A couple of months ago, we put together a Financial Hardship Survey to take a deeper look at how students have been financially impacted by the pandemic.
We received over 1,000 responses, and worked through the findings to articulate how tough students are finding things throughout this time.
The new Covid Financial Hardship Fund goes some way to help those most financially affected during the pandemic, but we will continue to ask the University to provide further support for all students.
You can apply for the Covid Financial Hardship Fund here.
Our Findings
The results from our survey were very revealing. We found that:
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51% said someone who would normally support them financially has been impacted by COVID-19 and 50% in paid employment said their employment has been negatively affected too.
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71% of students were?worried?how they would manage financially due to the COVID-19 outbreak, with 43% worried that they may run out of food because f a lack of money.
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Most concerning, 77% of students agreed that the ability to manage their finances affected their mental health and wellbeing.
Our Response
We want to make positive changes when it comes to students’ financial position:
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Let’s make more effort to sign post and encourage students to access support.
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Let’s make it easier and kinder for students to access support.
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Let’s worry that after paying high course fees, students are still paying significant money on course material.
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Let’s be more aware of how financial pressures link to overall mental health.
You can read our full report here.
If you are struggling financially at this time, you can read all the financial support options available to you as a UCLan student here.
If you’re currently on campus, remember that Harrington Refectory and Foster coffee square are now open Monday – Friday from 8am - 5pm offering FREE food, hot drinks, sandwiches and fruit. (Harrington also offers free pizza throughout the day!)
If your mental health is suffering due to your financial position, the University has a Counselling, Mental Health and Wellbeing team who are continuing to provide support for students throughout this time. You can find out more about the service here.