Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many of our students find themselves in unexpected circumstances, adjusting to this new situation with little certainty on the now, as well as the future. We know that some of you have faced redundancy from part-time roles or have moved home while still being liable to pay rent for your private accommodation. Other students have found themselves studying from home without access to a laptop. We wanted to tell you how we have been able to help financially so far, and let you know how you can contact us to get help if you need it.

We are here to help relieve some of the financial strain at this tough time, and thanks in large part to our generous university donors, our Student Financial Support team has secured additional funds to support you. We have awarded £67,608 in total to 68 individual students in March and April – which is over double the amount in financial support we were able to provide compared with the same months last year. We have also set up a £400 interest free short-term loan for returning students to purchase a laptop.

In addition to the Student Support Fund, our financial assistance includes:

• 1-2-1 appointments with an adviser to provide specific advice for your circumstances;
• access to Blackbullion, our free, online financial support platform;
• RUSU’s Advice Team, who provide confidential and independent advice;
• Short-term Loans and Student Support Funds

For further information, please visit our website.

To make accessing financial support easier, we have extended our application deadlines and are continuing to streamline the application process and hope to make the system available on the RISIS Web Portal. Quicker payments to students have also been made available with the support of Transactional Services. These actions mean that more students can apply as and when you find yourself in difficulty.

Take a look at what our students have told us about the impact of our Student Finance Team’s support…

“I am very pleased and grateful to have received financial support… I really did not know how I am going to pay for my accommodation fees…[the] people who were involved were very friendly and willing to help me and support me through this difficult situation.” – Undergraduate student

“I would like to thank you at this time for all your combined help in supporting me financially…By far the most stress free month at uni for a long time… the advice available and the use of Blackbullion has been brilliant.” – Postgraduate student 

“The award has helped me immensely. I am now able to not worry about paying my rent and instead focus on my studies and completing my degree.”- Undergraduate student 

Matt Daley, Head of Student Financial Support and Customer Service also told us how him and his team are working hard to make the support available:

“This is a worrying time for everyone but if you add financial struggles into that then it can become overwhelming. I am really pleased that we can provide financial support to our students and support them during what is an incredibly challenging time.”

These are worrying and uncertain times, but we are here to help where we can. If you find yourself in unexpected financial difficulty, visit Money Matters to seek support and guidance.