Grad Support Unit Fund

Careers and Employability’s Grad Support Unit Fund is designed to help final-year students and recent graduates access financial assistance with the costs that can arise from getting started in your career.

You can apply for:

• Up to £400 for unpaid work experience and associated costs such as travel and lunch
• Up to £300 for freelancing essentials such as equipment or software, so that you can deliver your service to clients
• Up to £100 for recruitment activities that will help you access work, such as travel, accommodation or suitable clothes for a job interview.

How to apply

Please check that you meet the criteria before applying, then submit your application via MyCareer.

Applications are taken between 1 November to 1 July annually, although the deadline may be earlier if all funding is exhausted.

Multiple applications for each type of funding and the different options of funding are welcomed.

Criteria

To be eligible, you must:

• Be in your final year of an undergraduate or postgraduate programme of study at Bath Spa University or Bath Spa University London, or...
• Have completed your undergraduate or postgraduate programme of study within the last three years from Bath Spa University or Bath Spa University London

And, in addition:

• When you studied at Bath Spa University, you were a UK home student
• If you graduated between 1 May 2021 and 30 April 2023, you must register for a graduate account on MyCareer
• If you graduated between 1 May 2023 and 30 April 2024, you must register with the Class of 2023 Grad Support Unit
• If you graduated between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025, you must register with the Class of 2024 Grad Support Unit

One (or more) of the following must also apply:

• Have disclosed a disability to Bath Spa University
• Are from an ethnic minority background
• Were a mature learner at Bath Spa University (that means you were 21 or over when you started your undergraduate course, or 25 or over when you started your postgraduate course)
• Come from a home postcode area with low participation in higher education (only applicable to final-year students or graduates from undergraduate programmes of study).

How applications are judged

Applications are judged by Careers and Employability’s Graduate Success team, based on the criteria and how developmental the activity will be for your longer-term career goals. You will be asked about this in your application. 

When we have received your application, we will: 

• Check your eligibility to confirm you can apply for the Grad Support Unit Fund
• Check that requested funds match any receipts
• If you are undertaking unpaid work experience, contact the organisation to see how your work experience is going and offer ongoing support to the organisation.

What happens next

We will let you know whether your application has been successful and administer any eligible funds within six weeks. 

If you're a graduate, we'll be in touch to ask you to supply your bank details to us securely. 

If you're still a current final-year student, funds will be transferred to the bank account detailed on the AppHub. 

Terms and conditions

Successful recipients will be subject to the following conditions: 

• The Grad Support Unit Fund must be used for the purpose stated on the application form
• The information provided on the application form must be true and complete. Any misleading information or omissions will be sufficient grounds for rejecting applications
• If, by reason of any emergency or other circumstance, the applicant is unable to fulfil the activity they have applied for funding, they will be required to refund all or part of the Fund as may be considered reasonable
• Recipients will be expected to complete a feedback form
• Applicants can apply for more than one type of support. A separate application must be completed for each
• Applicants can submit multiple applications for all types of support until the maximum amount has been reached for each type of support. For example, you could submit an application to cover a train ticket to a recruitment activity for £30, and then submit another application later to attend another recruitment activity for £70. A separate application must be completed each time
• Recipients applying for support with recruitment activities or an early freelancing career must provide adequate receipts or screenshots of relevant expenses, and will need to email receipts within ten weeks of receiving funding or they will be expected to return funding to the University
• For applications covering mileage, expenses will be calculated at 45p per mile
• Final-year students may not apply for funding from both the Placements Award and Grad Support Unit Fund. Applications will be cross-checked to verify both will not be granted.

Contact us

If you're unsure if you meet any of these criteria or have any queries about an application, please email gradsupportunit@bathspa.ac.uk.