Wellbeing Week – financial wellbeing drop in and financial support

Your financial wellbeing is incredibly important to us and we know the challenges posed by cost of living.

The Student Advice Service can help you make the most of your money during your time here. As part of Wellbeing Week, they will be hosting a drop in on Friday 17 November 12-2pm outside Aldrich Library, Moulseoomb campus, an opportunity for you to ask any questions you have about managing your money, applying for additional support or any other questions related to your financial wellbeing.

Whether you’re a home or international student, they can give you information about your student finance, how to supplement your loan, and offer personalised support and advice on managing financial difficulties, including hardship funding, bursaries and scholarships. See just some of the support that they offer:

Hardship funding:

• Student Support Fund (undergraduates) – a non-repayable grant awarded to students who need extra financial support with living costs or who are experiencing financial hardship
• Student Support Fund (postgraduates) – a non-repayable grant awarded to students who need extra financial support with living costs or who are experiencing financial hardship.
• International Student Hardship Fund – The International Student Hardship Fund is a small university fund open to all current, full fee paying international students who are experiencing short term financial problems that could not reasonably have been anticipated.
• Transitional UB1 Support Scheme – The scheme will help students by providing a free 28 day Brighton and Hove bus pass to successful applicants living on or very close to the scheduled stops along the former UB1 route.

Emergency funding:

• Bus tickets – Single use one day bus tickets to help students in a temporary crisis, to cover the cost of daily travel to your site of study, employment or local placement.
• Unicard credits – are available to assist students in an immediate temporary crisis, to cover only the cost of food and drink on campus.
• Bridging loan –  a short-term loan designed to assist you in a temporary crisis, to cover only the cost of food and travel to your site of study

You can stay up to date with the latest money saving tips and financial news on our Money Matters blog – read their latest blog post for Wellbeing Week, on how budgeting can improve mental health.

Brighton Students’ Union support

BSU also have a range of services in place to support students who are experiencing financial difficulties, such as:

• The Pantry provides all University of Brighton students in need with access to FREE non-perishable food and toiletries. You can find the Pantry in these spaces during term time:
  • City Campus – Grand Parade Building, mezzanine floor by staircase.
  • Falmer – Ringmer House, BSU Common Room.
  • Eastbourne – Greynore, outside BSU Office.
  • Moulsecoomb – Cockcroft Building, outside G24 Lecture Theatre 1 by the Amazon lockers.
• Food vouchers, if you have run out of money and are hungry we have vouchers that can be used for a hot meal on campus. You can request them from any BSU office, shop, cafe or bar.
• Period dignity, free sanitary products are in all of our ground-floor toilets across our four campuses.

Visit the university Cost of Living hub to learn more about the ways that we can support you.