Information session: Financial support in higher education

On 17 September (11:00–12:00) we held a webinar introducing a new opportunity to work with us on a project to evaluate your financial support scheme.

The webinar included information about the aims of the project, what participation will involve, and how to apply. There was also an opportunity to put questions directly to the project team.

Background

Financial support is a crucial lever in higher education policy, shaping providers’ strategic planning and day-to-day operations. This form of financial support influences the academic outcomes and experiences of students, particularly those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. 

However, while various financial aid models are currently used, further evidence is needed to evaluate their impact on student success.

To support this policy area, we are launching a new project to retrospectively evaluate financial support schemes. We are inviting English higher education providers in the approved (fee cap) category to collaborate with us. Selected providers will receive up to £10,000 to support delivery of the project. 

Event format

• An overview of the project
• Key project details
• Application process, eligibility and selection criteria
• Audience Q&A

Apply: Financial support open call

The financial support open call is now open. Find out more and apply.

• 5 October 2026: Deadline for submitting open call-related clarification questions
• 12 October 2026, 13:00: Open call closes

Slides

View the slides from the information webinar, held on 17 September 2026. Please contact us if you would like this in a different format.

Frequently asked questions

1. Is the intention that TASO will publish the report, either through its own channels or in a (peer-reviewed) journal?

Yes, as a What Works Centre, TASO is committed to publishing its evaluation reports regardless of the findings. Publication is usually through its own channels. The appointed Independent Evaluator will lead the report writing, with provider input and TASO quality assurance. The final report is due June 2027. In addition, academic dissemination in peer-reviewed journals alongside the evaluator is supported, provided it aligns with data-sharing agreements and TASO standards.

2. Would you be able to elaborate further on the anticipated workload expectations for providers in terms of days/hours?

TASO does not specify the exact number of hours but provides up to £10,000 (excl. VAT) to cover provider resourcing from January – June 2027. The workload spans four main areas:

• Scoping and theory of change (Jan–Feb): Workshops with the evaluator and protocol development. This is likely to include at least a one-day in-person workshop.
• Governance and ethics (Jan): Securing institutional ethics, if required, and providing suitable information to contribute to and sign a Data Sharing Agreement with TASO and the Independent Evaluator.
• Data collation (Feb–Mar): Extracting, linking, and anonymising institutional data (for example, eligibility, uptake, demographics, engagement, and outcome measures) before secure transfer.
• Project oversight (Jan–Jun): Fortnightly monitoring meetings and reviewing draft analysis and report.

3. Who – what job roles or expertise – would expect or anticipate being represented in a provider’s core project team?

When building the team, providers may want to consider incorporating expertise across the following areas:

• Expertise in senior project oversight and oversight for the provider’s access and participation plan.
• Technical expertise in navigating student record systems to pull, link, clean, and anonymise multi-year cohort datasets. This technical expertise will be needed to support the Independent Evaluator as they design the impact evaluation.
• Operational expertise with detailed, historical knowledge of the institution’s financial support eligibility criteria, allocation mechanisms, and delivery models to inform Theory of Change mapping.
• Expertise in managing institutional ethics clearance and data-sharing agreements (DSAs) for sign-off by the end of January 2027.

4. What are the eligibility criteria for higher education providers to bid on these projects?

The lead applicant must be a registered English higher education provider in the approved (fee cap) category.

5. Would a proportion of institutional overheads (for example, estates and indirect costs) be expected within the budget?

A maximum overhead rate of 25% on staff costs will be considered.

6. Please provide some more specific information on what costs are eligible to be claimed within the budget?

The funding is provided to support the evaluation, this includes (but is not limited to) buying out staff time, recruiting a research assistant, or travel costs for attending workshops (if applicable).

7. I have more than one financial support scheme I’d like to be considered for evaluation, do I have to submit more than one application form?

Yes. For each scheme we need to know how many students are eligible, the value of the scheme, the eligibility criteria and when it ran. The appendix on the ITT webpage lists all the information required to complete the form and it is relatively quick to fill out once you have the information.

8. Are there any specific factors that would make participation more difficult?

Participation may be more difficult if only a very tiny number of students receive financial support (likely in the tens) each year, or less than four years of outcome data are available. If you are unsure please email research@taso.org.uk with your query.

9. Will the evaluation consider qualitative data (for example, focus groups or questionnaires) alongside quantitative data?

The impact evaluation will be conducted using a quantitative methodology and as it is retrospective we do not expect it will be possible to make contact with those students who were directly helped by the scheme being evaluated.

We are not planning to conduct an implementation and process evaluation of the scheme other than to use existing monitoring data to assure ourselves that the scheme was delivered as intended.

If providers wish to conduct their own qualitative evaluation then we would encourage them to do so and publish the findings.

10. Is prior use of the Office for Students (OfS) financial support evaluation toolkit helpful or disadvantageous?

Prior use of the OfS financial support evaluation toolkit (or not) will not be a determining factor in shortlisting. Though use of the toolkit will demonstrate familiarity with evaluation of financial support schemes and therefore might lead to a better application.

11. If an institution already has an existing theory of change, will it need to be recreated?

We will expect the independent evaluator to use any existing theory of change as a basis for development and evaluation planning. Our experience is that bringing in external challenge to a pre-existing theory of change strengthens it and improves subsequent evaluation.

12. Who conducts the evaluation—the provider using the £10k funding with TASO support, or an allocated external evaluator?

The evaluation will be conducted by an independent evaluator that will be appointed by TASO.

13. Will evaluation findings be published publicly, or will sensitive scheme data be kept confidential?

The evaluation findings will be published. No personally identifiable data will be published.