18 October 2022

Dear Students,

I do hope that the first few weeks of term have gone well. I wrote to you two weeks ago setting out the measures we had put in place to support you during the current Cost of Living crisis. I know that this is a time of financial uncertainty, and that this can cause us all to feel concerned, even anxious at times. We have therefore continued working on the development of a further package of support with your representatives from the Students’ Union in Cornwall and the Students’ Guild in Exeter, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks for their leadership and support on this issue. Last week I took these proposals to the University’s Council and I am pleased to say that these were approved.

My last message set out the help we have already put in place and below I am outlining the additional ways in which we will support you this year

• At the heart of these measures is a one-off winter payment of £150, which will be paid to undergraduate home fee-paying students who have a declared annual household income of less than £30,000. These payments will be made automatically to eligible students.
• All students, including those who have received the winter payment, can apply for additional support via our Hardship Fund, which may provide help if you are experiencing unexpected financial difficulties, or are unable to cover essential costs throughout the year. The Fund also offers specific bursaries including an IT bursary to help financially if you are struggling to afford computer equipment and support if you are unable to afford to pay for a diagnostic assessment (e.g. for Dyslexia). As mentioned in my previous email to you, we have added an additional £1 million to the Hardship Fund to increase the level of support we can provide this year.
• The new package of support also includes measures to help you minimise your costs, for example, to ensure we always have a low-cost hot meal available for you on our campuses, a range of low-cost food options in our shops and warm places to go on campus to help if you are trying to save costs on fuel.
• We have committed to the 13% rise in the PhD Stipend, having lobbied the UKRI to do the same. We have also added a further £250,000 to our Hardship Fund to provide support for self-funded PhD students who now find they are struggling financially.  
• We are continuing to support the Students’ Union and the Students’ Guild in the provision of free sanitary products across all our campuses
• Free healthy snacks are being introduced to our Hubs and Info Points
• We understand how important it is to stay active, particularly to manage wellbeing, and so we have made available various free and low cost sports and gym sessions.  The Students' Guild has also extended its ‘Give it a Go’ scheme to enable you to try new activities at low cost.

Throughout this process we’ve been working very closely with your representatives from the Students’ Union in Cornwall and Students’ Guild in Exeter. We are all united in our desire to do what we can to help you at this time. Our Cost of Living Task Force continues to meet weekly to seek additional ways to offer support and I, and the senior leaders at the University, receive regular updates from them. We are also working on a package of support for University staff, who also face challenges, and we hope to be able to share details with them soon.

• Remember that financial difficulties are also now included as a reason for seeking mitigation, for this academic year. You can read more about that change of policy on our web pages.
• We’re working with the UK’s leading debt advice charity, Step Change, to provide you with free, impartial and personalised support for your money and debt worries. You can get help from them in the following ways:

Online: use the online debt help tool to get advice now.

By phone: call 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, and Saturdays 8am to 4pm. Please use their budget form before calling.

• The Students’ Guild is running a Managing Your Money workshop every Monday this term. You can find out more and book your place here. 
• You can get in touch with the brilliant Students’ Guild Advice Team run by the Students’ Guild. They are here to offer support.  

 Keeping in touch

We will continue to update you throughout this term. Don’t forget that we have a dedicated webpage which details our initiatives and the support you can get, from financial help to offers on our campuses. Do keep checking back as the page is updated regularly. We are also sharing updates via our weekly University Updates and our social media channels.

If you think there are other ways in which the University may be able to offer additional support, please share these with your representatives in the Students’ Guild in Exeter via this page www.exeterguild.com/costofliving.

Your wellbeing

If your finances are affecting your mental wellbeing, please do get in touch with our wellbeing service for support and guidance; they are here to help. You can reach them here. 

I know this is a worrying time but we will continue to look for ways in which we can support you. 

Best wishes,

Lisa

Professor Lisa Roberts

Vice-Chancellor

Previous messages from the Vice-Chancellor

Message from 6 October 2022

20 March

iSCA Eats Free Film Night - Top Gun: Maverick

Friday 24 March iSCA Eats, from 7pm

Film night showing Top Gun: Maverick.
Free entry.
Deals on pizza, popcorn, drinks and ice cream.

Looking for work during the summer holidays?

Do you have an enthusiastic approach to work? If so, we would like you to join our Facilities cleaning team working in residences over the summer vacation. Tasks will include cleaning bedrooms, making beds and cleaning en-suites and communal areas. Shifts will include weekends. Work will be available from 5 June to 15 September 2023 and paid at a rate of £12.22 per hour inclusive of holiday provision.

To apply please email your CV to Facilities Management by the closing date of Wednesday 29 March 2023.

Success for All Hardship Fund

If your financial situation is affecting your ability to study, please apply for help through our Success for All Fund.

When you apply to the fund, we’ll make an individual assessment based on your circumstances and a review of your supporting documentation. If successful, we’ll award you funds that contribute to the level of support you need.

Are your finances getting in the way of your deadlines?

Remember that financial difficulties are also now included as a reason for seeking mitigation, for this academic year. You can find out more on our web pages.

Help and advice

If you need advice about budgeting and money, please book an appointment with your Students’ Guild Advice Team. The independent advisors can help you create a budget, apply to the Hardship fund or consider the best ways to make your money work better for you. And please get in touch with your Guild Officers if you’d like to share any feedback or ideas.

13 March

Breakfast on a budget

Facon or bacon bap & a coffee £2. Grab a Facon (VG) or Bacon bap and a filter coffee or tea for just £2 on weekday mornings - a new deal to help with the cost of living.

Cross Keys, St Luke’s – Monday to Friday between 8am and 10:30am
Comida, Streatham – Monday to Friday between 9am - 11:30am.

See more deals from Eat and Shop 

Too Good To Go app

Our Market Place Forum shop is listed in the Too Good To Go app. This is where you can buy a 'magic bag' of goodies that are at the end of their use by, or best before dates. Bags cost around £3, and the RRP of the contents is around £10. So you're saving money while helping to reduce food waste. Items can be anything from sandwiches, to drinks and jars, and you won't know what you are going to get until you pick it up. There are other shops locally which are part of this scheme and publicise what they have to offer through the app.

Download the app and see what's available in your area.

Things to do for less

We’ve got loads of free and low-cost events happening on Penryn Campus. Whether you’re into quiz nights, pitch up and play sports sessions, or you just fancy a social get together over free drinks and cake, check out what's on and find more to do for less.

Success for All Hardship Fund

If your financial situation is affecting your ability to study, please apply for help through our Success for All Fund.

When you apply to the fund, we’ll make an individual assessment based on your circumstances and a review of your supporting documentation. If successful, we’ll award you funds that contribute to the level of support you need.

Are your finances getting in the way of your deadlines?

Remember that financial difficulties are also now included as a reason for seeking mitigation, for this academic year. You can find out more on our web pages.

Debt advice from Step Change

Don’t sweep it under the carpet. Ignoring it can make a debt problem worse. We’re working with the UK’s leading debt advice charity, Step Change, to provide you with free, impartial and personalised support with your money and debt worries.

Click on their online debt help tool to get advice now.

Call 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, and Saturdays 8am to 4pm. Please use their budget form before calling.

6 March

Bring your own food to campus

Loving your leftovers and bringing your own lunch to campus? We have microwaves for you to use to heat your home meals.
There are microwaves and hot water available in the following Hubs:

Streatham campus:
Queen's - located in the cafe space
Harrison - located in the cafe space
Building One - located in cafe space
Amory - located in the study area
Peter Chalk - located in the Hub

St Luke's campus:
Cross Keys - located by the coffee bar

Save on public transport

Bus services

If you travel to and from Uni by bus, buying an annual Student Bus Pass can save you money.  At £276 per year it breaks down to only £1.04 per day, and you can buy your pass per term if you want to spread the cost over the year.  We’ve increased our subsidy of the UNI Bus to ensure it continues to provide a frequent service (every 20 minutes) between our campuses and the city centre. For details and other discounts and offers go to the Stagecoach website.

For a full timetable, journey planning and to track your bus, download the Stagecoach Bus app.

We also fund the  Night Bus service which operates four nights a week in term time between the city centre and Streatham campus. It runs until 4am with discounted fares.

Trains

Planning your journey home for the Easter break? Remember the 16-25 railcard is available to all full-time students in higher education, and gives you a third off rail tickets.

More information on public transport to our Exeter campuses.

27 February

Super Savour £2 meals

We provide subsidised hot meals on Streatham and St Luke's campuses. You can get a balanced, hot meal for just £2 from our Super Savour Kitchen, available between 11am and 2:30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Streatham campus: first floor in Devonshire House (next to Exehale).
St Luke's campus: Cross Keys
Plus we make sure that there are low-cost options for hot meals, drinks and groceries in our Uni-run outlets at Streatham and St Luke’s, so we have something to suit all budgets. See the Eat and Shop Instagram for the latest offers.

Catered Halls meal card

No time to cook or want to try something new? If you’re self-catered student, you can buy a Meal Package Card and get 7 meals from any of our catered residences - Holland Hall, Birks Grange or Lopes Hall – any days of the week during term times. Whether you want a Full English breakfast, casserole for dinner, or brunch on the weekends, our varied weekly-changing menu means there’s something for everyone. For more information on eating in catered residences and Term 1 menus, check out our Catered Residences webpage.

Get your meal card here

Free soup at St Luke's Chapel

Every Thursday from 12:30pm to 2pm, the Chaplaincy offers a free soup lunch at St Luke's Chapel, St Luke's Campus. Drop in any time. People from all faiths or none are warmly welcomed. See more details and other free Multifaith Chaplaincy events.

Free period products

If you need them, we are supplying free period products in laundry areas and toilets across our Halls and campuses, plus you can now order them using the Students' Guild's new click and collect service for period products on our Streatham campus.

Make your shopping go further

Try batch cooking to make your shopping go further, reduce food waste and save yourself valuable time for when you don’t have time to cook or don’t feel like cooking. Cook one big dish then portion it into separate containers. Let it cool and store in the fridge or freezer within one to two hours of cooking.

Find out how to store and reheat your meals safely in the Food Standards Agency’s Students’ guide.

20 February

Supporting you with the Cost of Living

We want you to be able to get the most out of your time at Uni and appreciate that the ongoing Cost of Living crisis is making that more difficult. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Your representatives in the Students’ Guild have listened to what you’ve told them, and used your input to champion new initiatives and support that provides you with practical help where you need it most. Please keep talking to your Students’ Guild about any issues you’re facing and ideas for ways we can support you.

We’re continuing to work with your representatives at the Students’ Guild and Students’ Union in Cornwall. Through our joint Cost of Living Task Force, together we’ve provided a package of support to help you minimise your costs, as well as targeting specific help to those in the greatest financial need. We’re still looking into other ways we can help.

Support so far includes:

Financial support

• An additional £1.25 million added to the Success For All Hardship fund this academic year, to support any students whose financial situation is affecting their ability to study. Find out more and apply here.
• Increasing the PhD Stipend by 13% and lobbying the UKRI to do the same.
• Providing £519,000 of support, in a one-off winter payment, to nearly 3,500 of our UK Undergraduates identified with low household incomes.
• We’ve included financial circumstances as a reason to apply for mitigation, to help if your circumstances mean you need to delay exams or need extra time for assessments.
• Increasing the opportunities for students to get paid work, at a real living wage, in Uni departments and services.
• The Students’ Guild Society & Club Participation Fund, provides £50 towards membership, event and equipment costs to ensure no one has to miss out because of costs.
• We’re working with debt advice charity, Step Change, who can provide you with free, impartial and personalised support with your money and debt worries.

Affordable essentials

• Removing late fees in our libraries, where you should be able to find all your essential course reading without having to buy the books.
• Ensuring there are always low-cost food, drink and grocery offers at our Uni-run campus outlets. See their website or follow them on Instagram for the latest deals.
• We’ve provided microwaves and hot water on campus so you can heat your own meals from home, while our libraries and study spaces provide warm, welcoming places to study and spend time.
• Special offers on unsold food at The Forum Marketplace, through the Too Good To Go app. Sign up to the app for offers from this and other local outlets.
• Providing a nutritionally balanced, hot meal every weekday for just £2, on our Streatham and St Luke’s campuses, championed by the Students’ Guild and subsidised by the Uni.
• Providing free period products across our campuses, including a new click and collect service for period products run by the Students’ Guild.
• Together with the Students’ Guild, we have set up a Community Larder to provide free supplies to those students referred to us in emergency need of food. Since opening at the end of November, 24 students have left feedback to say how they have been helped by the service.
• Sharing tips and advice on cooking more efficiently, eg batch cooking and freezing leftovers and perishable food.

Staying active and well

• Making sure there are plenty of free and low cost activities available on campus to help you stay active and well, including many with free food and drinks. See what’s on offer from the Sports Centre, the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, the Students’ Guild, clubs and societies, Wellbeing Services, Residence Life, Arts and Culture and more.
• Providing wellbeing support and advice to help you if financial pressures are affecting your mental health, including a new self-help course on Silvercloud.
• Providing information and advice on budgeting and managing your money, for individuals and within shared households, through our Community Engagement, Accommodation and Students’ Guild Advice teams, including at the Students’ Guild’s weekly budgeting workshops.

Your Students’ Guild

• The Guild is ensuring student voices are heard in University meetings related to supporting you during the Cost of Living Crisis.
• Alongside partnership working, your Officers have worked on several initiatives, including supporting the student-led campaign for a £2 hot meal deal on campuses and other low cost food options, developing a new click and collect service for free period products, and setting up the Society and Club Participation Fund and weekly budgeting workshops run by the Advice Team.

Our Cost of Living Task Force continues to meet regularly to look at other ways we can support you.

If you need advice about budgeting and money, please book an appointment with your Students’ Guild Advice Team. The independent advisors can help you create a budget, apply to the Hardship fund or consider the best ways to make your money work better for you. Get all the details, support and advice on these Cost of Living pages, and please get in touch with your Guild representatives if you’d like to share any feedback or ideas.

13 February 

Advice and support

If you need advice on managing your money and budgeting, contact your Students’ Guild Advice team , or sign up to join one of their budget workshops, Mondays at 3.30pm. Register online. There’s loads of information on all the advice and support available on these pages.

Low cost cooking and nutrition

Wednesday 15 February, 2 to 3pm, Forum Library Foyer. Join us for our workshop showing you how to make affordable, nutritious and sustainably sourced meals for only £1-£2 per person. Discover what you can do with an average bag of basic groceries, find out about keeping healthy, reducing meal costs and where to source cheap (or even free!) food. Email the wellbeing team if you would like to come along.

Super Savour £2 meals

We provide subsidised hot meals on Streatham and St Luke's campuses. You can get a balanced, hot meal for just £2 from our Super Savour Kitchen, available between 11am and 2:30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Streatham campus: first floor in Devonshire House (next to Exehale).
St Luke's campus: Cross Keys
Plus we make sure that there are low-cost options for hot meals, drinks and groceries in our Uni-run outlets at Streatham and St Luke’s, so we have something to suit all budgets.

See the Eat and Shop Instagram for the latest offers.

Find a warm place to study

There are lots of options on campus to help you study in the warm this winter. There are choices for groups, solo working, and silent study across our campuses. Plan ahead and book a group study room, a PC station or a silent study desk. Find and book a space on our study space finder.

30 January

Don’t let money stop you taking part

Are your finances preventing you from joining a club or society? The Society & Club Participation Fund can help. It can provide up to £50 for memberships to societies and clubs as well as tickets for events and activities. The fund is available to any student who isn’t able to take part because of financial barriers, and those who’ve had awards from the Hardship Fund, or comes from a widening participation background. Find out more and how to apply here.

The Fund is being supported in part from Alumni donations, former Exeter Students whose generous contributions can help you make the most of your time here and fully enjoy the activities from your Students’ Guild and Athletics Union. Exeter Alumni have collectively donated more than £50k towards the wider University’s efforts to support student hardship and the Success for All Fund this academic year.

Cost of living survey

The Students’ Guild wants to hear from you about how the Cost of Living is impacting you and your student experience. Take the Cost of Living Survey by Friday 17 February and by taking part, you could win one of 20x £100 love2shop vouchers.

The survey is a collaboration between several Russell Group students’ unions including University College London who are hosting the survey. Your anonymised answers will be provided back to the Students’ Guild to give them insight into our students’ experiences.

Super Savour £2 meals

We provide subsidised hot meals on Streatham and St Luke's campuses. You can get a balanced, hot meal for just £2 from our Super Savour Kitchen, available between 11am and 2:30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Streatham campus: first floor in Devonshire House (next to Exehale).
St Luke's campus: Cross Keys
Plus we make sure that there are low-cost options for hot meals, drinks and groceries in our Uni-run outlets at Streatham and St Luke’s, so we have something to suit all budgets. See the Eat and Shop Instagram for the latest offers.

Save money with a student bus pass

If you travel to and from Uni by bus, buying an annual Unirider Student Bus Pass can save you money.  At £276 per year it breaks down to only £1.04 per day, and you can buy your pass per term if you want to spread the cost over the year.  We’ve increased our subsidy of the UNI Bus to ensure it continues to provide a frequent service (every 20 minutes) between our campuses and the city centre. For details and other discounts and offers see our transport pages.

For a full timetable, journey planning and to track your bus, download the Stagecoach Bus app. We’re also continuing to fund the Night Bus service. This operates four nights a week in term time between the city centre and Streatham campus. It runs until 4am with discounted fares.

Enjoy Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for just £5

Sunwook plays Bartok, Thursday 2 February, 7:30pm, The Great Hall, Streatham campus. Famous South Korean pianist Sunwook Kim plays at the Great Hall on Streatham campus this Thursday with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are only £5 for students so why not try a live orchestra concert?

Book here using code UoEStu22.

Advice and support

If you need advice on managing your money and budgeting, contact your  Students’ Guild Advice team , or sign up to join one of their budget workshops, Mondays at 3.30pm. Register online. There’s also loads of information on all the advice and support available on these Cost of Living pages.

23 January

Financial Support

If you’re struggling with the Cost of Living, remember we have a range of bursaries and hardship funds in place to help you if your financial situation is affecting your ability to study. They don’t need to be paid back and can help with the cost of things such as IT equipment, accommodation, travel, childcare, living costs, additional course costs and other unexpected outgoings.

We’ve allocated an additional £1m to help students in financial difficulty this academic year, and a further £250,000 to our Hardship Fund to provide support for self-funded PhD students who now find they are struggling financially. So if your financial situation is affecting your ability to study, please apply for help through our Success for All Fund.

When you apply to the fund, we’ll make an individual assessment based on your circumstances and a review of your supporting documentation. If successful, we’ll award you funds that contribute to the level of support you need.

Debt advice from Step Change

We’re working with the UK’s leading debt advice charity, Step Change, to provide you with free, impartial and personalised support with your money and debt worries. If you’re worried about debt, it can be tempting to ignore the problem and hope it’ll go away on its own. But waiting often makes things worse – so it’s best to get help sooner.

You can get help

Online: use the online debt help tool to get advice now.
By phone: call 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, and Saturdays 8am to 4pm. Please use their budget form before calling.

Whether you’re just starting out at University or are returning to your studies, we have some tips to help you keep on top of your money. 

1. Consider opening a student bank account.

If you’re getting a maintenance loan you’ll need it to be paid into a bank account. Banks offer a range of different accounts with different benefits and incentives. Find out more about the types of account available at Money Helper or check out Money Saving Expert for their advice on choosing the best account for you.

2. Work out your budget

• Look at your money and how long it needs to last you. If you’re receiving a maintenance loan it will come in 3 termly instalments.
• Work out how much you need for all your essential contracted fixed costs, such as rent and your phone bill – make sure you can pay these first.
• Next how much do you need to live and study – for food, books and transport?
• Then look at what’s left for other things you want to do, and balance what you can afford.

The UCAS budget calculator may help you, or there are other free budgeting tools online.
And the Students’ Guild can help you with budgeting advice.

3. Make sure you’re getting all you’re entitled to

Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible for extra financial support, bursaries or benefits. For example, if you have caring responsibilities, need help to join a society, or need additional equipment to support your learning, there may be extra money available to you. Find out more in our Success For All Fund FAQs or ask your Students’ Guild Advice Service. 

4. Look out for deals and savings

Lots of places offer student discounts and special deals. Check out Save The Student for the latest deals and freebies out there. Consider shopping together with your housemates so you can make the most of 'Buy One Get One Free' deals and bulk buying economies of scale.

5. Up your income

Consider a part time job if you can fit it around your studies. Career Zone advertise part time jobs that can help you gain experience and earn money while studying. Save The Student has a whole host of other money making tips, from shopping on cashback sites to completing paid surveys.

6. Don’t be tempted to use loan sharks, illegal money lenders, or quick-money schemes that may not be legitimate

If you’re struggling you can apply to our Success for All Fund for help during your time at Exeter. 

7. Deal with your debt

Although it can be stressful, problems with debt only get worse if you ignore them. Talk to your creditors about your situation and try to negotiate an affordable payment plan. If you’re struggling with paying your tuition fees, or the rent on your University accommodation, talk to us. You can contact us through the Student Information Desk (SID).  You can get advice on managing your debt from your Student Union or Student Guild advice service, or from debt organisations such as Step Change or National Debtline.

7. Ask for help

If you’re worried about your money, or dealing with debt, don’t keep it to yourself.  Please speak to your Students’ Guild Advice Service. They can help find the right advice and support for you.