Commuter Travel Bursary
APPLICATIONS OPEN
In response to the cost-of-living crisis the University is providing additional funding to the Student Financial Support team to introduce financial support to commuting students to help with their public transport costs to study at our Whiteknights or London Road campus.
Student eligibility:
To be eligible to apply for the Commuter Travel Bursary a student will need to:
- Be a Living at Home Student* who commutes from their permanent home address to the University to study.
- Be studying for a full-time undergraduate degree at one of our Whiteknights and/or London Road campuses.
- Be enrolled and attending in the current academic year for which you're applying for funding.
- Be using public transport. We also support cycling and will support an application for purchasing a bicycle and safety equipment.
And a student must meet at least one of the following access and participation criteria:
- Be a mature student (i.e. aged 21+ when you started your current undergraduate course)
- Have a permanent address in a Low Participation Area (i.e. POLAR4 Quintile 1 or 2; you can check your postcode)
- Be a Reading Bursary recipient
- Be a student with a declared disability to the Disability Advisory Service
What is the bursary worth?
If you meet the eligibility criteria and apply to the Commuter Travel bursary, your application will be assessed on the following basis:
| Criteria | Award Amount |
| Weekly Travel Costs of at least £15.00 up to £25.00 | Receive a one off £100.00 contribution for the academic year |
| Weekly Travel Costs of more than £25.00 up to £45.00 | Receive a one off £150.00 contribution for the academic year |
| Weekly Travel Costs of more than £45.00 up to £65.00 | Receive a one off £200.00 contribution for the academic year |
| Weekly Travel Costs of more than £65.00 | Receive a one off £250.00 contribution for the academic year |
| Cycling to University | Receive a one off £150.00 contribution for the academic year |
Those with weekly travel costs of less than £15.00 will not receive an award from the Bursary.
Any award from the Bursary is discretionary and does not automatically mean that this Bursary will be available in future years and as such should not be relied upon as a source of income.
The Bursary considers daily commutes from a student’s permanent home address to one of our campuses for timetabled activities and is not available to cover placement or other travel costs. For placement travel costs support please take a look at the eligibility criteria for our Work and Study Placement Bursary.
How to apply?
Complete an online form to APPLY FOR THIS BURSARY
Eligible students will be contacted by email when applications open. Once received, your application will be processed within 10 working days and the outcome emailed to you. Please ensure you provide sufficient details to ensure your application can be considered.
What information will you need to provide?
- Personal Details - including your address and postcode, these will be checked against your university student record on RISIS, so please ensure this is up to date.
- Daily Travel Information - including your usual method/s of transport and a breakdown of your average daily cost with receipts for a typical week of travel to the University for study. Please note we can only support with public transport costs.
- Supporting Statement - each application will be assessed on merit, therefore we ask you to provide a brief statement about you and how receiving an award will benefit you.
Deadline for applications
Applications will close on Friday 31 March 2023, or once the fund is exhausted, whichever is sooner.
* Living at Home student is defined as a student who is living at home whilst studying and is therefore not living in university accommodation or a student house/accommodation.