The Kent Financial Support Package (KFSP) is open to UK students who are studying towards their first degree and have a household income of less than £30,000 as well as meeting other financial eligibility criteria.

Full-time students

For 2024, Kent has a £3,000 financial support package for eligible students across three stages of full time study:

• Stage 1: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 2: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 3: £1,000 (cash payment)

Students studying a full time four year undergraduate programme with a sandwich year or an integrated Masters year will receive a further cash bursary of £1,000:

• Stage 1: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 2: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 3: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 4: £1,000 (cash payment)

Students studying a full time four year undergraduate programme with a foundation year will also receive a further cash bursary of £1,000:

• Foundation Year: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 1: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 2: £1,000 (cash payment)
• Stage 3: £1,000 (cash payment)

Students who need to repeat a year of their studies will be eligible for a maximum of one additional year of KFSP.

Part-time students

New part-time students starting in the academic year 2024/25 may be eligible for a pro rata cash bursary in each stage of study as part of the Kent Financial Support Package. The value of the cash bursary available will depend on the student's level of study, i.e. if a student is studying 50% of a full-time course they would be eligible for £500 each year.

Part-time students who need to re-sit a stage may be eligible for a maximum of the full-time equivalent of one additional year of KFSP.

All students

The KFSP is paid in two instalments throughout the year, the first in early December 2024 and the second in early March 2025, providing that students remain on course for the whole academic year.

The cash bursary does not have to be repaid.

The KFSP is awarded in addition to any funding you receive from Student Finance England, or any other support packages or scholarships you may be eligible for from Kent. Receipt of the KFSP will not affect your entitlement to these.  

Full-time students

Most full-time students will automatically be assessed for the Kent Financial Support Package (KFSP) and therefore, no application form will need to be completed.

If you meet the postcode criterion or are in receipt of Disabled Student Allowance (DSA), there is no application form to complete. As long as you have made your application to Student Finance England, you have been income assessed by them, and you and your sponsor(s) (the person(s) income assessed by SFE, where relevant) have given your consent to share your financial details with the University, you will automatically be assessed for your entitlement.

In certain circumstances you will need to complete an application form. This will be for students who are eligible under the Care Leaver, Young Independent, Carer, Estranged or Foyer/Homeless categories.    

Part-time students

Part-time students will need to make a separate application. The application form will be available from mid September.

Applications can be submitted once students are registered on their course and have been in attendance for two weeks from 25 September 2024.

For any further information please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Please read the full list of eligibility criteria before applying.

Students studying a degree with an integrated foundation year will be eligible for the package of support, provided that they are paying the higher tuition fee. 

Students receive the KFSP 2024 once for each stage of their course i.e. foundation (if applicable), stage 1, stage 2, stage 3 (and stage 4 if applicable). If any stage is repeated, then the KFSP 2024 will be paid for one repeat year only. Students must be repeating at least 50% of their credits to be eligible for KFSP and attendance must be required (those re-sitting exams or re-submitting coursework without repeating the year will not be eligible for the additional payment).

If a student intermits or withdraws part way through an academic year, any unpaid bursary will be cancelled.

If a student returns from intermission, providing that they still meet the household income element of the eligibility criteria, they will be eligible to receive ONLY parts of the award that they did not receive in the year that they suspended their studies, regardless of whether they are starting the year from the beginning again, or returning at the point from which they left.

Students may become eligible for the KFSP at any stage of University, although the award will not be backdated. Students will only be paid the award from the moment their eligibility is confirmed (e.g. if a student becomes eligible in Stage 2, they will only be paid KFSP from Stage 2 onwards; they will not be awarded KFSP for any previous years of study).

Students who already hold an undergraduate degree and/or are studying towards a postgraduate qualification will not be eligible for this bursary.

Those students who have been automatically assessed should receive written confirmation of their entitlement by mid-November 2024. 

Students who have submitted a paper application will be notified of a decision once all the relevant information has been received and assessed by the Financial Aid Office.  This can take 20 working days from receipt of the complete application.

Students who have not been made an award from the Kent Financial Support Package (KFSP) can appeal against the decision. However, appeals where students do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be considered.

All information already held regarding a student's KFSP assessment, along with any additional information supplied with the appeal, will be reviewed by the Head of Student Financial Services, where an independent decision to the original assessment will be made. The Head of Student Financial Services' re-assessment will be communicated to the student by letter within 28 days of receiving the appeal.

Students must be fully registered in order to make an appeal.

Any appeal must be made in the form of an email to FinancialAid@kent.ac.uk with the subject line of 'KFSP Appeal'.

All appeals must be received by 14 July 2025. Appeals received after this date will NOT be considered.