In partnership with Arts Students' Union, we have introduced measures to support students with the rising cost of living.
Extra financial support
From 2022, we increased the financial support from the University for students with financial difficulties, adding a further £2m to our funding support schemes and increasing the size of support payments. The UAL Hardship fund is available to students whose families have an income of under £50,000 per year.
The UAL Bursary is funded by the University and is paid in each year of study to all home undergraduate students who are entitled to a full means-tested maintenance loan. The Bursary has been increased to £1,300 per year from 2023.
Reduce, re-use, re-cycle
Our new Re-use units provide on-site mobile storage spaces to store free surplus materials, and deposit unused or surplus materials to share with others.
These units support our longer-term efforts to ensure no usable material is wasted at UAL, in line with our climate and sustainability goals.
The Swap Shop at CSM is also available for all UAL students to get unwanted materials that can be re-used, re-purposed or repaired.
Lower cost food
Students and staff can access lower-cost menu options in all of our canteens and cafes. Variations of affordable main dishes are available across UAL sites and are made up from basic but nutritional ingredients. These dishes cost £3.95 for students. In addition, our popular vegan soup with bread is only £3 for students.
Free period products
We have worked closely with Arts SU and Student Changemakers to address period poverty at UAL. Free period products are now available to all students at all sites. You can pick them up from our dispenser points in libraries, canteens and at student services desks, which are filled with eco-friendly and organic period products from Grace & Green. Free period products can also be found at Arts SU offices.
Free graduation robes
We provide free academic robes for all students that are currently in receipt of the UAL Hardship fund or UAL Bursary. If you receive either of these grants, you will be contacted directly via email with further instructions on how to hire your robe.
Students who have not received support and think they may be eligible can still apply via their student portal. More information about the eligibility criteria can be found on UAL Hardship Fund.
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