What support is available for students from a low socio-economic background?

If you come from a low socio-economic background, you will be eligible for further support from the University. This is also known as social mobility, and is measured as fulfilling one of the following criteria:

You received free school meals during secondary school or a 16-19 bursary at college
Your shared parental income is less than £25,000
You live in an IMD Q1 or Q2 postcode (you can check this with our postcode lookup tool)
You live in a POLAR4 Q1 or Q2 postcode (you can check this with our postcode lookup tool)

Before you join the University

If you would like to find out more about what support you may be able to get at the University of Surrey, you can get in touch with the Student Success and EDI team who can arrange an informal chat. You can also attend drop-in sessions during Welcome Week where you can find more about the support available to you. The University offers a wide range of Scholarships and Bursaries. As a student from a low socio-economic background you may be eligible for the University of Surrey Bursary, which will be assessed based on the data that you provide to Student Finance England (SFE).

Community support at University

The University of Surrey is proud to host Future Leaders. This is a student-led extracurricular programme that runs alongside your degree, enabling you to connect with other students from your community whilst accessing targeted support. Future Leaders Leaders supports students from a range of backgrounds including students who are from a low socio-economic background.

Students who disclose their background through the Student Success Questionnaire upon registration will be contacted with relevant support and development opportunities.

To further the support available to students, a paid part-time member of student staff is given the role of Social Mobility Access and Participation Advisor. They work closely with the Student Success and EDI team to ensure that University policy and communities allow students to transition to, and succeed in, their University life.

Financial and Technological Support

If you require financial assistance you can apply for the Hardship Fund, and the Access to Learning Fund for money towards books and other learning equipment (such as PPE) for your programme.

You can also take advantage of our long-term Laptop Loan Scheme where you can rent a laptop for a whole semester or, at times, a whole academic year.

Sports

If finances are a barrier to joining in with sports at Surrey, you may be eligible to access funding to support with this.

The Team Surrey Sport and Activity Access Fund has been created to support those students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate in their chosen sport or activity due to cost. As student from a low socio-economic background, if eligible, you can apply to the fund for the following financial support:

Contribution towards subscriptions costs, e.g. club membership fees or Team Surrey membership
90% off of a Surrey Sports Park membership

For more information and how to apply, please email the Student Success and EDI team.

Access to this support requires a member of staff, such as your Personal Tutor, the Student's Union, the Student Success and EDI team, the Centre for Wellbeing, the Student Money Advice team or the Student Support Coordinators to make a referral on your behalf.

Student Money Support

Please also visit our Student Money Support pages for advice and help with managing your money, budgeting and student finance.