Financial support

Access to Exeter Bursary (ATE)

We provide additional funding to certain part time and full time Home or returning European Union students in the form of the Access to Exeter Bursary (ATE).

We will automatically assess your entitlement for an award based on your household income information provided by the relevant UK Funding Body. However, we can only do this if you, and your parent(s) or sponsor, do not opt out of consenting to share your financial details when you complete your Application for Student Finance.

Undergraduate students

To see what funding you could be eligible to receive, please check your household income below:

Household income of £16,000 and below

If you are starting your studies after September 2015 and have a household income* £16,000 or below, you are eligible for the ATE Bursary.

*For further details on how your household income is assessed, please visit the Direct Gov website.

For the duration of your undergraduate studies, from 2023/24, you will receive £2,100 (Full-time) or £1,050 (Part-time Medical Sciences only) ATE bursary, per year, providing you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment of the ATE Bursary

Payments are made in three instalments and will be made direct to the bank account you share with us, with each instalment weighted according to the number of weeks per term. The table below shows the dates of each instalment and the amount:

Household income between £16,001-£25,000

If you are starting your studies after September 2015 and have a household income* of between £16,001-£25,000, you are eligible for an ATE Bursary.

*For further details on how your household income is assessed, please visit Direct Gov.

For the duration of your undergraduate studies, from 2023/24 you will receive £1,260 (Full-time) or £630 (Part-time Medical Sciences only) ATE bursary, per year, providing you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment of the ATE Bursary

Payments are made in three instalments and will be made direct to the bank account you share with us, with each instalment weighted according to the number of weeks per term. The table below shows the dates of each instalment and the amount:

Household income between £25,001-£30,000

From September 2023, a new threshold bracket has been introduced. If you have a household income* of between £25,001-£30,000, you will be eligible for an ATE Bursary.

*For further details on how your household income is assessed, please visit Direct Gov.

For the duration of your undergraduate studies (from 2023/24 academic year), you will receive £800 (Full-time) or £400 (Part-time Medical Sciences only) ATE bursary, per year, providing you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment of the ATE Bursary

Terms and conditions

If you have a question regarding your bursary entitlement, please raise an enquiry with the Student Information Desk.

The full terms and conditions of Access to Exeter bursary, can be found within our Student Finance Regulations.

If you are aged under 25 and indicate on your UCAS form that you are a care leaver, we will contact you for further information and let you know about the financial and pastoral support that we offer to care leavers.

Care leavers are usually classified as independent students and would therefore qualify for the maximum levels of government and institutional financial support.

This financial support includes:

• A full fee waiver for all years of study
• Opportunity to apply for the Access to Exeter Bursary
• Care Leavers Bursary – the bursary amount is not fixed but is intended to help with the cost of accommodation during the summer vacation period.

University of Exeter Sanctuary Scholarships

The Sanctuary Scholarship scheme enables individuals seeking asylum and refugees who are not able to access student finance to study at the University of Exeter. Sanctuary Scholarship applications will be considered from students applying to the following programmes:

• Full-time undergraduate degree programmes
• Full-time Doctorate level programmes (eg PhD, EngD,EdD)

To find out more, check eligibility and apply, please see the Sanctuary Scholarships page on our funding database.

Partial tuition fee waiver

At UK universities, international students typically pay more for tuition than students from the UK.

However, if you are a current asylum seeker, you may be eligible for our partial tuition fee waiver. While you will still be classed as an international student, your tuition fees will be the same as those for students from the UK, relieving you of some of the financial burden associated with university study.

This programme is open to all applicants to undergraduate programmes, excluding BMBS Medicine and any other course of study that receives funding from the NHS.

To be eligible, you will need to:

• meet the entry requirements for your chosen undergraduate course;
• have an asylum application in process before applying to study through UCAS; and
• be granted discretionary leave at least until the first day of the academic year for your chosen programme (usually 1st September).

Details of subject-specific scholarships for international students are given in the relevant subject entries. For the latest information please see our Scholarships for International Students webpage.

You are also advised to seek information about scholarships from your own Ministry of Education, from the appropriate inter-university organisation or from the British Council.

Some groups of students may be able to get additional, non-repayable grants from the Government. Additional grants are available to provide extra financial support to students who have serious financial difficulties and who might otherwise have to abandon their studies. 

Find out more about hardship funding.

If you are a full-time student with children or adult dependants you may qualify for extra help. Non-repayable funding sources (2022/23 figures) that are dependent on household income include:

• Childcare Grant – up to 85 per cent of childcare costs per week, up to a maximum of £183.75 for parents with one child or £315.03 for parents with two or more children
• Parents’ Learning Allowance – up to £1,863 per year towards course-related costs
• Adult Dependants Grant – up to £3,263 per year if you have a financially dependant partner or other adult

You should be aware that if you are claiming benefits, your eligibility for a maintenance loan (whether you take it or not) and some student grants may be counted as income by the job centre and housing benefits office. Further information on these grants, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the Gov website.

Additional, non-repayable grants from the Government are available for disabled students.

Disabled Students’ Allowance – this help is not means-tested and is intended to help towards additional support you may need because of a disability. This is paid on top of your other student finance and does not need to be repaid.

Further information can be found at: www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas

If you are not supported by your family (estranged) you can ask to be assessed by Student Finance as an Independent student and be assessed on your own household income. You are eligible to be considered as an estranged student if you have not had contact with your parents for at least 12 months and your estrangement is irreconcilable.

The University supports estranged students with both financial and pastoral support.

This financial support includes:

• Opportunity to apply for the Access to Exeter Bursary
• Estranged student bursary – the bursary amount is not fixed but is intended to help with the cost of accommodation during the summer vacation period and for bridging help with accommodation or maintenance while funding applications are processed. The Students' Guild Advice can advise on this.

A carer as anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem, or an addiction, cannot cope without their support. As a carer, coming to university may present its own unique challenges, and can often involve balancing studies alongside travel home and additional caring responsibilities. However, you’re not alone. At the University of Exeter, we are committed to supporting student carers, and there is a range of information and advice available to help you.

Undergraduate carers are able to apply for a Carers bursary. This bursary is not fixed, and will be dependent on your situation. If you would like more information, require support, or have any questions regarding how the university can support you - please complete the online form.

If you are a Mature Student you may qualify for additional financial support in the form of funding and scholarships.

Visit the Mature Students webpage to find out more.