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SUPPORTING THE RVC
How your donations are supporting current RVC students
Thank you to everyone who has supported our recent appeal to help students in need of financial assistance during their studies.
The RVC Student Advice Centre is seeing an increasing number of students requiring hardship grants and bursaries. Here Shellie Revell, Money and Welfare Adviser, tells us more about why RVC students are facing the stress of financial hardship and how your donations help.
Why do RVC students require financial assistance during their studies?
Our team sees students in need of
help with their finances for a variety of reasons, from family bereavements or estrangement to unexpected health problems and the costs of having to resit their examinations.
One of the main reasons for needing financial support is the increasing cost of living in London and the surrounding areas. For some students, their student loans
are used on accommodation and travel and do not cover additional expenses
that arise. For example, the maximum amount of student loan available for a BVetMed student in year one is £13,779 and the expected expenditure on general accommodation, living and course costs is £16,093, leaving a deficit of £2,314.
In addition, as you know, many of
our students do not have the same opportunities for paid employment as other students. The long hours of study and being on placement means there is
no consistent spare time to commit to
a job. We find that RVC students really
do want to work and will undertake as much paid work as they can, but struggle to commit to anything regular. Also, the costs of accommodation on placements through the summer and Easter period are extremely high, causing additional expense.
What are the effects on students of financial hardship?
We see students suffering with anxiety and insomnia because of their money worries, which in turn affects them in exams and their personal relationships with friends and flatmates.
How does the Student Advice Centre help students in need?
All students struggling with their finances are given budgeting advice and tips
to reduce expenditure. For hardship grants, students complete an application form and submit supporting documents showing proof of their income and expenditure. If a shortfall is identified we are able to offer a grant of up to 80%
of the shortfall amount to a maximum amount of £750. The average shortfall
is currently £2,518, so we are only
able to make up a maximum of 30% of this for our students. We give a higher percentage of the shortfall to priority groups, such as those with children, in care or estranged from their family. In
exceptional circumstances we would also offer a grant if there wasn’t a shortfall, but an unexpected expense or problem had occurred, for instance illness or family problems.
How do donations from alumni help students in financial difficulty? Donations enable us to help more students in need and to contribute more to each student to reduce their shortfall further than the 30% we’re able to
now. At present, towards the end of the year we have to give a smaller grant to each student as the available funds are running low. With alumni support we
can ensure that each and every student applying is able to receive the maximum possible amount without a restriction due to funds running low. With additional funds we could also promote the service more to ensure we can see students in need as early as possible.
At the RVC, we try to support students through these challenges. To support with job opportunities, the RVC employs students in roles such as in the Buttery and Haxby, in the SU shop, through being a student ambassador, to name a few. This allows them to gain paid employment, whilst employers also understanding the need
for flexibility. Unfortunately, this doesn’t accommodate everyone, which is why the bursaries and grants are so important.
RVC bursaries
There are a number of different bursaries available to our students. One of which is our EMS bursary, which the RVC Graduates Association kindly provided funds towards to help support students with the cost of attending EMS placements.
Julian Drewe and Jackie Cardwell, RVC Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health Group, tell us more about this year’s EMS bursaries:
When the RVC Graduates Association dissolved in 2017, it left substantial funds to continue to help support vet students with the cost of attending EMS placements (‘seeing practice’).
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