SinnFéin MLA John O’Dowd has written to the University of Ulster, Queen’s University and the Economy Minister calling for Student Hardship Funds to be more accessible for struggling students.  

The Upper Bann MLA said:

“I have written to the Economy Minister and the Vice Chancellors of Queen’s and Ulster University asking them to make it easier for students to access support payments.

“Student hardship funding is available to students in financial difficulty however the criteria of this funding is rigid and both universities do not allow students to reapply for funding if they have been rejected earlier in the year. 

“Students have had to deal with continuous price rises in their heating bills, electricity bills and Wi-Fi costs and as a result many students will be worse off than they were earlier in the year.

“Hardship funding needs to account for that and allow struggling students to re-apply for support.”