Dear Inzamam Rashid,

I acknowledge receipt of your email received by this office on 4 November 2022

Your request will now be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has been allocated reference FOI22-399 which should be quoted in all correspondence. We will respond to your request within 20 working days starting the next working day after receipt, therefore you can expect to receive a response no later than 2 December 2022

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and, if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

Yours sincerely

Swyddfa Ysgrifenydd y Brifysgol
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Ebost : [email address]

Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhwy oedi.

University Secretary's Office
Cardiff University
Email: [email address]

The University welcomes correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.

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Dear Inzamam Rashid,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated 4^th
November 2022.

For ease of reference, I have reproduced your questions below and set out
our corresponding responses.

 1. Is your institution offering support to students to help with the rise
in cost of living?

Yes

 2. If yes, what is the specific support you're providing university
students?

Information regarding support available to students in regard to the cost
of living can be found on our website here:

• [1]Supporting you and cost of living update – University Executive
Board - Cardiff University

• [2]Supporting you, cost of living and upcoming events – University
Executive Board - Cardiff University

The Money Advice team referenced in the above links has provided the
following additional information:

Support for students in hardship is provided by our professional teams
within our Student Life Division.  This includes support in accessing
statutory funding, accessing benefits, enhancing money management skills
as well as providing bursaries, scholarships, managing charitable funds
and providing hardship monies.

Our Hardship Fund is open to all registered students including
international students.  The total funds available equal £1 million and
students can access these via both an online application and a paper
application.  Hardship is paid weekly, but those in immediate hardship can
be provided with funds within 1 or 2 days.  We have also made available
emergency food packages that students can pick up on Fridays.  

We provide a range of bursaries for those with household incomes of under
£35k and those from a number of widening participation backgrounds – such
as Young Carers, Care leavers, estranged students, military experienced
and asylum seekers.

The number of microwaves and kettles available on campus has been
increased to enable  students to save money by bringing in their own food
and drinks to campus.

Our Postgraduate Research students whose stipends fit into the categories
below have had their stipends uprated by 10% in line with UKRI rates:

• Fully funded by Cardiff University
• Part funded by Cardiff University
• Fully or part funded by an external organisation where the University
sets the stipend rate and administers the funding

3) How many university students have you supported with the cost of living
crisis in the last 6 months?

4) Roughly, what is the expenditure to the university for providing
support to university students in the last 6 months?

┌──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┬──────────────────┐
│Hardship Funds │Number of students supported │Expenditure │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│1^st May to 31^st July│160 │£109,207 │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│1^st August – 31^st │172 │£138,990 │
│October │ │ │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│Total │332 │£248, 197 │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│  │  │  │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│  │Number of students expected to│Approved amount of│
│ │be supported │support │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│Stipend Uplift │970 │£922,000 │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┴──────────────────┘

I trust this information satisfies your enquiry.  Should you feel
dissatisfied with this response or the way in which your request was
handled you can request an Internal Review. This should be made in writing
within 40 working days of the date of this email. Please provide your
unique reference number of your request, information on why you are
dissatisfied and any detail you would like us to consider as part of the
Internal Review process. Email your request to
[3][email address] where it will be forwarded to the Head of
Compliance and Risk who will be responsible for overseeing the review.

If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome, you have the right to
apply directly to the Information Commissioner for consideration.  The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at the following address:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Cardiff University. If you require further assistance please feel free to
contact me.

Yours sincerely

Swyddfa Ysgrifenydd y Brifysgol University Secretary’s Office

Prifysgol Caerdydd Cardiff University

Ebost : [4][email address] Email: [5][email address] 
 
 
 
The University welcomes
Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu correspondence in Welsh or English. 
gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n Saesneg.  Corresponding in Welsh will not lead
Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu to any delay.
unrhwy oedi.

References

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