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Financial support for childcare

If you need help covering the costs of childcare, you may be eligible for support from the Government and/or from Birkbeck, depending on your mode of study and personal circumstances. 

If you are a full-time undergraduate student, you may be eligible for the Childcare Grant from Student Finance England. 

If you are a part-time undergraduate or a postgraduate student (part-time or full-time), you may be eligible to receive financial support for childcare from the Birkbeck Childcare Fund.

Birkbeck Childcare Fund

The Birkbeck Childcare fund is available to help towards the cost of childcare for single parents whilst attending classes, either in person or online.

Eligibility criteria

  • In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria:
    • be currently enrolled on a minimum of 30 credits on a part-time undergraduate programme, a Postgraduate Certificate, a Postgraduate Diploma, or a taught Master's degree (full-time undergraduate students should apply for the Childcare Grant from Student Finance England)
    • be a Home/EU single parent in receipt of child benefit
    • have an annual household income of less than £25,000, as defined below
    • be using a registered childcare provider.
  • You will usually need to be single parent to be considered for childcare funding as it is expected that any spouse/partner can normally care for children. If you are not a single parent and believe that there is an exceptional reason that you require childcare support, we would recommend that you contact Student Advice in the first instance regarding your circumstances.

Value of fund

  • Eligible students can receive funding for up to 99 hours of childcare per term, during term weeks only. This is based on study intensity.
    • those with a study intensity of 90 credits + can receive a maximum of 99 hours of childcare per term
    • those with a study intensity of 60-75 credits can received a maximum of 66 hours of childcare per term
    • those with a study intensity of 30-45 credits can received a maximum of 33 hours of childcare per term.
  • If you pay a daily rate of childcare we will use this rate and the number of hours of childcare you use daily to calculate your Childcare Award. For example, if you pay £50 per day for 5 hours of childcare we would use a rate of £10 per hour.
  • Please note that awards are also subject to caps, so you may not receive funding to cover all your costs. 

How to apply

Deadlines

  • The deadline for submission of application forms is Friday 31 May 2024.