Students to have access to £50m Covid-19 government hardship fund

2 February 2021, 00:01

Students will have access to a £50m hardship fund
Students will have access to a £50m hardship fund. Picture: PA

By Maddie Goodfellow

University students facing financial pressures due to the pandemic will have access to an additional £50 million support fund from the Government.

Universities will be able to use the extra funding to help students facing loss of employment, additional costs for alternative accommodation, or to support access to remote teaching amid Covid-19.

The majority of university students in England have been told to stay at home and not return to campus under the latest lockdown, which has sparked calls for greater financial support.

A number of universities have moved lessons online until even later in the academic year, prompting campaigns for rent rebates for term-time accommodation and tuition fee refunds.

In December, the Government announced a one-off fund of up to £20 million to help students most in need of support in exceptional circumstances.

Now a further £50 million will be available, taking the total to £70 million for this financial year.

Students need relief from university accommodation costs, caller tells LBC

The funding will be distributed by the Office for Students (OfS) directly to universities, which will prioritise the students most in need of help.

A number of universities and accommodation providers have already said they will not charge rent to students who cannot use their university halls, but campaigners and organisations representing students have called on universities, accommodation providers and ministers to go further with compensation to students facing lockdown disruption.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said it wants providers of student accommodation - including universities - to offer partial refunds to students and ensure their rental policies have students' best interests at heart.

Universities minister Michelle Donelan said: "This continues to be an incredibly difficult and challenging time for our students, and I am hugely grateful to all the university staff working hard to prioritise their health, wellbeing and learning during this pandemic.

"The additional £50 million that we are announcing today will mean we have distributed £70 million for hardship in this financial year alone - on top of the £256 million of Government-funded student premium which universities can use for student support this academic year."

Students should take legal action against universities who force them to quarantine

Last week, a survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that a growing proportion of university students were not happy with their academic experience - and nearly two in three had seen their mental health worsen.

Ms Donelan added: "This additional support will provide real, tangible help for those students struggling financially as a result of the pandemic."

But the University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady described the funding as a "sticking plaster".

She said: "Whilst we are glad the Government has finally recognised the mess their dithering and U-turns have created, it should not have taken students queueing for food banks, or waves of rent strikes, for the Government to start acknowledging the scale of the problem.

"Small-scale funding packages like this are simply a sticking plaster and not the answer to the widespread problems facing the sector. The Government needs to go further and provide proper funding to avoid irreparable long-term damage to the sector's reputation."

Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said the additional funding was a "positive step", but added: "As the serious mental health impact of the pandemic continues to be felt, universities need further funding to alleviate the substantial increases in demand that university wellbeing and support services are experiencing.

"Although university staff are making huge efforts to offer high-quality online learning, the Government should provide support that recognises that students are missing out on the wider student experience that they would benefit from in a normal year."

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the OfS, said: "The pandemic is having a profound and ongoing impact on students, with some facing severe financial hardship and struggling to cover accommodation and other costs.

"This additional funding to help students facing financial hardship is welcome. We intend to distribute it as swiftly as possible to benefit those who are most in need. We will be writing to universities and colleges with more details shortly."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Zelensky visits 10 Downing Street for talks with Keir Starmer on Monday

Zelensky warns Putin could launch an attack on NATO 'within five years'

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt arriving at the F1 The Movie premiere in Leicester Square.

'Interview with the Vampire' co-stars Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise make 'surprise' public reunion after 24 years

The first Brits are arriving in the UK after being evacuated from Israel.

First Brits rescued from Israel touch down at Heathrow Airport as more to arrive in coming days

The president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) said professionals are in distress

Stretched mental health services leaving psychiatrists ‘in emotional and ethical distress’

Jobs will be created at warehouses in locations including Hull and Northampton

Amazon’s new UK warehouses to hire thousands as Starmer hails ‘win’ for Britain

Iran has launched an attack on a US military base.

Trump claims Israel and Iran have agreed 'complete and total ceasefire' in wake of Iranian strike on US air base

A Qatar Airways flight from Manchester was forced to divert earlier this evening

UK flight bound for Doha forced to turn back after Iran launches missiles at US air base in Qatar

Sir Keir Starmer will fly to the Hague today for crunch meetings against a backdrop of global volatility in the Middle East and Ukraine.

UK and NATO allies to include 'money spent on tackling small boats' to boost defence spending in bid to appease Trump

The

Thousands raised after family die in motorway crash - daughter, 8, is only survivor

Kate Shemirani, conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer and former nurse

Daughter of notorious conspiracy theorist died of cancer after 'falling for mother's theories', her brothers say

Emma Raducanu during a practice session during Eastbourne Open, where she is currently competing

Raducanu says Wimbledon 'did amazing job' after stalker tried to buy match tickets

Large fire engulfs the abandoned Hotspur Press mill building near Oxford Road in Central Manchester. Credit Milo Chandler/Alamy Live News

Major fire in Manchester city centre causes serious disruption

Notorious criminal John 'Goldfinger' Palmer was murdered at his home in Brentwood in Essex in 2015. His killer has never been found

Who killed John 'Goldfinger' Palmer? Police make fresh appeal 10 years after his death

An RAF flight has left Israel carrying 63 UK nationals and their dependents, as the UK government begins evacuating British citizens from the country amid ongoing attacks between Iran and Israel.

First RAF flight evacuates 63 Britons from Israel as Lammy confirms one UK national injured in Iran missile attacks

Moment Israel blows up the front gate of Iran's notorious Evin prison

Israel blow's gates of Iran's notorious Evin Prison where many political prisoners are held

The DLR could be heading further south east of the Thames - not just the River Lea

Every railway line extension in London: Sadiq Khan's Thamesmead DLR ambition gets to next stage