Student Enterprise Fund - Freelance Pathway

Apply for up to £500 to kick-start or grow your freelance business.

The Student Enterprise Fund – FREELANCE Pathway is generously supported by Santander Universities.

Applications are now open. Apply via the Santander X Platform.

Applications close midnight, Sunday 16 March 2025.

Apply Now – FREELANCE

To explore eligibility or get feedback on an application form, book a 1:1 with the Student Enterprise Team.

Book a 1:1

Who is the FREELANCE Pathway For?

This pathway is suitable for students interested in monetizing their skills and experience in the UK. Its aim is to support students with kick starting or launching their freelancer activities or helping to grow and expand existing freelancer activities. It may provide essential cash-flow for existing early-stage freelance activities.

The FREELANCE pathway is suitable for UK freelancers across all industry sectors from musicians, to creatives, to business consultants.

What can FREELANCE Pathway Funding be used for?

FREELANCE funding can be used to support a wide range of early-stage business expenses. Example use of funds might include market research costs, launching a website, business software or administrative costs, essential equipment, initial stock, marketing materials, training to upskill yourself, conferences and much more.

Am I eligible for FREELANCE Funding?

At a minimum, students applying for the FREELANCE Pathway must be able to provide secondary evidence of the market and business opportunity. Ideally, they will either have acquired initial customers or at least be able to demonstrate evidence of potential customer interest for their services.
FREELANCE Pathway funding is available to undergraduates, post-graduates and recent graduates (up to 36 months post-graduation), with a new business idea, or those leading an early-stage business or social enterprise across a broad spectrum of different industries.
Applicants must be legally eligible to start a business in the UK (unfortunately students studying on an International Student Visa are NOT eligible to apply).

Applicants who have previously received Student Enterprise Funding, are eligible to apply for further FREELANCE funding, within the following parameters:

Students must provide evidence of successful spend, impact of the previous funding awarded and demonstrate realistic projections based on the further funding required.
Students can win up to a maximum £1k per academic year and up to £2k across multiple years for the same business via the FREELANCE pathway.
Students can win up to a maximum total of £10k, across multiple years, for the same business, across all three funding pathways.

How do I apply?

Applications are now open. Applications close midnight, Sunday 16 March 2025.

Applications must be submitted via the Santander Open Academy Platform before the deadline, midnight, Sunday 16 March 2025.
Candidates are required to provide a 2-minute video pitch via the application form. More details on requirements for this can be found in the application form.

Apply Now – FREELANCE

Key Dates:

FREELANCE Funding Applications Close: midnight, Sunday 16 March 2025

If you are interested in applying for the FREELANCE Pathway or have any questions regarding eligibility, we highly recommend you book a 1:1 appointment with a member of the Student Enterprise team to increase your chances of success.

Book a 1:1

You can contact the team at studententerprise@soton.ac.uk

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