The University is tripling the University Hardship Fund to £1.5 million from £500,000 to help students who are experiencing financial difficulty.
The University has also invested in additional staff resource to ensure applications to the University Hardship Fund are processed as swiftly as possible.
We know the cost of living crisis is of huge concern to our University community and you can find out more information about available support on our Managing the cost of living webpages.
Over the coming months the University will keep working with the Guild of Students to understand your needs and we will continually assess the situation. If you need financial support, please reach out. Our Money Advice and Guidance Team are here to help.
What is the University Hardship Fund?
The University Hardship Fund is available to support students experiencing financial difficulty. The Fund is open now for applications.
The fund is administered by the University’s Money Advice and Guidance Team and is open to UK, international and EU undergraduate and postgraduate students dealing with ongoing financial issues, as well as one-off unexpected costs.
Who can apply?
UK students can apply to the fund for help with ongoing financial issues with essential expenditure such as rent or bills. The fund can also be used to support students with a one-off exceptional cost that could not have been foreseen and is causing hardship, such as additional travel home due to family illness or caring.
International students can apply to the fund for exceptional costs or financial emergencies that could not have been foreseen. Students will need to be able to demonstrate that before starting their course provision had been made to fund both tuition fees and living costs. International students should not submit an application form until they have contacted International Advice and Guidance on iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk.
The University Hardship Fund cannot be used to help pay tuition fees regardless of the circumstances.
Awards from the fund are normally made on a grant basis and are therefore non-repayable.
Guidance is available to help students decide whether or not to make an application:
What is the application process?
If you decide to apply, the Money Advice and Guidance Team will look over your income and expenditure and advise you on any student loans, grants or other income you may be entitled to before assessing if your application to the Hardship Fund has been successful.
The application process is open now and you can apply any time before the closing dates of 14 April 2023 for final year undergraduates, 5 May 2023 for continuing undergraduates and 14 July 2023 for postgraduate students. International students can apply up until the last day of their course, or 21 July 2023 if their actual end date is later than this.
Applications normally take 20 working days to process (providing all documentation is provided to support your application), but at busy times the assessment may take longer, so it is important to apply in good time if you are experiencing financial hardship.
Further information about how to apply to the University Hardship Fund is available on our webpages.
Further support
As a student at the University of Liverpool there are a number of things we can do to help you manage the challenges of the rising cost of living, whether it is with unexpected short-term costs, or with long-term financial management.
Financial challenges can be a significant cause of anxiety, affecting your mental health, ability to focus on study and general wellbeing.
If you are in immediate financial difficulty and require support please contact our Money Advice & Guidance Team on money@liverpool.ac.uk or book an online confidential one-to-one appointment. If you are an international student, please contact our International Advice and Guidance Team on iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk or book an online confidential one-one appointment.