The Government has today announced an additional £50 million to help university students facing financial difficulties arising from the impact of coronavirus.
We want to give students impacted by the pandemic the support they need - whether they are facing extra costs in accessing remote education, alternative accommodation or a loss of employment.
That is why the Government have announced a further £50 million of financial support for students who are facing difficulties, which will be distributed by the Office for Students directly to universities, who are best placed to assess student hardship locally and prioritise funding to those most in need of help. This brings the total amount of funding provided to universities to £70 million this financial year.
Universities can use the funding to support students, acutely impacted by the pandemic, who may be facing additional costs as a result of maintaining accommodation in more than one location, loss of employment if their job is close to campus, or extra costs in accessing teaching remotely.
In addition to the £70 million, universities can also draw on the £256 million of Government-funded student premium for student support this academic year, which has been made more flexible, so it can be used to cover students facing hardship, mental health and digital poverty.
Gareth Davies MP said:
“I warmly welcome this £50 million funding boost to ensure that students who, through no fault of their own, have been left in financial difficulty as a result of the ongoing pandemic crisis. Universities know their students and will be able to get this extra funding to those who are in greatest need of assistance.”
For more information on this announcement please click here.
