Cost of Living Campaign

National Student Money Week (24th Feb - 3rd March 2023)

National Student Money Week is taking place between Friday 24th February to Friday 3rd March 2023, with the theme of this year’s campaign being aimed around coping with, and promoting a greater understanding of, the Cost-of-Living Crisis.

Cardiff Students’ Union’s service area, Student Advice, is running its own Money Week campaign for National Student Money Week, called Feeling the Crunch. The campaign’s activities have been designed with a view to encourage students to make sensible spending choices, to help them crunch their costs and stretch their savings.

Over five days, financial advice will be available from stalls across various sites, inviting students to take part in campaign activities. The stalls will be taking place at:

• Friday 24th February, 10am – CSL

• Tuesday 28th February, 11am – IV Lounge, Heath Park Campus

• Wednesday 1st March, 12pm – Taly Social

• Thursday 2nd March, 10am – Cochrane Library

• Friday 3rd March, 11am – Welcome Centre, Cardiff Students’ Union

Cost of Living Crisis

General Information

The cost-of-living crisis (CofLC) will impact many Cardiff students this academic year, especially those from low-income backgrounds. This is harmful for students’ health, wellbeing, and academic interests.

The National Union of Students (NUS) reports that 11% of students are currently using foodbanks, which equates to around 3,500 Cardiff University students. NUS also reports that 1 in 3 students are left with less than £50 a month after paying rent and bills, making it impossible for our students to eat and live well. Some students are reporting having to work full-time jobs on top of full-time study.

The Insititute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned financial support for students is failing to keep up with inflation. Inflation is further expected rise alongside the price cap in the new year to near 21% looking at RPI (hyperinflation). Student Loans (maintenance), at the time of writing this, are increasing by just 2.3%. In real terms this is still a cut in the loans provided to students.

With inflation still at a record level and still rising, the crisis is only going to get worse for our students with further consequences for their personal and academic lives.

Cardiff Students' Union is committed to promoting the interests and welfare of students. In light of the Cost of Living Crisis, the Sabbatical Officers have been working closely with the university to provide new ways of supporting students. The measures put in place were outlined in a letter to all students from the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, Claire Morgan. This can be viewed here.

Students' Union Support

To support students with the Cost of Living Crisis, the Students' Union will be maintaining and implementing initiatives that will help with keeping costs low, whilst still allowing for a positive university experience.

We are continuing to:

Keep the Students' Union building open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Join us for somewhere warm to study, to charge your devices or just hang out.
Offer students free period products as part of our Period Dignity campaign. We believe everyone should have access to period products wherener they are needed. Find out about our campaign here.
Maintain our small student kitchen. You can find it at the back of the third floor Lounge, stocked with a kettle, toaster and microwave. Feel free to bring your own items in from home to heat up and eat while you study.
Run free events such as Paws and Relax and Walk to Talk, and offer a book exchange on the third floor Lounge. See upcoming events here.

We are introducing:

£2 lunches, to help students on a tight budget. This is Monday-Friday, 1pm-3pm, with vegan options available.
A new E-Sports Room within the third floor Lounge, to allow students to game in the Students' Union and save money at home.
Feed Your Flat: The Essentials! This is a reintroduction of a previous campaign, focusing on bringing students the essentials they require to cook basic meals at home, with general supplies and easy recipes available.

Join the Discussion

The conversation is ongoing, and we want to hear directly from students about what the Students' Union can do to support them.

If you have suggestions or comments to share, or want to be part of these discussions in future, contact us at CostOfLivingCrisis@cardiff.ac.uk.

Advice and Guidance

General Information

Students' Union Support

Join the Discussion

Advice and Guidance

Money

Employment

Housing

Other