Help students avoid financial hardship during a time of unpredictability and uncertainty.

The Covid-19 crisis has turned many lives upside down, including those of our students. In the past few months, we have seen over 4,000 applications to our student hardship fund; more than four times the volume of applicants we would usually expect.

To date we've been able to help, using a range of funding sources, and we are committed to continuing some level of support to those who need it most. Scottish government has also recently renewed its support. Even so, we wont be able to meet the needs of our students entirely on our own.

Many students have lost vital part-time or summer jobs which provide an income to pay bills, rent and food while studying. Some students had to travel home urgently to reunite with families before travel restrictions were placed. This has led to abandoning belongings and rented homes, incurring unexpected costs that already tight budgets can't accommodate.

As the university moves to a hybrid model of face-to-face and online teaching, personal access to reliable broadband and IT devices is a necessity. These essentials are not always affordable. Digital poverty has increasingly disadvantaged some students over the years, and the pandemic risks exacerbating that disadvantage, meaning these students simply can't fully participate.

Not everyone can rely on family support to help them in a crisis. And we don't want any of our students to be in the position of having to discontinue their education out of fear that they cant make ends meet.

With your support we can make sure sufficient emergency funds are available for those students and recent graduates most in need, for as long as we all grapple with this pandemic. Your support will help students from all areas, but particularly those from families and communities hardest hit by Covid-19. We will ensure that your gift is matched to students who don't qualify for other sources of funding or who need additional support.

The average emergency grant is £550 but grants vary based on the circumstances of each student. Grants provide vital support to cover costs, such as: basic living costs and essential bills during the next academic term for students who have lost summer jobs ; short-term emergency accommodation needs ; and essential broadband costs and other IT needs.

#GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is a global day of kindness, that aims to empower positive change, through generosity. It is an opportunity for people around the world to use their individual power of generosity to support the cause they care about. Everyone has something to give and every act of generosity counts.

We are taking part in #GivingTuesday to raise vital funds to help students avoid financial hardship during a time of unpredictability and uncertainty. We'd really hope you will be able to assist by donating to this campaign.

Thank you in advance for your donation.