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July 5, 2023

UCL tackles cost of living crisis with innovative funding schemes

UCLWith the cost of living crisis affecting students disproportionately, UCL is doing what it can to help students in need.

Student journalist Eleanor Corney has been investigating what help UCL’s Students’ Union is providing to those who need it.

According to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), consumer prices in the UK were 10.7% higher in November 2022 than a year before. This is affecting people nationwide, but particularly students who are facing increasing rent prices, high food prices and high university tuition fees.

In the academic year 2020/21, there were 370,000 full-time higher education students studying in London, the city that is the fifth most affected by the cost of living crisis for students, according to the NatWest Student Living Index. There are around 40 institutions in the city, and UCL is one of many making significant changes to help their students financially. 

As a result of polling across their student media channels to find out how students are being effected by the current financial situation, UCL's Students’ Union  has introduced three major funding schemes to help students cope amid the cost of living crisis – the Sarah Douglas Hardship Fund, the Student Activities Participation Fund and the Gender Expression Fund. These financial support schemes are designed to provide additional support to UCL’s core hardship support.

Students’ Union Advice and Advocacy Manager, Danielle Swanson, explains, “UCL has always taken the approach to assist and encourage students to access all of the funding they are eligible for before applying to hardship funds; if a student is outside the scope of UCL funds, or has already used them and remains in financial hardship, that is where our funds will help.”

UCL funding initiatives

Let’s look at these new schemes in more detail:

  • The Sarah Douglas Hardship Fund is designed to help UCL students who are experiencing financial difficulty and have no other form of support available. Previous awards have been granted for use towards accommodation deposits, rent payments, transport costs, subsistence costs, childcare fees and to purchase specialist supplies or equipment. 
  • The Student Activities Participation Fund is money that current UCL students can apply for to help enable them to take part in Students’ Union UCL clubs and societies as well as any other co-curricular or extra-curricular activities. This initiative is particularly good for students’ mental health and wellbeing. 
  • The Gender Expression Fund is for transgender and gender non-conforming students and helps them cover the associated costs, with grants available to purchase gender-affirming products such as clothing, binders, packers and beauty products. Grants can also be used towards travel to medical or therapy/counselling appointments. 


Other financial help at UCL comes in the form of the George Farha café offering budget-friendly breakfast and lunch options, plus the implementation of free hot water in all cafés on campus.

Finally, the Students’ Union UCL is aiming to freeze rent prices by backing the Mayor’s rent freeze campaign, which will see a continued freeze of rent prices in the 2023/24 academic year in UCL accommodation and across private halls too. They are also lobbying for discounted tube fares, free bus travel and more inclusive discounts on Santander cycle hire to make travelling to UCL easier for students. 

Altogether, these schemes are ensuring that UCL students don’t have to face the cost-of-living crisis alone. If you are a student who is currently struggling with the cost-of-living, help is available.

Author’s bio: Eleanor Corney is a third-year undergraduate student studying for a BA in European Languages. She hopes to become a journalist and loves to write articles about Eastern European politics. She lives in Dagenham with her parents and two cats. 

Find out more about the UCL VPEE Student Journalism Scheme here.

Looking for funding for postgraduate studies? Check out the exclusive bursaries on offer from Postgrad Solutions.  

Content added on 5th July 2023. 

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