Skip to main content

Financial support

The University recognises that, during the current cost of living crisis, many more students may find themselves in financial difficulties. We are trying to speed up the response time, while also dealing with more cases than normal. In addition, we are providing more funding for students and introducing a simplified approach for urgent cases.

If you find yourself in an urgent crisis, please contact The Advice Hub for support. The Residence Life Team can also provide support.

As well as scholarships and bursaries, there may be other forms of financial support available to you from UK devolved governments, depending on your circumstances and eligibility. Find out more about financial support available.

Student hardship funds

UK students

Discretionary hardship fund

The University receives money every year from the Scottish Government to assist students who are experiencing financial difficulty. Money is awarded for help with living costs (not tuition fees) and is paid as a grant. The fund is discretionary. To be eligible you must:

  • be a registered student either full- or part-time
  • accessed the maximum student loan you are entitled to
  • provide evidence of your financial situation, such as current bank statements; and
  • show that you have tried to budget your finances.

Childcare fund

If you are a home full-time student and in receipt of the full student loan you are entitled to, you can apply for assistance to help pay formal registered childcare costs.

For further information, including details of how to apply, please login to your Student Portal and view the following FAQ on AskHWU

De Lima Award

The De Lima Awards Fund has been established by donation to help Widening Participation students who require financial help to alleviate unfortunate circumstances including, but not exclusively, health conditions (physical or mental), counselling, study equipment, accommodation, food, situational crisis help, etc. Awards made will be between £250 and £1000.

Applications can only be considered from currently enrolled Heriot-Watt undergraduate students based that meet our widening participation criteria at either Edinburgh or Scottish Borders Campus.

Please complete this online application by 20:00 on Wednesday 19 November 2025. We may ask for additional information or evidence to help us make a decision on your application. Please be aware that the award is designed to help with unexpected costs so please ensure your application meets the criteria outlined above. Students experiencing ongoing financial difficulty may wish to check their eligibility to apply to the hardship funds.

We cannot guarantee that an application will be successful. You will be notified of the outcome of your application by email. We aim to respond to all applicants within 2 weeks of the deadline. We will not look at applications before the deadline of 19 November 2025.

If your application is successful, our Development and Alumni Team will be in touch later in the year to ask for a short report on the impact this award had for you. The report isn’t compulsory but please be aware this helps the University maintain and grow relationships with funders, which in turn can help increase the number of opportunities available for future students.

Laptop Loan Scheme

In addition to the IT services available on Campus, Heriot-Watt University can assist students who require the loan of a laptop for their studies. Students can request a laptop on a short or long-term loan basis from the University. Funding for the laptops is provided by the Scottish Funding Council.

For further information, including details of how to apply, please login to your Student Portal and search for 'laptop' in AskHWU.

Overseas students studying at the Scottish campuses

The University has a limited fund to assist overseas students studying at the Scottish campuses who get into financial difficulty. Money may be awarded for help with living costs (not tuition fees) and is paid as a grant. The fund is discretionary and limited. To be eligible you must:

  • be a registered student studying at the Scottish campuses
  • provide evidence of your financial situation, such as current bank statements
  • show that you have tried to budget your finances; and
  • show that you have had exceptional circumstances that affected your financial situation.

How to apply for hardship funds

To apply for any of the student hardship funds above, please complete the Heriot-Watt University Student Hardship Application Form below.

Apply now

US students

US federal loans

Please check our US Federal Loans section for more information.