Financial support information for students
The Astrophoria Foundation Year offers a comprehensive financial support package to each student on the programme. This page provides you with guidance about what support is available for your Foundation Year and how to access it. It is not expected that you will need to provide yourself with any other funds to take part.
Please note: The information on this page only 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.
2025/2026 summary
At university there are, in general, two kinds of costs for students: 1. Course fees and 2. Living costs. As part of the Astrophoria Foundation Year, the University covers and pays for your course fees. In addition, the Astrophoria Foundation Year also provides bursaries and grants to cover your living costs. Here is a summary of the kinds of costs you might experience at Oxford, and the support that's available to you:
| Living costs | ||||
| Accommodation | General living costs | Travel to and from Oxford | Academic costs | Unexpected costs |
|
Foundation Year Accommodation Bursary (Variable)
|
Foundation Year Student Bursary (£6,042) |
Foundation Year Travel Supplement (Up to £500)
|
Foundation Year General Academic Grant (Up to £250) Foundation Year Academic Development Grant (Between £50 and £500) |
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 and support while you are on the course. There are also a number of extra support options available if you require additional funding.
Before you start the course
You will be given part of your Astrophoria Foundation Year Student Bursary in September, before the first term starts. This is to contribute towards the costs of setting yourself up at university, and to pay for items you'll need in the first few weeks of your course.
Students on the Astrophoria Foundation Year are automatically eligible for the start up fund: you do not need to submit a separate application to receive this. However, because this is the first payment we will make 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 require a bank account that is in 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 will be paid to you as a one-off payment in September.
Students on the Astrophoria 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 Foundation Year Student Bursary to cover the cost of their general living expenses. This will be made in three payments, on Wednesday of the 1st Week in Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity terms. These dates are:
- Wednesday 15th October, 2025
- Wednesday 21st January, 2026
- Wednesday 29th April, 2026
You can find out more about Oxford's term dates on the university website.
Students on the Astrophoria Foundation Year are automatically eligible for the Foundation Year Student Bursary and do not need to submit a separate application to receive these funds. However, please note that if you have opened a student bank account between the payment of the Start-up Fund and the beginning of term, please ensure you have notified the Foundation Year team of your new bank details. Please email admin@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk.
These three payments plus the Start-up Fund payment make up the total Foundation Year Student Bursary of £6,042.
All students will receive a non-repayable Accommodation Bursary to cover the cost of their accommodation. The amount you will receive varies, depending on the cost of accommodation at your Oxford college.
Students are asked to check that their Accommodation Bursary matches the amount they are billed by the college, and to raise any queries with the Foundation Year Team as soon as possible by emailing admin@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk.
The Accommodation Bursary will be made in three payments, one at the start of each term before you receive your college bill (called 'Battels'). You should pay your college for your accommodation using the money from the Accommodation Bursary as soon as you receive the money in your bank account.
Students on the Astrophoria Foundation Year are automatically eligible for this Bursary and do not need to submit a separate application to receive these funds.
Vacation Residence (Staying in college outside the main term dates)
Most college accommodation contracts cover the period from the end of Week 0 to Week 8 each term. There may be occasions when you need accommodation before or after these dates. This is called 'vacation residence'
Vacation residence in Week 0 and/or Week 9
The Foundation Year Accommodation Bursary will be increased to include vacation residences in weeks 0 and 9 when this is required for you to complete the course. The Foundation Year Team will make you aware if this applies to you. In this situation, you must complete the relevant application to your college to book the accommodation that you'll need.
You do not need to submit a separate application to release the funds to cover week 0 or week 9 accommodation, but you are asked to inform the Welfare Lead that you intend to use this, so that your accommodation payment can be updated appropriately. Please email welfare@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk.
Vacation residence in addition to Week 0 and/or Week 9
As a Foundation Year student, you can apply for additional vacation residence if you need it. For example, if you are not able to move out after the end of each term because you don't have a permanent home to return to, or if you are estranged from your family. To apply for vacation residence, you must complete the relevant application to your college to book the accommodation you need.
In this situation, funding for vacation residence will be assessed on an individual case-by-case basis. To apply for additional 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 Astrophoria Foundation Year (AFY) Student Welfare Lead, AFY Programme Manager and AFY Course Director. Applications will be processed by Friday of Week 4 of each term and payments made with the relevant term’s accommodation payment.
Michaelmas 2025
Deadline: Friday 31st October, 2025
Outcome: Friday 7the November, 2025
Hilary 2026
Deadline: Friday 6th February, 2026
Outcome: Friday 13th February, 2026
Trinity 2026
Deadline: Friday 15th May, 2026
Outcome: Friday 22nd May, 2026
There are a number of sources of additional financial support that students on the Astrophoria Foundation Year are eligible to apply for, as appropriate. This table outlines what these are, along with details of the various eligibility, application and approval processes:
| Description | Eligibility | Application process | Approval process | Dates and deadlines | |
|
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:
|
Currently enrolled students are 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 an academic 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 Academic Development Grant |
Students are able to apply for funds of up to £500 to assist with expenditure related to academic projects or work. This grant can support with the purchase/ booking of items including:
|
Currently enrolled students are 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/ booking of academic related items. |
Students make an application by completing this form. Guidance notes to support your application can be found here. Students must supply receipts for any purchases. Bank statement snapshots are not sufficient. Students must complete a short report on their experiences for the benefit of future AFY students. |
Applications will be considered within two weeks of submission by a panel consisting of the Foundation Year Programme Manager, Foundation Year Director and the relevant course or subject lead. |
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. Please note: you do not need to have attended or completed the event/visit/purchase by this date, but you must have completed the application. |
| 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. | Currently enrolled students are eligible while they are on the Foundation Year, and are not eligible to apply for items retrospectively, once on Undergraduate courses. |
Applications for the Student Support Fund 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 an academic 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. |
Currently enrolled and suspended students are eligible while they are on the Foundation Year and are not eligible to apply for Financial Assistance Funding retrospectively, once on Undergraduate courses. |
Applications for the Financial Assistance Fund 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 September examination resits. |
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.
