Hardship Fund Conditions

The Student Hardship Assistance Fund is managed according to the following conditions.

Purpose of program

The purpose of the Program is to provide one-off, short-term, and minor monetary relief to students who have been impacted by a hardship, and who require such emergency assistance to continue their studies at The University of Notre Dame Australia.

Eligibility requirements

  • Be either enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate (including HDR) degree, VET award, or the Tertiary Pathway Program at the University; and
  • Be currently enrolled either on a full-time study load, or on a part-time study load of 0.5 or higher; and
  • Continue their studies past the census date;
  • Be enrolled to study in the following Semester, unless they are currently enrolled in a VET certificate or the Tertiary Pathway Program or in the final semester of their current program, in which case the applicant will be eligible only until the final week of the semester; and
  • Demonstrate that they have directly suffered a financial impact resulting from an unforeseen hardship that has resulted in difficulty such that emergency assistance is required; and
  • Have not previously received any emergency assistance under this Program within the calendar year.

Medicine student eligibility requirements

Students studying the Doctor of Medicine (Fremantle and Sydney) are asked to please apply for financial support through the Medicine Student Hardship Fund.

For more information and a link to the application form, please contact Prof Bruno Ferraz-de-Souza (National Head, Student Matters, Selection and Pathways).

Criteria for determining emergency assistance

In awarding any emergency assistance, the delegated Financial Assistance Assessor will rely on evidence of hardship and/or disadvantage to assess eligibility for the Program and the amount of assistance provided.

Please note that approval of eligibility does not guarantee that assistance will be granted, as it is dependent on the availability of funds

Process for seeking emergency assistance

A student wishing to access emergency assistance under the Program should complete the application form found on the University’s website. The application will be assessed by the Financial Assistance Assessor.

Applicants are encouraged to access other University support services and discuss any impacts on their studies with their School.

Method of providing emergency assistance

  • A one-off grant of emergency assistance from the Fund may be made in a number of ways, depending on the type of hardship being faced.
  • The maximum amount of financial assistance shall not exceed $1,000 (unless special consideration is granted by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Student Experience, due to extreme circumstances).
  • Grants may be either in the form of monetary assistance or, alternatively, they may be provided as in-kind assistance (for example, by way of a pre-paid card). If assistance is to be provided by way of a monetary payment, it will be paid directly to the student as determined by the Financial Assistance Assessor.
  • Depending on the student’s situation, payments may be made in one lump sum or in smaller amounts over a period of time.
  • Students will be introduced to other appropriate support services at the University.

Term of the hardship assistance fund

The fund will expire upon notification by the University.

Contact us

If you have questions about your application or eligibility for the Student Hardship Assistance Fund, a member of our team is here to help. Please contact us at studentassist@nd.edu.au