NI students facing financial hardship get £1m boost

The funding announced by the Department for the Economy is in addition to £2.8m of support funds already committed by it this year

An extra £1m to support students facing financial hardship has been welcomed by NI student representative body NUS-USI as an "important first step".

However, it said there is an urgent need "to address the alarming scale of student poverty in NI".

Economy Minister Conor Murphy said he was pleased to make the funding available "immediately".

He said he was "acutely aware of the impact of cost of living increases on students".

The funds will be distributed to Queen's University, Ulster University, The Open University, St Mary's University College and Stranmillis University College in Northern Ireland.

Eligible students at those institutions can apply.

'High level of demand'

The funding announced by the Department for the Economy is in addition to £2.8m of support funds already committed by the department this year.

Mr Murphy said it was "in response to the high level of demand being experienced by the higher education institutions".

NUS-USI President Chloe Ferguson welcomed the announcement by the economy minister and described it as "an important first step from the Northern Ireland Executive to relieve students from the unprecedented cost of living pressures they face".

However, she said there was an urgent need "to address the alarming scale of student poverty in NI".

"We must see more impactful and universal investment into immediate student support for all learners, including our students and apprentices in further education who are continually left behind," she added.

Conor Murphy said he was "acutely aware of the impact of cost of living increases on students"

Queen's University vice-chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer also welcomed the announcement. However, he added that the university continued to call on the executive "to plan long-term and not make short-term fiscal decisions for the future wellbeing of both our student population and the economy".

"Queen's previously announced its own £7.9m package of measures with Queen's Students' Union to support both our students and staff during the ongoing cost of living crisis," he said.

"Measures include direct payments to students and a range of free breakfasts and a continued freeze in the price of a standard room in our accommodation.

"In addition, we recently launched a bursary scheme to support students in Northern Ireland from low-income families to help with accommodation costs."

Mr Murphy said a "thriving higher education sector is critical for a strong, regionally balanced economy" and he is engaging with officials "to fully scope the options for further changes to financial and other means of support".

"I encourage any student who feels that they may be eligible for additional support to contact their higher education institution and apply," he added.

"I also urge the institutions to ensure they apply eligibility criteria as flexibly as possible when considering applications for support from students."

The department spends about £30m a year on the Apprenticeships NI and Higher Level Apprenticeship programmes.