Queen’s University to offer student & staff financial support to help with cost-of-living crisis
The payments will be made in semester two
Queen’s University has announced a multi-million-support package of £7.69 million for students and staff facing the current cost-of-living crisis.
A total of 3600 students who come from families earning under £25,000 per year will receive a one-off payment of £400.
All other students both undergraduate and post-graduate (approximately 21,400 students) will receive £150 each.
This payment will be made in semester two and with Queen’s set to announce the logistical approach in due course.
Library fines will also be waived for the academic year, while the £47 graduations fees will also be shelved in December 2022 and Summer 2023.
The university said this intervention will cost £250,000.
However, students will still have the option to attend a post-graduation garden party at the cost of £10 per person if they so choose.
The university is also set to allocate £600,000 into a student support fund focused on international students.
Meanwhile, university staff, excluding senior management, will receive payments of between £500 - £750 dependent on salary level.
The higher amount of £750 will be allocated to those on lower salary bands, and £500 to those on higher bands.
This is in addition to the £1,000 thank you payment given in the summer.
An interest free financial assistance scheme for staff of up to £2,400 repayable over 12 months is also available to staff.
These measures follow recommendations from a working group comprising the Students’ Union, trade union representatives and staff established last week, the University has agreed a package of new measures, including one-off payments to students and staff, particularly aimed at those most in need.
University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Greer said: “Students and staff are facing into a winter of financial uncertainty with escalating fuel, mortgage and food bills placing a significant strain on those most in need.
The University said it prioritises the health and wellbeing staff and students and, in consultation with them and trade union representatives, they have evaluated the most effective ways to implement these measures to support the Queen’s community during the escalating crisis.
A new student funding package of £5.7m allocated from university funds - in addition to £2.7 million of student support funding provided by the Department of Economy – has also been agreed to deliver this raft of measures.
This is on top of the current subsidised approach to membership of Queen’s Sport and to Childcare provision”.
Professor Greer added: “This package will have a significant impact on the University’s financial outlook for this academic year with £7.69 million being reallocated to support these new interventions on top of growing energy and operating costs. However, the University leadership and Senate decided it was important to move quickly to support our students and staff during the current crisis and absorb the cost of these new interventions.
We will continue to develop additional proposals to support both students and staff through the cost-of-living crisis and we will announce further interventions in due course.”
Queen’s Students’ Union President, Emma Murphy stated. “We welcome the additional supports that the University is putting in place to recognise the impact the Cost-of-Living Crisis will have on students. This has come from a partnership approach and the strong lobbying efforts of the Students’ Union, and we are delighted that the supports being put in place will be guaranteed for every student that attends the University.
However, the worst months are still to come for students, so the Students’ Union intends to continue to lobby political parties to do more to help and support students in the coming months.”
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