College Financial Support and Assistance

Wolfson provides financial support for students through bursaries, awards and grants.

Travel Grants for Fieldwork and Conference Presentations 

The College awards travel grants to the value of about £50,000 annually. Funding to support travel is available each academic year to Wolfson students presenting at conferences related to their studies or undertaking fieldwork in the UK or abroad. In light of the travel restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic, we may also be willing to consider applications for other research related costs, such as registration fees for digital conferences and the cost of software necessary for your research. The Travel Grant application form is available to download below, and this contains full details of the scheme. 

Students may apply for up to a fixed maximum amount per year, depending on programme of study and fee liability status. You should plan to submit your application as early as possible, and ideally before the conference or fieldwork is to take place. Any travel or research must take place before thesis submission (for research students), or final exams or assessment (for students on taught courses) and during the period of fee liability. Please note that funding is limited, and is not guaranteed. Not all applications will be successful, though we hope the additional flexibility provided by this revised system will allow more students to access funding. 

Completed applications should be sent by email to the Academic Office. The Academic Office will aim to provide an outcome within six weeks.

The University also offers some support for travel and research abroad. Details can be found on the International Opportunities page under the Fees and Funding section of the Oxford website.


Academic Conference and Seminar Account

This account has been established to support workshops, conferences, colloquia, lectures and seminars oganised by Fellows and Students of the College, which will be held for the most part at Wolfson.

In cases where the exact number of delegates is known, the Governing Body has agreed an amount based on £20 per day, per delegate, up to a maximum of £1,000 per application. Open meetings and lectures where numbers of attendees are unknown may also receive support up to a maximum of £1,000 per application. 

All applications will be approved subject to budget, and it is expected that external funding will also be sought. Funds may be spent as required by the convener, e.g. for catering, guest rooms, travel expenses, etc. 

A document with details on the Academic Conference and Seminar Account is available here, and this contains full details of the scheme and how to apply. 


Language Courses

The College can provide some financial assistance towards the cost of completing fast track language courses where this is required for your Oxford programme of study. The Academic Office will reimburse up to £150 on receipt of the course completion certificate. You should also provide a statement from your supervisor which confirms that the course is necessary to your studies, as well as proof of payment. 


College Financial Assistance

The College has two financial assistance funds; the General Financial Assistance Fund and the Accommodation Assistance Fund. Both funds are designed to support students based on their individual financial circumstances, subject to their eligibility criteria and the assessment process for that fund.

The General Financial Assistance Fund is a discretionary fund intended to provide short-term financial support for students experiencing unexpected and unforeseeable financial difficulties. To be awarded a financial assistance loan or grant, students must be enrolled and be in good academic standing. Doctoral students who have submitted their thesis are not normally eligible for financial assistance, and students undertaking a 9 or 12 month course are unlikely to be eligible for a financial assistance grant (although a loan can be considered in exceptional circumstances). Awards made are usually in the region of £200 - £1,000 (to up £1,500 in exceptional circumstances). 

The Accommodation Assistance Fund has been established specifically to assist those students who are most in need of financial assistance due to increased accommodation costs in 2023-2024. The fund is open to enrolled, full-time Wolfson students who live in college or external accommodation. It is specifically to support accommodation costs and cannot be used for other purposes. Students who need support in excess of the maxima of this fund should apply to the General Financial Assistance Fund instead. The maximum grant available is £750 (up to £1,000 in exceptional circumstances) over a 12-month period.

Application does not guarantee an award. More information on both funds, including eligibility and the assessment process, can be found at the bottom of this page.

How to apply?

Applications can be made via the online form here. We advise students considering submitting an application to contact the Academic Registrar in the first instance for further guidance, and/or if your situation is urgent.

Applications to the General Financial Assistance Fund are reviewed by an assessment panel monthly (or fortnightly, depending on the number of applications received)

Applications to the Accommodation Assistance Fund are reviewed by an assessment panel once per term, and applications should be submitted no later than Friday of Week 5 (10th November in MT23). You should hear the result of your application by Wednesday of Week 7.

 

College Financial Assistance is supplemented by the Joyce Bonnie Farley Award, which provides bursaries to current Wolfson students from under-represented backgrounds who encounter unforeseen financial difficulties during their studies, and the Clive Foss Bursary, the Bestway Bursary, and the Merete Jakobsen Bursary. There is no separate application process for these bursaries; applicants to the General Financial Assistance Fund will be automatically considered for these awards. 


University Financial Assistance

The University has a range of support and advice to help you manage your finances during your studies at Oxford. For those students who experience unexpected financial difficulties the University operates the Oxford Financial Assistance Fund. More information on Oxford Financial Assistance can be found online here. Please note that applications to Oxford Financial Assistance are usually due in Week 1 or 2 of any given term.

 


 

 

 

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