You can help LSHTM students focus on their studies instead of worrying about money.

Our scholarships cover tuition fees and contribute towards living costs, but what happens when the cost of living in London becomes unmanageable?

Like so many other places around the world, the UK is in the grip of an unprecedented cost of living crisis. LSHTM students here in London must contend with typical rent rises of 30% since 2019, while the price of food has risen by 12% this year.

We all know that the cost of heating our homes has skyrocketed, presenting difficult decisions for those struggling financially. Although our scholarship packages endeavour to keep pace with inflation, many students still find it hard to make ends meet during their studies.

The stress of money worries is a major barrier to academic success and can result in students dropping out altogether.

The reality is that this is creating an increased demand for emergency funding at LSHTM through our Student Financial Support Fund.

The number of applications from students in urgent need has doubled since the previous academic year, and the size of grant our students now seek far exceeds the £1,500 maximum we can currently offer.

Making a gift today will ensure LSHTM continues to attract and retain the best and brightest students and help relieve their financial burden during this difficult time.

Why your support matters: real-life examples (anonymised for confidentiality)

An MSc student from India experienced serious mental health difficulties at the start of her course, leading to a period of non-attendance. After intervention from Student Support Services, she was able to rejoin the course. However, as she had missed examinations, she had to undertake resits and defer her final project submission, by which point her funding had run out. The Student Financial Support Fund was able to pay her rent and living costs to get her through this difficult time and complete her studies. If she had not received the Student Financial Support Fund award, she would have had to return to India and work until she had saved enough funds to finish her MSc, before returning to the UK on a deferred place.

A student from Indonesia was undertaking a PhD while working as a nurse, living with her husband and children in the UK. Her husband suddenly became ill and could not work for two months. During this time, the Student Financial Support Fund was able to support the student's family until her husband was able to work again, and offer support for rent and childcare.