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Struggling with money can be very difficult and stressful.
Maybe a student finance loan has been delayed,
or maybe something unexpected has happened
and you just can't cover the costs.
When that happens, it's very tempting
to take out payday loans, credit cards,
and get further and further into expensive debts,
just hoping to cover the costs.
We could help you get your finances back on track.
Speak to one of our student finance experts
for some free confidential advice,
and ask about our interest-free support funds.
My financial situation when I contacted
the team was quite stressful as student finance
had cut my loan By a thousand pounds
because my sister was no longer at university.
And my parents couldn't support me
as much as I needed for my rent and for my living costs.
I found out about the university support
through Student Wellbeing when I was there
for a period of bad mental health.
This was affecting my finances quite a bit
and so I was told by a member of the Student Wellbeing team,
go and talk to the team for the university hardship fund
and see if they can help you.
The money problems I had just made my life at uni
so much more stressful.
I felt like I couldn't focus fully on my work
because I was thinking about how much I had to spend each day
and if I could afford it.
My financial situation when I contacted the team
was pretty dire.
I had about 200 pounds to my name
and this was when rent was due, basic amenities were due.
I owed a loan to my partner of around 600, 700 pounds,
and my student loan wasn't anywhere near coming in.
It turned out later that I was actually only being
given a quarter of what student finance owed me
because they'd lost my father's data by pure mistake.
So I was basically living on nothing.
The money problems affected me quite a bit
in the mental health department particularly,
but it also meant that I was having to deprioritize
aspects of university life.
I was having to seek extra jobs just
to stay afloat and show that I could
afford rent and electricity.
The application process for the fund was really easy.
It was just a form, which there were some tricky parts,
but the meeting afterwards was really helpful
because I got to talk through the bits which
I found difficult and just make sure I'd done it all right
before it went off.
The application process was surprisingly easy.
I just applied for a meeting and I got in
to speak because I was already part of the student lobbying
team.
I was already under their radar.
And I got to see someone within just a couple of days
of application.
Took about two weeks for me to receive the money
from the support fund.
The money came in after, I believe,
a week, which was fantastic for me
because I was just about at the end of my tether
with everything.
The team were really helpful and really friendly.
And I felt supported when I was going through the process.
And I felt like something that was scary
was made really easy and friendly.
It was wonderful to deal with the team.
When I first met the lady who dealt with my case,
she was very honest with me about my spending habits.
But she actually told me I was underspending,
which was a surprise, and she gave me
a lot of really good general budgeting tips.
The whole process took probably around two to three weeks,
and I received my money and the answer within about two weeks.
Please take the plunge if you're a student who's
suffering financial difficulties,
and just book the appointment.
Because there's no point suffering in silence.
The hardship team is there for a reason
and you don't need to be embarrassed about coming
upon hard times.
There was another student going through the same problems
as me, but were unsure whether to contact the team.
I would just tell them to go for it, because it might seem scary
and it might seem like you don't want to ask for help,
but at the end of the day, even if the answer is no,
it's worth trying because everyone's so friendly
and they give you the support you need.
I learned many positive things out of the experience.
Namely that I didn't need to panic because there is always
some help, particularly from the University,
but also to be slightly more careful with savings
and just generally keeping track of my money.
Now I keep track of my money all the time.
From this experience I've learned
that it's OK to ask for help and to always try and ask
for help if you need it, because it's worthwhile in the end.
And I've also learned to budget and think really
carefully about how I'm spending my money.
I found out about the support funds through the website.
During the summer I did some research and then
found a number and rang up and had a nice chat
and talked through all my options
with a member of the team.
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