Overseas Emergency Financial Aid (OEFA)

Due to an extremely high number of applications we have been receiving, please note that your application might take over four weeks to be assessed.

To help us finalise your application sooner, please ensure you read the OEFA criteria carefully, submit one month worth of bank statements for all your accounts, write a personal statement about your current circumstances and provide evidence outlined in the OEFA 24-25 Criteria to support your personal statement and circumstances.

Please read the OEFA 24-25 Criteria document before applying and see a list of acceptable evidence.

Re-applying is not permitted. 

Overseas Emergency Financial Aid (OEFA)

OEFA provides discretionary financial assistance to Overseas and EU (as assessed by the Student Loans Company) students, in the form of a non-repayable monetary award. The fund can help to alleviate unexpected and emergency financial hardship.

Eligibility

Students who wish to apply must be currently studying at the University of Hertfordshire and have an overseas fee status or be assessed as EU by the Student Loans Company (SLC); this excludes online and distance learning students. If you are a Home student, please refer to our University Financial Assistance Fund page. 

For full information on eligibility and fund opening and closing dates, please see the OEFA 24-25 Criteria.

Please note that students can only make one application per academic year unless there is an unexpected change in circumstances since their initial application.

OEFA financial support fund is accessible to students with no recourse to public funding. Your eligibility is not restricted if you meet the OEFA eligibility criteria.

How to apply

You will need to register online at www.blackbullion.com using your student email address in the following format ab20cde@herts.ac.uk. *Please note this is an example, and you should use your own details to sign in.*

The application will ask you for a description of the unexpected financial difficulties you are facing and how you would use this fund if you are successful. You will also need to upload supporting evidence. If any evidence is missing or unclear in your application, we will request this evidence from you through Blackbullion. Please read the OEFA 24-25 Criteria

If you would like some guidance or support with your application, we offer Drop-in Sessions with a member of the team. You can find out more here.

Awards

Assessments are completed using a set of criteria which must be supported by evidence. Each applicant is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and if successful, they may receive a non-repayable financial grant of minimum £500. In exceptional emergency cases, a higher grant may be awarded, but you may be required to attend a meeting or provide supplementary evidence.

Timeframe

An assessment and decision should be made within 4 working weeks of submission of a completed application form, including all required documentary evidence.

However, there may be times when this process may take longer than the 4 weeks as outlined in the Criteria.

OEFA Appeal

As this is a discretionary fund and decisions are final, there is no right of appeal.
If you wish to discuss the outcome of your application, please e-mail financial-support@herts.ac.uk within ten working days of receiving the decision. Please note that the SFFS team is not obliged to notify students of earlier closing date.