Marti Stelling

The University of Sheffield saw a 61 per cent increase in the number of students applying for emergency funding compared to last year, a freedom of information request found.

The university awarded 9,593 financial support grants to students this year costing more than £2,000,000.

The cost-of-living grants offer students a non-repayable sum of money for those experiencing unexpected financial struggle due to the cost of living.

This comes as the autumn budget failed to mention students studying at university.

It was recently reported that more than half of full-time students are working long hours in jobs to support themselves at university, spending nearly two days a week in paid employment during term time, owing to the cost-of-living crisis.  

Before 2021 roughly two-thirds of students had no paid employment in term time.

To apply for the university grant students are required to provide three months of bank statements and evidence demonstrating a financial need for the grant.

There were 9,595 applications for the award in 2023-24 compared to 5,926 in 2022-23.

The total amount granted this year was £2,618,513.02, up from £2,503,963.76.

This equates to £272.96 being awarded per student.

Only two applications were rejected or incomplete compared to 16 last year.

In 2020-21 there were 4,625 applications for the fund, less than half of the number for this year.

In total since 2020, the university has awarded £10,170,073.08 worth of emergency funding to 25,955 students.

Elsewhere in Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam awarded £173,957.27 from the Hallam Hardship fund to 374 pupils this year with an average value of £466.

In 2023-24 there were 955 applications for the award but only 374 were granted.

Last year there were 1192 applications and 356 awards given.

In total since 2020-21 Sheffield Hallam awarded 1,508 grants costing £597,273.28.

The university also offers emergency £35 Tesco vouchers to students in need.

Students can apply for the award if they are experiencing unforeseen financial difficulties.

In normal circumstances payments will not be more than £600.

There is no automatic entitlement to an award and all applications are considered on their individual merits including access to savings and the type and level of spending shown on bank statements.

A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said: “We know that many of our students and their families are affected by the current cost of living, and we have a range of support  available to help.

“The University continues to provide a significant amount of funding to students through our hardship fund, which has provided millions in additional support for essential items to help reduce financial pressures.

“We have a range of scholarships and bursaries eligible students can apply for as well as financial advice and wellbeing support for any students whose mental health is affected by financial worries or any other concerns.

“As a university we are committed to supporting all our students to succeed and would encourage any student with financial concerns to access the support available to them.”

A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said: “The University has provided a significant amount of funding to students through its financial support fund and continues to offer financial support to help students overcome unexpected difficulties.

“We encourage any student who is struggling with financial pressures to access available support, which could include financial advice and guidance; bursaries; emergency funding; grants to allow participation in sports and activities; as well as an accommodation guarantor scheme to help eligible students secure rental agreements.”

Published in print for The Yorkshire Post