Financial support information for students
Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year offers a comprehensive financial support package to the students on the programme. It is expected that you will not need any other funds from your own means to take part.
Please note that all information on this page relates to your Foundation Year. There will be different arrangements in place if you progress to your degree course at Oxford. For more information on funding arrangements for undergraduate study, please see the fees and funding webpages which provide information for current students on support available.
This page provides you with guidance about what support is available for your Foundation Year and how to access it.
2023/2024 summary
In general, at university there are two kinds of costs - course fees and living costs. As part of the Astrophoria Foundation Year, the University pays for your course fees and there are bursaries and grants to cover your living costs. Below is a summary of the kinds of costs you might experience at Oxford and also the support that is available to you.
| Living costs | ||||
| Accommodation | General living costs | Travel to and from Oxford | General academic costs | Unexpected costs |
| Foundation Year Accommodation Bursary (Variable) | Foundation Year Student Bursary (£5,800) | Foundation Year Travel Supplement (Up to £500) | Foundation Year General Academic Grant (Up to £250) |
Foundation Year Student Support Fund (Between £50 and £750) Foundation Year Financial Assistance Fund (Up to £3,000) |
| Course Fees |
| Course fees are covered by the University |
The support available to you includes support before you start the course, whilst you’re on the course, and a number of additional sources of funding that are available.
Before you start the course
You will be given a portion of your Foundation Year Student Bursary in advance of the first term to contribute towards the costs of setting yourself up at university and to pay for items during the first few weeks.
This fund will be paid to you in mid-September.
Students on the Foundation Year are automatically eligible for the start up fund, and do not need to submit a separate application to release these funds. However, given this is the first payment made to you, you will be asked to complete an online form to let us know the bank details of where you would like these funds to be paid. Students will require a bank account under their own name to receive this payment, so it is possible you may need to set up a new account in order to receive this payment.
Students will be allocated a one-off non-repayable supplement to contribute towards the cost of travel to/from university. This will be allocated based on the distance ‘as the crow flies’ between home addresses (as provided on your UCAS application) and the University. Allocations are in line with the following scale:
| Distance from Oxford | Travel Supplement Awarded |
| Less than 80 miles | £100 |
| Between 80 and 150 miles | £200 |
| More than 150 miles | £500 |
This fund will be paid to you as a one-off supplement in mid-September.
Students on the Foundation Year are automatically eligible for the travel supplement and do not need to submit a separate application to release these funds.
During the year
All students will receive a non-repayable bursary to cover the cost of their general living expenses. This will be made in three payments, on Wednesday of 1st Week of Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity Term. Further information about term dates can be found on the University website.
Students on the Foundation Year are automatically eligible for the Foundation Year Student Bursary and do not need to submit a separate application to release these funds. However, please note that if you have opened a student bank account between the payment of the start up fund and the start of term, please ensure you have notified the foundation year team of your new bank details.
These three termly payments plus the start up fund make up the Foundation Year Student Bursary total of £5,800.
All students will receive a non-repayable bursary to cover the cost of their accommodation. The amount of this bursary varies depending on the cost of accommodation at the college you are studying at.
Students are requested to check that their accommodation bursary matches the amount they are billed for and raise any queries to the Foundation Year Team at the earliest opportunity.
This will be made in three payments, one at the start of each term in advance of college bills (Battels) and you should pay your accommodation bursary to your college as soon as you receive the funds in your bank account.
Students on the Foundation Year are automatically eligible for this bursary and do not need to submit a separate application to release these funds.
A note about vacation residence
Most college accommodation contracts run from the end of week 0 to week 8 each term. There may be times when you need accommodation before or after these dates.
Week 0 and/or 9 residence
The Foundation Year Accommodation Bursary will be increased to include vacation residences in weeks 0 and 9 where they are required to complete the course. The Foundation Year Team will make you aware of this if it applies to you. You must complete the relevant applications to your college to book accommodation where this is needed.
You do not need to submit a separate application to release the funds to cover week 0 or week 9 accommodation but you are advised to ensure that the welfare lead (welfare@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk) knows that you intend to use this so that your accommodation payment can be updated appropriately.
Vacation residence in addition to weeks 0 and/or 9
Students can apply for additional vacation residence if it is required. For example if you are not able to move out after the end of each term as you do not have a permanent home to return to or you are estranged from your family. To apply for vacation residence, you must complete the relevant applications to your college to book accommodation where this is needed.
Funding for vacation residence will be assessed on an individual case-by-case basis. To apply for vacation residence funding please email welfare@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk by Friday of week 3 of each term.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of the Student Welfare Lead, Programme Manager and Course Director.
Applications will be processed by Friday of week 4 of each term and payments made with the relevant term’s accommodation payment.
There are a number of sources of additional financial support that students on the Foundation Year are eligible to apply for as appropriate. The details of these sources, the eligibility, application and approvals processes are outlined below:
| Description | Eligibility | Application process | Approvals process | Time frames | |
| Foundation Year General Academic Grant |
Students are able to apply for up to £250 per annum for a general academic grant to support their studies during the Foundation Year. This grant can support with the purchasing of items including:
|
Students are only eligible while they are on the Foundation Year, and are not eligible to apply for items retrospectively, once on Undergraduate courses. Applications must be for the purchase of academic related items. |
Students make an application by completing this form. Students must supply receipts for any purchases. Bank statement snapshots are not sufficient. More than one application can be submitted during a calendar year, but the maximum amount that can be allocated to any student is £250. |
Applications and associated receipts will be reviewed and approved by the Foundation Year Programme Manager. |
Applications are processed on a rolling basis during the academic year between week -1 of Michaelmas term and week 8 of Trinity Term each year. Applications received after the Friday of Trinity Term week 8 will not be processed. |
| Foundation Year Student Support Fund | Students are able to apply for funds of up to £750 for additional financial support. This should be used for items that are unforeseen expenses. You should submit an application for the amount needed to cover the financial shortfall. | Students are only eligible while they are on the Foundation Year, and are not eligible to apply for items retrospectively, once on Undergraduate courses. | Applications should be made via this form. Guidance notes to support your application can be found here. | Applications will be considered the week after the deadline by a panel consisting of the Foundation Year Welfare Lead, Foundation Year Programme Manager and Foundation Year Director. |
Application deadlines are Friday of week 1, week 4 and week 8 of each term. Applications received after the Friday of Trinity Term week 9 will not be processed, except where students are participating in the September resit period. |
| Foundation Year Financial Assistance Funding |
All Foundation Year students are able to apply to the Foundation Year for Financial Assistance Funding. More than one application can be submitted during a calendar year, but the maximum amount that can be allocated to any student is £3,000. It is expected that where appropriate, students will have accessed the other grants and funding available to them before they apply for Financial Assistance Funding. |
Students are only eligible while they are on the Foundation Year and are not eligible to apply for Financial Assistance Funding retrospectively, once on Undergraduate courses. | Applications should be made via this form. Guidance notes to support your application can be found here. It is expected that prior to submitting this form you will have had a conversation with the Foundation Year Welfare Lead. | Applications will be considered within a week after they have been submitted by a panel consisting of the Foundation Year Welfare Lead, Foundation Year Programme Manager, Foundation Year Director, a representative from the Student's College and a representative from the Student Fees and Funding team. |
Applications are processed on a rolling basis during term time, from week -1 to week 9 of each term. Applications received after the Friday of Trinity Term week 9 will not be processed, except where students are participating in the September resit period. |
A note about Student Finance
The Foundation Year Accommodation and Student Bursary, as well as the additional sources of funding mean that we would typically encourage you not to take out student finance for the Foundation Year (however you will need to apply during your foundation year for student finance if you continue to study at Oxford or another university by progressing to a degree course, please see the section below for more information).
Some students may be encouraged to apply for a student loan of £0 during their foundation year to enable them to receive additional financial support in the form of a Disabled Students’ Allowance (meaning they do not need to reapply in year 1). Applicants who may be in receipt of DSA and secure a place on the programme will be contacted to discuss this.
After your Foundation Year
If you continue to study at Oxford by progressing to a degree course you will need to pay the course fees and cover your living costs (in most cases this is paid by taking out student loans). Visit your course pages or the fees and funding webpage for more information about undergraduate fees and funding.
