start date.
The Fund cannot be used towards the payment of tuition fees. If you are struggling to pay your tuition fees, please contact the Student Hub studenthub@soton.ac.uk to discuss if a payment plan may be suitable.
Students either need to be an international student who is paying the overseas rate of tuition fees, or an EU student who is not eligible for living cost support from Student Finance UK. Students must be fully enrolled to be eligible; students who are Writing Up, on Nominal Roll, or Submitted status are ineligible for the Fund, as students must be paying full tuition fees in the academic year they are in.ÌýStudents must be studying in the UK, and have a UK bank account to be eligible to receive the Fund.
For the 25/26 academic year, unexpected events leading to unexpected financial difficulty may be, but are not limited to:
Exchange rate fluctuations do not qualify as an unexpected event for the purpose of the Fund. Fluctuations are common globally and should be factored into your funding plan.
The Fund has no right of appeal, as the basis of the Fund is for students to clearly provide evidence of a change of circumstance which has resulted in unexpected financial difficulty.Ìý
Students wishing to discuss the Fund further should email stufunds@soton.ac.uk