These Are All The Places Students Can Go For Financial Help & Support

The cost of living crisis is continuing to impact the lives of students across the UK.

Our research has shown that 98% of students have had their finances impact some parts of their lives negatively, including their mental health, friendships, social lives and uni grades.

Unfortunately for students, it’s not always clear that help is available to them and many are suffering in silence, with 59% unsure where to seek financial support and a huge 68% having considered dropping out of uni due to their financial situation.

If you are struggling with your finances and are worried about debt, the student housing crisis, rising rent costs or falling behind on uni due to having to work more part-time, here are some resources to help you out.

Where to get support

  • Your personal tutor or university lecturers – reach out to your personal tutor to let them know if you’re having concerns about your finances, or are taking up extra shifts at work which is impacting your university work. They may be able to offer assistance and flexibility in deadlines if you’re feeling overwhelmed about completing your work.
  • Your students’ union – there may be dedicated teams to help support students through financial worries as well as help you apply for coursework extensions due to mitigating circumstances. You’ll also be able to find out about any schemes your union is running to help support those impacted by the student housing crisis such as petitions and protests.
  • Your GP – if your mental health is suffering due to your finances your GP can be a good place to start, they can refer you for additional treatment or therapy if they think that you’ll benefit from it.
  • Your university counselling service – they can either talk to you about your worries or refer you to an external mental health support team. Counsellors are also great for general non-mental health talks, such as money troubles and uni workloads. The counsellors that work for your university will be able to work with your lectures to help grant extra deadlines and support you with your financial worries.
  • Disability support — if you’re eligible you can apply for the disabled students’ allowance for extra funding.
  • University and college hardship funds — check here to see if you’re eligible to apply.
  • Search here to see if your university has set money advisors that you can talk to about your concerns.
  • National debtline — online tools and webchats to help you discuss your financial worries, plus a cost of living hub with information on making the most of your money and dealing with debt.
  • Stepchange — for debt solutions and confidential advice.
  • Cost of living support for students — the government hub on what support is available to students and what loans and bursaries they can apply for if they’re eligible.
  • Money Saving Expert — the student hub has loads of advice for students around budgeting and the cost of living crisis.
  • University and college hardship funds — eligible students can apply for additional funding and support.
  • Check your university website- many universities have created a hub with university-specific information for students on where they can get help and what the university can offer them. The University of York for example offers free period products, food vouchers and emergency loans to students and other unis are offering similar services.

University cost of living hubs

Don’t forget that at Student Beans we have plenty of discounts to help offset the cost of living on essentials such as grocery shopping or student essentials from brands such IcelandWilkoWH SmithKortextThe TimesSpecsaversVirgin Media and many more.