If you haven’t already, pop over to our Budgeting form and fill it in. Putting all of your incomings, outgoings and debts in one place allows you to gain a better idea of your financial situation right now. With everything written down, you’ll be able to see where you could make budget cuts to cover the shortfall.

A few outgoings we would recommend looking into include your expenses on food and shopping (especially takeaways), memberships, and general spending. If you can restrict what you’re spending on non-essentials, then you’ll have more breathing room to cover the essentials like rent, transport and bills. An easy way to reduce your food budget is to meal plan, and compare prices for your ingredients across your local supermarkets.

If you’ve already budgeted to the penny, and you’re still feeling the stretch, consider who else may be able to help.

If you are working alongside your studies, you are in an excellent position to supplement your income.

Depending on the type of employment you have, requesting a few more hours could be helpful to increase your incomings (within reason!).

You could also potentially ask for a pay rise or an advance on your salary for an unexpected cost. An advance would mean your employer ‘loaning’ you part of your wages before your payday but would need to be paid back, so this should be something you only consider in extreme circumstances. The worst they can say is no!

We understand that you might feel embarrassed or not want to admit to your family that you’re struggling for money, but it might be the best option if you are truly stuck.

Asking a family member to look through your budget with you could also help, as they will have more experience with managing their money and be able to guide you. 

We understand that not everyone is fortunate to have families with either the means or the intention to help out if you’re in difficulty. If you’ve exhausted the above, then you may be able to request short term help from the University.

The University of Chester has a Student Support Fund for students who find themselves in financial difficulty.

The Fund is intended to offer a lifeline to students who have exhausted all other options available to them. The fund is open from the 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2024, and you can apply at any point during this time. 

Please note the fund is not limitless, so please consider if you are in financial need before applying.