Student Money – Financial Support, Advice & Guidance
Money worries can affect anyone, and financial difficulties can have a significant impact on your wellbeing, accommodation, relationships and ability to continue with your studies.
The Student Money Team provides specialist information, guidance and financial welfare support to help students understand their options and access appropriate support.
You do not need to wait until you have run out of money or reached a financial crisis before asking for advice.
The University's approach to Student Money is increasingly focused on early intervention and financial wellbeing, rather than responding only when a student reaches hardship.
What Can Student Money Help With?
You may want to seek advice about:
- Student Finance and funding;
- unexpected financial difficulties;
- hardship;
- difficulty meeting essential living costs;
- budgeting and managing your money;
- bursaries and scholarships;
- additional sources of financial support;
- changes in your financial circumstances;
- financial difficulties affecting your studies;
- financial concerns affecting your accommodation;
- financial pressures contributing to your wellbeing;
- understanding what University financial support may be available.
The University also provides information about tuition-fee and maintenance support, Disabled Students' Allowance, bursaries, scholarships and postgraduate funding.
You Don't Need to Be in Financial Crisis
Sometimes students wait until their financial situation has become extremely difficult before asking for help.
We would encourage you to seek advice earlier.
You might notice that:
- your money is regularly running out before your next payment;
- essential bills are becoming difficult to meet;
- you are relying increasingly on credit or borrowing;
- your rent is becoming unaffordable;
- you are falling behind with payments;
- you are missing teaching because you cannot afford travel;
- you are struggling to afford food or other essentials;
- you are working increasing hours and it is affecting your studies;
- an unexpected cost has disrupted your finances;
- your family circumstances have changed;
- funding has been delayed or stopped;
- you are considering leaving University because of money.
These are all reasonable points at which to seek advice.
You do not have to wait for the situation to become an emergency.
Dennis Turner Hardship Fund
The Dennis Turner Hardship Fund provides additional financial support for eligible students experiencing genuine financial hardship.
It is a non-repayable fund, intended to provide short-term support to students who are struggling to make ends meet. Current University information describes the fund as accessible to eligible Home and international students, subject to the relevant eligibility criteria.
It may be particularly relevant where unexpected or unavoidable financial difficulties are affecting your ability to continue studying.
An application will normally require information about your circumstances so that your financial situation can be properly considered.
Receiving hardship support is not the same as taking out a loan — an award from the fund does not need to be repaid.
Find out about the Dennis Turner Hardship Fund
Student Finance Problems
Sometimes the problem isn't that you are receiving insufficient funding — it is that something has gone wrong with your funding.
For example:
- your Student Finance payment is delayed;
- your circumstances have changed;
- you are unsure what funding you should receive;
- there is a problem with your application;
- your course or mode of study has changed;
- you are unsure which funding body you need to contact.
For current students, ASK@WLV is the University's first point of contact for Student Finance and funding queries. Students can log a help call through ASK@WLV in e:Vision, visit an ASK@WLV hub or contact the service by telephone.
Student Money support may still be relevant where the funding problem is creating wider financial hardship or affecting your ability to continue studying.
Money and Your Studies
Financial difficulty can sometimes begin to affect academic engagement.
You may find yourself:
- missing classes because you cannot afford transport;
- working long hours alongside your course;
- struggling to buy essential course materials;
- worrying about money while trying to study;
- considering leaving University;
- struggling with placement-related costs;
- unable to participate fully in University life.
Tell us if this is happening.
Financial support may form part of a wider plan to help you remain engaged with your studies.
Depending upon your circumstances, this might involve Student Money working alongside other areas of Student Life or your academic School.
Money and Your Mental Health
Financial difficulties can have a significant emotional impact.
You might experience:
- anxiety;
- difficulty sleeping;
- low mood;
- shame or embarrassment;
- difficulty concentrating;
- relationship problems;
- feelings of being overwhelmed.
You do not need to deal with these things separately.
If financial difficulties are affecting your mental health, you can also access the University's Mental Health & Wellbeing support.
And if your mental health is making it harder to manage money, bills or financial decisions, tell the person supporting you. Understanding that relationship can help us consider what support may be most useful.
[Find Mental Health & Wellbeing support]
Money and Housing
Financial difficulties and housing problems are often closely connected.
Tell us if you are:
- struggling to pay your rent;
- already in rent arrears;
- worried about losing your accommodation;
- facing eviction;
- unable to afford your current accommodation;
- sofa surfing;
- staying somewhere temporarily;
- homeless or at risk of homelessness.
You may need both financial and housing support.
A financial award by itself may not resolve a housing problem, particularly where accommodation will remain unaffordable afterwards. Equally, finding temporary accommodation may not solve the underlying problem if you cannot afford the ongoing rent.
Where appropriate, we can consider your housing and financial circumstances together.
I Can't Afford Food or Essentials
If you are struggling to meet essential day-to-day living costs, please ask for help.
Financial hardship can involve difficult decisions between things such as:
food • heating • rent • travel • essential course costs • childcare • other essential bills
You do not need to be completely without money before your circumstances are taken seriously.
The Student Money Team can help you understand what University support may be available and whether other sources of support should also be explored.
Budgeting Isn't About Blame
Budgeting support can be useful, but financial hardship is not always caused by poor budgeting.
A student may experience financial difficulty because of:
- an unexpected expense;
- loss of employment;
- changes in family support;
- delayed funding;
- caring responsibilities;
- increased housing costs;
- relationship breakdown;
- illness;
- pregnancy;
- changes in household circumstances;
- another significant life event.
Good financial support should help you understand what is happening and what options you have, rather than making assumptions about why you are struggling.
The University also provides budgeting information and resources to help students understand living costs and plan their finances.
International Students
International students can experience financial difficulties too.
The University's current information identifies the Dennis Turner Hardship Fund as potentially available to eligible Home and international students.
However, eligibility for particular funds and other forms of financial assistance can differ according to your circumstances and immigration status.
If you are an international student experiencing financial difficulty, ask for advice rather than assuming that no support is available.
Where your circumstances may affect your visa or immigration position, appropriate specialist international/immigration advice may also be needed.
Care-Experienced and Estranged Students
The University provides dedicated support for care-experienced and estranged students, from before starting University through to graduation and beyond.
The team can help reduce barriers, support students in navigating University life and work with local authorities where necessary to help coordinate arrangements.
Financial support may therefore need to be considered alongside the wider package of support available to you.
Find support for care-experienced and estranged students
Money Problems Can Sometimes Be Part of a Wider Concern
Sometimes financial difficulty is connected with something else happening in a person's life.
For example:
- domestic abuse or economic abuse;
- somebody controlling your money;
- exploitation;
- homelessness;
- relationship breakdown;
- family difficulties;
- caring responsibilities;
- gambling;
- substance use;
- significant mental health difficulties;
- debt associated with threats or coercion.
If somebody is controlling your money, taking money from you, forcing you into debt or preventing you from accessing your own finances, tell us.
This may be a safeguarding concern rather than simply a budgeting issue.
Report with Contact Details Via Report and Support
External Money and Debt Advice
Sometimes you may need advice that goes beyond what the University can provide.
The University recommends additional sources of financial advice for students experiencing financial hardship, including the Students' Union Advice service and Citizens Advice.
These services may be particularly useful where you need specialist advice about:
- debt;
- benefits;
- creditors;
- consumer issues;
- housing-related debt;
- wider financial rights and responsibilities.
The University's WLV Student Life Connect service may also be useful where financial worries are affecting your wider wellbeing, as it provides independent information and support 24 hours a day.
WLV Student Life Connect - University of Wolverhampton
Asking for Help Early Can Give You More Options
The most important message is:
Don't wait until you have reached a financial crisis before talking to somebody.
If you are beginning to worry about money, rent, funding or essential living costs, seek advice early.
Sometimes there may be a relatively straightforward solution. In other circumstances, we may need to consider financial support alongside housing, wellbeing, academic or safeguarding support.
The aim is to understand the whole situation, not simply the balance in your bank account.
Find Financial Support
For wider financial support, hardship and money guidance, you can explore the University's financial-support resources.