Saeda Dahab is one of the many young people who feel the cost-of-living crisis has made them anxious about the future.
Many students have reported anxiety and mental health problems due to financial pressures at universities.
According to the government, support is available for those who require extra assistance and more is being done.
Seada (16 years old) from Southampton said that it is harder to think about future while simultaneously worrying about the present.
She stated that rising costs are a concern for both parents and children.
She decided to look for a job a few months back to help her mother, a single parent, with rising costs.
She said, “It’s quite stressful because you’re going through a period in your life where you’re learning and planning for the future but the present is very hard.”
“It’s like something that takes control of your life…and makes you lose the motivation you should have.”
She has recently begun to go out with friends more often than once per week in an effort to save money.
She described the impact by saying, “Sometimes you feel lonely and isolated because it’s not worth having friends if they aren’t able to hangout with you.”
Although the St Anne’s Catholic School student would love to go to university, she stated that she may have to choose to work as an apprentice instead.
Angelica Kanu, a 19-year-old university student studying chemistry at Oxford University, is one of those who feel stressed by the current environment.
Recently, she was told that she is not eligible for financial assistance even though her family is working-class.
In the last few months, she has been worried about the cost of food.
She said, “Every day is just a struggle to be as cheap as possible.”
It’s almost like I am in a perpetual circle. When in fact, I should be focusing on my uni work. It just feels like money is taking too much toll on my university life.
Vaios Koukouletsos is the president of the Solent University students’ union in Southampton. He said that more students are asking for information on food banks and food vouchers.
The University of Reading has seen an increase in students applying for hardship funding. 305 of 484 applicants have been successful so far this academic year.
This is an increase over the 2017-18 and 2018-19 pandemics when 124 and156 applications were submitted, respectively.
Matt Daley, university’s head for student financial support, stated that almost all applications described anxiety or mental health issues due to financial difficulties.
Many people also said that they couldn’t get support from their family.
Mr Daley stated that there is a lot anxiety about not being able afford certain things.
“My primary concern is that students don’t finish their studies. We don’t want students to leave for money.
Students needing financial assistance can access a variety of services including:
Graduating students should also be concerned about rising costs.
Jade Calder is a history student at Oxford University. She will graduate next month. However, she has expressed concern about the rising cost of living and wonders if she will have the opportunity to find the right job opportunities in the future.
Her family is unable to provide financial support.
“How can I be positive about the future when it’s going to be hard? She said.
“It’s not a good time for a young person to try to make a career in this country.”
Bianca Capatina (20), a journalism student at Solent University, Southampton, said that she was also worried about rising costs and worrying about the future.
She said, “It’s stressful me out, just thinking of what will happen after University with rising prices,”
A spokesperson for Department for Education (DfE), stated that students should not worry about their financial situation when they are focused on their studies.
The spokesperson said that they had asked the Office for Students for protection of the PS256m which was available to help students who are disadvantaged and those who require additional assistance. This is in addition to the universities’ own hardship funds.
According to the DfE, maximum grants and loans to cover living expenses will increase by 2.3% next year. Meanwhile, tuition fees will be frozen for the next three consecutive years.
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