Hardship Funds

Helping students in financial difficulty

Help with Hardship

Money@Campuslife administer Hardship Funds that offer short-term financial support for help with living costs to students facing financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances. Our funds are available to full & part time, Undergraduate & Postgraduate students. There is also a fund for International students. Details of our different funds are on the tabs below, please ensure you select the application that fits your circumstances to avoid delay in assessments. Awards are not guaranteed. If granted an award, you do not need to pay it back.

Please read terms and eligibility prior to submitting an application to any of the Hardship Funds to ensure you meet the criteria.

Click on the relevant section below to start the application process.

You need short-term financial assistance due to the impact of Covid-19

If you are struggling financially or facing hardship as a result of the current situation related to Covid-19, you may be able to access short term financial support from the Short Term Assistance Grant (STAG). We can help with essential costs such as accommodation and bills, but the need for the award is not prescriptive. Evidence of hardship will be required and awards are not guaranteed.

The award is to provide a streamlined application process for short-term financial assistance, therefore awards will be assessed on a needs basis but capped at a maximum of £1000 (dependant on an individual’s circumstances). Do remember that we continue to accept applications to the (SUOA). You may wish to apply for funds via this route if you anticipate your financial needs exceed the maximum available via the STAG.

Please note, you can still apply even if you have received an award previously. Applications are open to all enrolled UG & PG students whether studying on a part-time or full-time basis. Students studying NHS courses are also eligible to apply.

If you are an EU student – you continue to be eligible to apply. If you are an International student – please see our information regarding the International Student Crisis Fund (ISCF)

*Please note - All applications are accessed via the same page. Please ensure you select the correct form using the ‘Fund’ dropdown menu

You are in or currently facing general financial hardship

Swansea University Opportunity Award is the main hardship fund within Swansea University and is intended to support students through any unexpected or difficult circumstances whilst in University.

The Swansea University Opportunity Award has a thorough application process, and is available all year round and is designed to support students with a range of circumstances surrounding financial difficulty, from accommodation to help with cost of childcare, plus many more.

Applications to the SUOA can be submitted online by following this link – Swansea University Opportunity Award Application

*Please note - All applications are accessed via the same page. Please ensure you select the correct form using the ‘Fund’ dropdown menu

You are an international student in financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances

Swansea University has established a small fund to provide emergency assistance for enrolled Undergraduate and Postgraduate International students who are facing financial difficulty, which were unforeseen at the start of the course or are not within the student’s control. Unforeseen costs due to the impact of Covid-19 will be considered.

Applicants to the International Crisis Fund are required to demonstrate that they have made adequate measures to finance their course before they came to the University and that these arrangements have been affected by unforeseen circumstances or events beyond their control.

Please be advised that the Crisis Fund is not a form of funding and cannot be accessed to fund your studies or to ‘top up’ your income. There is no guarantee of an award for any student. Each application will be considered and assessed on an individual basis, with the strictest confidentiality by our expert advisors. Awards are made as a non-repayable grant, and are capped at a maximum £1500. We anticipate that many students may experience financial challenges due to the unprecedented times we’re currently facing, and it is important that you are aware that the fund is a limited resource. If you are struggling financially due to unanticipated difficulties and the above criteria applies, you are encouraged to submit an application to find out if you are eligible to receive an award.

Applications for the International Crisis Fund can be submitted online by following this link - International Crisis Fund Application

*Please note - All applications are accessed via the same page. Please ensure you select the correct form using the ‘Fund’ dropdown menu

Paying for a diagnostic test has, or will, put you in financial hardship

Swansea University has a Hardship Fund that students can apply to, available to home and EU students who are struggling to afford the cost of a diagnostic test.

Some students will need to have a diagnostic test to identify if they have a specific learning difficulty that is impacting on their studies. Diagnostic testing comes at a price and this fund is open for students to apply to, to see if they are eligible for financial support towards their diagnostic test.

Awards will be made only where there is evidence of financial hardship.

Applications towards diagnostic tests can be submitted online by flowing this link - Diagnostic Testing Application]

*Please note - All applications are accessed via the same page. Please ensure you select the correct form using the ‘Fund’ dropdown menu

Terms and Eligibility (Please read prior to submitting an application to any of the funds)

The Hardship Funds are not a form of funding or supplementary funding and are intended to support students in financial difficulty due to unforeseen circumstances.
The Hardship Funds cannot be used towards paying tuition fees.
You must be a current student and enrolled on a course, external students/candidates are not eligible to apply.
Swansea University Opportunity Award, Short Term Assistance Grant and Diagnostic Testing welcomes applications from Home and EU Students, studying full or part time.
There is no cap on the number of applications that students can make to the Hardship Funds, although prior awards do form part of the assessment process.
There is no guarantee of an award and all assessments are made on financial hardship.
Successful applications to the funds will receive an award as a non - repayable grant.
The International Crisis Fund welcomes applications from International Students.
EU Students are also required to evidence adequate financial provision prior to the start of the course for living and study costs and the unforeseen circumstances that has impacted on their finances
Applications can take up to 14 days to assess. (however we are working hard to assess applications as quickly as possible) and first time applicants are prioritised.
Payments will be received 7-10 days following award notification.

Budgeting

Our Hardship Fund is designed to support those students facing financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances.

As part of our application process we ask to see students' bank statements. On occasions we identify non-essential spending on students' bank accounts, which means if this spending had not happened they may not be in financial hardship.

We here at Money@Campuslife want to support students to avoid financial hardship, and from making a few simple changes to your regular spending habits not only could it help you avoid financial hardship but you could also be quids in.

Take a look at the areas below and see which could apply to you and where you, too, could make savings…

Daily Coffee...

Who doesn’t love a coffee from one of the well known coffee houses to help you through the day? And with a small amount each day you barely notice the impact to your bank balance.

Therefore you may be surprised to learn how your daily coffee adds up (based on a medium Latte £2.65 x 5 days):

	Cost
Weekly	£13.25
Monthly	£53.00
Yearly	£636.00

SAVING – Approx £600 a year.
By investing in a reusable mug and making your own coffee before leaving for Uni you could be saving around a staggering £600 per year!

Daily Travel...

If transport to Uni is required then the bus service is normally the most convenient and cost effective way to get around. Even so there are still savings to be made.

Buying a yearly pass is the cheapest way to travel, and over the duration of the year could save you £100’s (Termly passes are also available).

Also… If you under 25 you can save a further 1/3 off your travel costs by applying for a FREE My Travel Pass.

Pay as you go travel (calculated on five day travel):

	Standard (£3.50 daily)	With My Travel Pass (£2.35 daily)
Weekly	£17.50	£11.75
Monthly	£47.00	£47.00
Yearly	£840.00	£564.00
Advance ticket for the year	£380.00	£253.50

By biting the bullet and purchasing a yearly bus pass, it will save you around a massive £460 per year (£586.50 with a My Travel pass), so not only will you be saving money, you will not be left stranded if short of cash!

SAVING – Approx £ 460.00 a year.

Daily Lunch...

We all need to eat, right? But do we need to buy costly lunches every day?

Did you know by being organised at the beginning of the week, means you can prepare your own lunches and in turn not only take control of your eating habits but your spending too.

Making your own lunch means you don’t resort to the convenient yet more expensive option.

Buying lunch to prepare at the beginning of the week can save you a packet. Here is an example week, obviously changeable week to week, to fit in with your dietary needs etc:

Loaf of bread £1.00, butter £1.00, pack of ham £1.50, Pack of 8 crisps £1.00 and a pack of bananas/apples £1.00 pack of 8 – A total of £1.10 a day a saving of £3.40 against the standard £4.50 price of a lunch bought on campus.

	Home Prepared Meals	Campus Bought Meals
Weekly	£5.50	£22.50
Monthly	£22.00	£90.00
Yearly	£264.00	£1080.00

Obviously you can mix your lunches up: noodles, salads, Jacket potatoes are cost effective and need little preparation meaning you can add variety to your lunches whilst saving money, saving around £816 a year!

SAVING – Approx £816 a year.

Mobile Phone...

Almost everyone has a mobile phone as it really is an essential item, both to keep in touch with people and in case of emergencies, but does it really need to break the bank?

By keeping your existing phone, opting for a SIM only deal means you can still be connected to the internet, while friends and family can still get in touch with you and you don’t have the hefty price tag a monthly contract with a phone comes with.

A SIM only contract allows you all of the accessibility network-wise as a monthly phone contract, but at a fraction of the cost. So if you have a phone, a SIM only deal is your best option. Not only that, with most monthly contracts you are tied in for a two year contract meaning you have to commit to the set amount for at least a two year period, whilst with SIM only you are normally only tied in for 30 days (prices below are an average, it would depend fully on the phone, data etc you choose to have):

	Monthly Sim Only (14gb)	Monthly Contract
Monthly	£14.00	£40.00
Yearly	£168.00	£480.00
2 Years	£336.00	£960.00

By not having the latest phone you can still have all of the freedom you are used to (data, calls, texts) and you could save around £312!

SAVING - Approx £312 a year.

Hardship Funds

Further Information

Upon application to any of the hardship funds you will be required to provide evidence of financial hardship as well as the unforeseen circumstances which has resulted in you applying to the fund.

We seek to support those facing unexpected hardship the best we can and recent spending evidenced in your bank statements will be taken into account when making a decision if an award will be made.

Postgraduate students are also required to evidence adequate financial provision prior to the start of the course for living and study costs and the unforeseen circumstances that has impacted on their finances.

Please note that the Hardship funds are unable to help with the costs of tuition fees.

Applications are welcome through the medium of Welsh and will be treated and assessed in the same manner as English applications.

Money@CampusLife Confidentiality Statement

All information dealt with by the Money@CampusLife team is done so in the strictest confidence. On the occasions that we need to consult staff from other departments, we only do so with prior consent from you.