Lyons urges students in financial hardship to access support

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has urged students who are in financial hardship to access the support that is available to them.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons

The Department for the Economy allocated almost £4.2million for Student Hardship Funds to the local higher education institutions for the current financial year, an increase of £1.4million on pre-pandemic levels, and funds continue to be available for accessing by students.

The Minister said:
“This year my Department increased the allocation to Northern Ireland’s higher education institutions to address student financial hardship to almost £4.2million. This is especially important in the context of the pandemic and the impact it has had on students, including their ability to take on part-time work in areas such as hospitality and retail to support themselves.

“Funding from this allocation remains available for students to access, and will remain so for the rest of the academic year. I would strongly encourage any student that is in genuine financial difficulty to contact their higher education institution to see if they are eligible for a support payment.

“My officials have also asked the higher education institutions to ensure they are taking all possible steps to make this important financial support accessible for those eligible for it.”

Any student who think they might be eligible for support through the Student Hardship Fund, and who might not otherwise be able to complete their studies, should contact the Student Support Service of their institution for more information.

More information is available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/support-funds

Notes to editors: 

1. Allocations for Student Hardship Funds for 2021/22 were as follows:

Queen’s University Belfast £2.012m

Ulster University £2.032m

St Mary’s University College £63,000

Stranmillis College £63,000

Open University £28,000

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3. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk .

4. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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