A nationwide fund providing emergency aid to students is set to be cut by £10 million under coalition reforms, drastically reducing the university’s share.
The ‘Access to Learning Fund’ has been the principal hardship fund for students studying at the university and can provide support living costs and financial problems.
The university’s share has already been slashed by 40% since 2005, whilst York St John’s has been cut by 60%.
The fund is easily accessible and is on occasion used to cover exceptional payments for students with health problems who are in the process of applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance, which can take months to come through.
The cuts have meant that the university has had to crack down on the support it provides for students, restricting financial support to students from low income backgrounds.
YUSU Welfare Officer Bob Hughes told Vision; “it is incredibly disappointing to see such a cut happening nationally, particularly with many of the other pressures on students and the large issue of the many student drop-outs caused by issues out of students’ hands.”
One example of where the cuts are hitting students the hardest is in provision for official dyslexia testing. Students who suspect they have dyslexia are required to take a £300 psychological assessment in order to qualify for support.
Generally students have had it paid for out of the university’s ‘Access to Learning Fund’ allocation.
One student, who wished to remain anonymous, was told that it wasn’t worth applying for financial assistance, as she was unlikely to receive anything given her background.
“I paid for the test out of my own money in the end, but I had to extend my overdraft to do it. I think it’s really unfair.”
Emma Hersey, the YUSU Disabled Student’s Officer, said “YUSU is against students having to pay £300 in advance for dyslexia screening as we feel it limits students’ access to the assessment, as not everyone can afford it. I am meeting with Disability Services soon and will raise this issue with them.”
As part of their commitment to educational access and to cover the cuts, the university is planning to put together a new “hardship fund”, targeted principally at students in financial difficulty who are not in receipt of the main bursary/fee waiver packages. By 2012/2013 there will be £60,000 in the fund.
Steve Page, the Director of Student Support Services, told Vision he hoped the new support package would provide sufficient coverage for new and existing students.
“It is very disappointing that the ‘Access to Learning Fund’ (ALF), which has been a financial lifeline to many students over many years, is being cut significantly. It remains to be seen whether a greater proportion of students previously helped through the ALF will have adequate financial support. ”
“At York our hope is that the support packages we have put in place will be of sufficient assistance to those who could not otherwise afford to study here.”