Graduation Support Fund
Graduation will always be one of the most special days of a student’s life and at De Montfort University we work especially hard to ensure you have the most fantastic finale to your time at university.
We recognise that sometimes students are unable to attend their graduation ceremony because they are unable to meet the costs of tickets for their guests and gown hire.
We are therefore offering students who are facing genuine and unavoidable financial hardship the opportunity to apply to our Graduation Support Fund by submitting an application to receive two guest tickets and gown hire with no charge. Please note that you do not have to pay for your own ticket to graduate.
Important ticket information
If you are applying for the Graduation Support Fund you must still book your place at the relevant graduation ceremony by the deadline of Tuesday 14 November at 5pm, along with purchasing guest tickets, as your application outcome will not be known until after the booking windows have closed. If you wait until the outcome of your application to the Support Fund, your ceremony may have sold out of guest tickets. If your application to the Support Fund is successful and you have purchased two guest tickets, you will then receive a refund for the cost.
By applying for the Support Fund, you are acknowledging that if your application to the Support Fund is successful, and you have not passed your course in full, you will not be able to attend the graduation ceremony; the award of the Fund does not confirm you have passed your course.
How to apply
In order to be eligible for consideration, you need to submit:
- The Graduation Support Fund Application form
- A statement of 400 to 500 words detailing recent financial pressures which may prevent you from attending your graduation - please note that any content over 500 words will not be considered
- Up to four pieces of documentary evidence that supports your application – please note that applications without supporting evidence are ineligible for consideration
- You must also be eligible to attend graduation in the January 2024 ceremonies as you have passed all aspects of your course between the dates of 1 July 2023 and 24 November 2023.
Submit the form and supporting evidence by email to academicawards@dmu.ac.uk with ‘Graduation Support Fund’ in the email title by Sunday 14 November at 5pm.
Applications received without supporting evidence will be ineligible for consideration.
Key dates
Tuesday 14 November, 5pm
Deadline for submitting application form, statement and documentary evidence. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
Friday 24 November, 5pm
Panel outcomes confirmed to applicants – please avoid contacting us about your application before this date.
Panel Procedure
Eligible applications are considered by a university panel with experience of assessing student financial hardship applications. The panel will consider all eligible applications and the panel decisions will be notified to applicants no later than 24 November.
If your application is successful and you have already purchased two guest tickets and ordered your robe, the cost of these will be refunded. Please note that if your application is successful but you have not successfully passed all of your course we will not proceed with the application as you will no longer be eligible to graduate and graduation robes and guest tickets will be cancelled.
The panel will only consider applications from students eligible to attend the current graduation schedule and not defer their application to a future ceremony. The decision of the panel is final and is not subject to appeal.
Please see eligibility checklist below before submitting your application. The support fund is awarded where applicants have demonstrated they’ve met all or most of the criteria.
Graduation Support Fund criteria checklist
The support fund is awarded where applicants have demonstrated that they have met all or most of the criteria below. The maximum award is for gown hire and two guest tickets.
Students:
- Must not be in debt to the university, including library, tuition fees or equipment debt
- Must be eligible to graduate in January 2024 (cannot be deferred for a later graduation)
- Must demonstrate financial hardship through a 400 to 500 word submission on the application form and up to four supporting pieces of documentary evidence (each must be no more than one side of A4)
Your submission could include reference to:
- Substantial hardship
- SLC funding not covering living expenses
- Previously receiving some form of hardship payment e.g. estranged student’s bursary
- Studying whilst supporting a family or family members
- Being unable to ask for support from family members or family members unable to give support
- Illness, disease or incidents that have left the student in hardship
- Completion of a programme with additional course costs e.g. high printing, material costs
Students should provide up to four supporting pieces of documentary evidence (each must be no more than one side of A4), for example, evidence of a disability (Personal Independence Payment/Disability Living Allowance), income-related benefits, medical evidence, evidence of recent job loss (P45), bank statement.
You may submit demonstration of exceptional circumstances that have caused you recent financial hardship.
Any application that is not accompanied by documentary evidence will not be considered.
Timeline
Graduation Support Fund opens: Tuesday 26 October 2023.
Deadline for all applications: 5pm on Tuesday 14 November 2023.
Issue of outcome decision letters: Friday 24 November 2023 (please avoid contacting us about your application before this date).
Submit an application by completing the form below.
Email to academicawards@dmu.ac.uk by 5pm on Tuesday 14 November 2023.