Cost of living Fund - Current students - University of Staffordshire

In Money matters

We recognise that the Cost of Living increase has had a financial impact on most students, with more of you at risk of facing increased costs or hardship as a result of this. The University of Staffordshire is currently offering cost of living initiatives to help our students who are facing difficulties. We are pleased to announce that this support is open to all home for fees, undergraduate students.

We currently have the following funds for students to apply:

1. Student Success (Training) Fund

As a University of Staffordshire (London) student you can apply to the Student Success (Training) Fund for a £200 voucher for Into Games Sprint training which can be used on any Sprint at any time and will never expire. This fund is to enhance skills needed for our students who want to work in the games industry.

Please note that funds are limited and once funds have been allocated, this initiative will close.

Here is the list of the courses that students can undertake with the training vouchers... click the links below to find out more details.

AAA 3D Character Art Mastery: Advanced Sculpting and Texturing with Del Walker

Narrative Design: Level Up Your Storytelling Skills with Kim MacAskill

Master the Recipe for Level Design with Oliver William Walker

Design memorable Game Characters with Lucy Kyriakidou

2. Cost of Living Support: Student Success (Art & Design) Fund

The University of Staffordshire is helping students who are exhibiting their work for end of year projects by helping to reimburse some money towards costs you may have incurred purchasing materials.

*Please note:  Students can submit a request based on their expenditure (supported by receipts) and the maximum award is £200.

3. Student Success (Summer) Fund

Our Student Success (Summer) Fund is a discretionary fund available to students who may find themselves in financial need who need extra support or help with day to day living, such as food travel and help with housing costs over the summer vacation period.

*Please note that funds are limited and therefore should all available funding have been allocated before the expiry date, this fund may close early.

4. The Student Success (Employability) Fund

The Student Success (Employability) Fund is designed to provide financial support to undergraduate students to develop skills, attributes and experiences that will help them to progress into their chosen career.

If you have secured a recruitment, work experience or employability development opportunity*, you may apply to the fund.

What can you claim for:

Travel Support
- A one-off payment of up to £250 (one return journey) OR a weekly travel pass (£50 maximum) OR a monthly travel pass (£150 maximum) for eligible students. Only one of these options can be selected per application.

Clothing Support
- A one-off payment of up to £150 for eligible students. This relates only to the purchase of appropriate footwear and clothing to undertake the secured opportunity.

Expenses Support
- A one-off payment of £100 for eligible students, providing a contribution towards the cost of food, equipment or other expenses associated with the secured opportunity.

*Applications will be considered for activities such as:
- In-person and online recruitment activities (interviews, assessment centres)
- In-person and online/remote work experience (volunteering, part-time and vacation jobs, internships, vacation schemes, placements)
- In-person and online employability development opportunities (networking events, conferences, insight days, job shadowing, employer/opportunity provider workshops)

Eligibility and How to Apply

Student Success (Training) Fund: Eligibility Criteria:

This fund is only available to Level 4, 5 and 6 Undergraduate students studying at the Staffordshire University London campus. Please do not apply if you do not meet this criteria.

Applicants will be contacted through the Blackbullion platform to confirm if your application has been successful. Please note: If your application is not successful we will continue to work hard to make sure other support is available to you.

Cost of Living Support: Student Success (Art & Design) Fund: Eligibility Criteria:

This fund is for students studying an Art & Design Course, classed as home, undergraduate, and an on-campus student. It is intended for students who are struggling financially so please only apply if this relates to you.

Student Success (Summer) fund: Eligibility Criteria:

To apply you must be:

• A current and active undergraduate student (you cannot have withdrawn or taken a break in studies).

• Classed as Home for fees.

• Studying full or part time on an eligible course (if studying part time, you must be studying at 25% of a full-time equivalent course).

• Enrolled onto a course which is a minimum of 1-year duration.

• Enrolled onto a course that leads to an award such as a HND, Foundation Degree, BA, BSc, BEng. • Entitled to funding from Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland.

• In receipt of the full tuition fee loan or comparable funding.

• In proven genuine financial hardship.

• Able to show that reasonable provision was made prior to commencing your course to cover expected tuition and living costs.

The Student Success (Employability) Fund Eligibility Criteria:

You can apply to the Fund if you..

• Are a current and active student studying at the University of Staffordshire, Stoke, Stafford or

London campus.

• Are classed as Home for fees

• Are studying full or part-time (if part-time you must be studying at least 25% of a full-time

equivalent course)

• You are enrolled onto a course which is a minimum of 1-year duration

• You are enrolled onto a course that leads to an award such as a Foundation Degree, BA,BSc

Programme

• Have taken out your full loan entitlement, including your full tuition fee loan (if eligible).

How to Apply for Funds:

You need to apply through Blackbullion. If you've not already registered with Blackbullion you'll be asked to register with them, using your student email account before completing your application. Registration is free and will give you access to all Blackbullion's online resources and learning modules designed to help you develop essential money skills, as well as exclusive competitions.

For more information on Blackbullion please watch the video Hi, we are Blackbullion (Youtube)

The application will ask you questions about your course and your individual circumstances. You'll also need to upload evidence to support your application. We won't be able to process your application without the required evidence.

You will be updated about your application through the Blackbullion platform.

If you require help applying please contact our Money & Guidance Advisors or the Student Union Advice Centre (Tel. 01782 294629) or pop to their reception above the Ember Lounge) to arrange to speak to an Advisor.

When do applications close and how will my information be used?

Applications will close once allocations have been made for each fund.

The information you provide in your application will only be used to assess your eligibility for this fund, for developing systems for interventions and developing our Beacon app in terms of what students see on Beacon.

Where can I get further guidance?

If you require any further guidance please contact our Student Support and Experience Team (Money & Guidance Advisors). Alternatively, you can contact our Students Union Advice Centre at studentadvice@staffs.ac.uk or on 01782 294629 to arrange to speak to an Advisor.

For information about other Cost of Living support we offer please click here

In addition to the above fund, we continue to offer the Student Success (Support) Fund:

We also continue to offer students the opportunity to apply for the Student Success (Support) Fund. If you’re struggling financially and worried this could impact on your ability to continue with your studies we have a fund that might be able to help you. Our Student Success (Support) Fund is a discretionary fund available to undergraduate, home for fees students experiencing severe financial hardship. Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please click the following link for information about this fund.