Cost of living support
Intro
UWL is here to support you, and we recognise that the economic climate is currently making things extremely tough for our students to make ends meet.
Working with UWLSU, departments across the university have identified ways we can support you at this challenging time – whether the support you need is connected to your finances, your wellbeing or simply ensuring you can access life’s essentials.
Jump to:
Financial support
Student Support Fund
UWL has a fund to support Home students with non-repayable grants where unforeseen circumstances have affected your studies. You can download and save the SSF Guidance Notes and Application Form (below) to your computer, or complete the application fully online. Ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria before applying.
- Log into the UWL Portal and navigate to Student Services, Money Matters, and then Hardship Fund for more details.
- Please also watch the how to apply for hardship funding YouTube video, which provides more information of the SSF application process and how to submit a good application.
Scholarships and bursaries
UWL offers many scholarships and bursaries for different schools, courses and individual circumstances. Find out more on our scholarships and bursaries pages.
Graduation dress hire fund
If you are a UWL student close to completing your studies and worried that you won’t have enough money to pay for your graduation gown, you can apply for financial support to assist with this cost. For our summer graduation ceremonies, we will launch this fund in the autumn and the online application form will be on our graduation page.
Emergency supply fund
If you are in short-term emergency need of money for food or essential toiletries, Student Advice can assess you for a one-off small award of funds to support you for a few days.
Trusts and charities
We also have information on non-UWL trusts and charities for financial hardship (.docx, 31.7kb) that can provide financial support to students.
Energy bills and utilities
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Turn off lights when not in use and use energy efficient bulbs
Turn off lights when you leave the room and change to more energy efficient light bulbs.
LEDs are the most energy-efficient light bulbs and use almost 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. CFL bulbs use 70-80% less energy than traditional bulbs.
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Turn off appliances when they’re not in use
Turn off appliances when they’re not being used and don’t leave your gadgets on standby.
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Turn down the heat
Turn the heating down and only heat the rooms or areas in your house that are being used.
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Change the way you boil water for cooking
Use the kettle to boil water for cooking, instead of heating a pan on the electric hob ,which will save energy.
Only boil enough water in your kettle for your needs.
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Only run your washing machine and dishwasher when they’re full
Reduce the number of washing machine cycles you do.
Dial down the temperature on your washing machine to 30°C to save on your electricity bills.
You can also save money by not running your machines between 4-7pm.
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Keep warm with layers of clothes
Layer your clothes to keep in the heat in.
Use cheaper ways to warm up such as using electric blankets and hot water bottles to keep you warm at night.
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Keep track of your energy usage with a smart meter
Getting a smart meter can help you keep track of energy use.
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Don't cover or block your radiators
Anything placed over or next to the radiator will block the airflow, causing it to emit less heat and make the boiler work harder - costing even more money.
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Take shorter showers or use the University's free showers
The University provides on-site facilities where you can have a warm shower in a safe space:
- St Mary's Road, Warwick 1st floor - 1 female shower adjacent to Room WK01.101
- St Mary's Road, Warwick 3rd floor – 1 male (Room WK03.T01) + 1 female (Room WK03.T02)
- St Mary's Road, Sports Centre 1st floor – 4 male showers + 4 female showers
- St Mary's Road, Park building ground floor – 4 male showers + 4 female showers + 1 disabled shower (adjacent to ground floor rear fire exit door)
- Paragon House, 1st floor – 1 male shower + 1 female shower + 1 disabled shower (room PR118)
- Fountain House, 3rd floor – 1 shower for all users behind reception FH3.001
- Drama Studio London, 1st floor – 1 female shower
- Century House Lower ground – 1 disabled shower
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Get help from your energy provider
If you are struggling to pay for energy or think you may get into difficulty, contact your supplier. There's practical advice and information on what you can do and support services on the independent energy regulator Ofgem's website.
Food
Useful apps
- Too Good To Go - café and restaurant food that is available to purchase at the end of the day for a cheap price – UWLSU café at SMR participates in this!
- OLIO - food-sharing app.
Food banks
If you live in Ealing and are in short-term emergency need of food, Student Advice can provide you with an e-referral to a local food bank within the Ealing borough.
Food banks are available to support the local community. If you are in need of food, then you are entitled to make use of a food bank. Certain food banks run by the Trussell Trust require a referral before you can use them, but others (such as Foodcycle’s Community Meals) don’t. Soup kitchens also usually don’t require a referral, and you can search online for your local one.
On-campus, UWLSU operate a Community Cupboard on our Ealing site, where any UWL student can pick up a couple of free items to help them get by.
It’s important to remember that external food banks and soup kitchens are for all members of the community – students and non-students alike. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford food, please don’t use these resources and allow those most in need to access them.
Events
Free and subsidised events and opportunities provided by UWL and UWLSU
Keep an eye on the UWL events page and the UWLSU website for upcoming UWLSU events.
What's on
Find out more about events at UWL.
Discounts and saving money on travel
Student discountsWhen making purchases, always ask for a student discount, and make sure that you have access to the following:
Council Tax Exemption
In most cases, if you study on a full-time course, the Confirmation of Student Status letter from studentletters@uwl.ac.uk can be used to get a discount or exemption from your Council Tax. You will need to submit this letter to your local authority - please see the government website for more information.
Student Oyster Card
You can save 30% on adult-rate tickets by applying for a Student Oyster Card.
If you have a National Railcard, you can link this to your Student Oyster account to get 1/3 discount on off-peak pay as you go travel.
- Visit the Transport for London website to apply for your Student Oyster card and access the Student Oyster card login page once you've completed your application.
Useful apps for savings
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Chip (savings)
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CheckoutSmart (cashback)
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Shopmium (discounts and offers)
Frauds and scams
We have seen an increase in students being targeted for fraudulent money scams. Save the Student has listed some of the most common money scams to avoid. Scams come in many forms; via phone, text, email and letter etc. - but all are designed to get hold of your money. Please beware if you are being asked to do the following:
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Provide personal information including bank details or passwords.
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Transfer or pay money to another person or bank account.
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Allow remote access to your computer.
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Make a quick decision relating to your finances or personal information.
Do not speak to these individuals or give information about yourself. Do not confirm whether any information they already have is correct.
Do not make payments. It is worth noting that the Home Office does not issue financial penalties.
Some examples of common scams targeting students:
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Phishing
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Money muling
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Distraction scams
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Job advert scams
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Bogus landlords
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Investment scams
If you are a victim or witness to a scam, as well as talking to Student Services about it (see below for contact details) if you need to, you can report the scam to Action Fraud.
Who can I talk to?
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UWL contacts
Student Services are here to support all of our students, and we have specialist advisors who can help you navigate financial, immigration, wellbeing, and personal issues that can affect student life.
The Student Welfare team offers a safe, confidential and welcoming space to any student who is in distress and feels they can’t cope. The Welfare team will listen, without judging, to help you manage.
The Student Money and Immigration Advice team provide confidential advice on student loans, budgeting and money management, sources of financial support within and outside the university, and on immigration and international student issues.
The Wellbeing team provides one-to-one person-centred advice and support to students with a range of disabilities and conditions, as well as a confidential counselling service. Advisors can help to develop tailored Individual Support Plans so that all students have the support they need to achieve at UWL.
If you need support from other departments or services in or outside university, we can also signpost you to these. Our aim is to support and stand beside you when times are tough so you can do all you can to thrive at university. You can book an appointment with any of our services through the Student Hub - just use your student ID number and normal UWL password to log in. You can also contact our Student Services helpdesk by phone or email in the first instance:
020 8231 2345
For support with any academic advice or your experience as a UWL student, the UWLSU Advice service is here to help.
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Emotional support outside UWL
The University offers free access to Togetherall – a service that provides resources, courses, and a safe peer-to-peer platform to enable our community to get support and feel better. Sign up for free using your UWL email address and get 24/7 anonymous online support.
Samaritans offers a confidential 24/7 telephone listening service, as well as email support and face-to-face appointments at its branches. Call 116 123 free, or email jo@samaritans.org.
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Debt advice
UWL cannot provide debt advice to students, as the university does not have a debt advice licence. However, there are external services who specialise in debt advice. If you are in debt, do reach out to these external organisations as they may be able to make a huge difference to your financial and emotional situation:
