International students advised to ask parents for money by cost-of-living crisis advice

The University of Warwick’s “Cost-of-Living hub” has outlined support available to students in light of the cost-of-living crisis. The University’s Vice Chancellor, Stuart Croft, brought the hub to the attention of students in his “Welcome to Term 2” email of 9 January.

The Cost-of-Living hub directed EU and international students to an external blog on Save The Student last updated in April 2022. EU and international students seeking financial assistance with the cost-of-living crisis were advised, to view information on financial help which “may be available” to them through the external link.

On Save The Student’s blog linked to the University’s Cost-of-Living hub, EU and international students were advised that if they: “think there’s a chance your parents or wider family might be able to give you some financial help, it might be worth discussing”. The suggestions for financial support for EU and international students also included seeking loans from banks or governments of their home countries.

Student Loan Company (SLC) tuition fee loans have not been available to EU students since the UK’s exit from the EU.

No other financial support tailored for EU and international students related to the cost-of-living crisis has been published on the University of Warwick’s Cost-of-Living hub. International students, including those from the EU, make up 44% of the University of Warwick’s student body. Depending on their course, EU and international undergraduates pay between £21,000 and £43,170 in tuition fees for the academic year 2021-22, with most students paying under £30,000. These fees are set to increase gradually over the next two years.

The University of Warwick’s total income for 2021-22 increased by 10.7% compared to 2020-21 to £779.0 million, according to financial statements published in December 2022. This increase in income was: “primarily driven by above-target tuition fee income” which was principally attributed to: “good recruitment particularly of overseas students”.

Other support to students on the Cost-of-Living hub included links to well-being services and external apps and programmes providing discounts on commuting to campus. The Cost-of-Living hub also pointed students to the £400 grant under the UK Government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme.

The University of Warwick announced the creation of a cost-of-living support package worth £3.5 million in October 2022. This support package would be paid through a 10% increase in payments, starting December 2022, to students on existing University of Warwick bursary schemes and would only apply to UK students.

The International Students’ Emergency Fund is available to EU and international students as a measure of last resort. This hardship fund can take up to 5 weeks to be finalised from the time of application. In addition, the University underlined that a student facing financial difficulties could claim a loan worth up to £250.

Other universities have taken similar steps including the University of Essex which saw a £5 million increase to its hardship fund to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis in October 2022.  The University of York also launched a Household Energy Grant giving students in all student households £150 towards energy bills. EU students at the University of York are also eligible for a bursary if “Student Finance can carry out an income assessment”.

The Boar has contacted the Student Union’s International Students’ Officer (EU),  Emaan Asif, for comment. 

Correction: A version of this article in The Boar’s printed newspaper wrongly features a quote from a University of Warwick spokesperson.