In January of this year, the government announced that they would be providing universities with additional funding to support students facing financial hardship as a result of the Cost of Living crisis. These funds have been distributed by the Office for Students (the independent regulator of Higher Education in England).

Coventry University Group have today announced the opening of their Cost of Living hardship fund and you can find all the information you need about the fund here. 

Who can apply? 

All students who are currently enrolled (apart from those repeating without attendance) are eligible to apply to the fund. 

What's the criteria? 

You must demonstrate through the application form which of your costs have been impacted by the rising cost of living. 

How much support will I get? 

Dependent on your application form, you may be eligible to receive a payment of between £150 and £250 from the cost of living fund. This is a one off payment and you can only apply to the fund once. 

How do I apply? 

To apply to the fund, simply complete the application form on the Student Portal and submit the completed form to funding.ss@coventry.ac.uk. 

Please note the fund will only be open whilst there is funding available. It will close once the fund total has been reached. 

Further financial support? 

If you are facing significant financial hardship, this fund may not be the appropriate one for you to apply for. The university has its own support fund that can help students who are facing significant financial difficulties due to unexpected issues. You can find out more about the University Support Fund on our webpages. 

Who can I get support from? 

Your Students' Union Advice Service

If you are experiencing long-term financial hardship and need advice and support about your financial options, you can contact Your Students’ Union Advice Service which offers free, confidential, and independent advice to all Coventry University Group students. We can support you with financial matters, academic issues, and housing issues.

You can contact us by completing our enquiry form at www.yoursu.org/advice or you can book an appointment with one of our fully trained Advice Caseworkers at www.yoursu.org/advicebooking. You can visit our webpages for further information. 

Health and Wellbeing 

The university has a Health and Wellbeing Service that can support students with a variety of Issues including welfare support, disability support, mental health support, counselling and harassment reporting and support.  You can find details of your campus' health and wellbeing services by visiting your student portal:

Coventry University

Coventry University London

CU Coventry

CU London (Dagenham) and CU London (Greenwich)

CU Scarborough

Step Change

If you are facing financial hardship due to debts, Step Change are the UK's most comprehensive debt advice service and can support you with managing your debts. You can find out more information about Step Change on their website. You can contact them by calling 0800 138 1111 (Monday - Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 9am to 2pm) or via their online debt advice service which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice can offer free and confidential advice about your financial situation and they have offices located across the country. You can visit their website to find your local Citizens Advice and their contact details. 

Turn2Us

Turn2Us is a national charity that can help those facing financial challenges. They have a helpine and a variety of information and online tools that can help people make sense of their financial situatons and plan their next steps. You can find out more about their services on their website.