GCU Supporting your financial health through the Discretionary Fund

At Glasgow Caledonian we are committed to Supporting your Academic Success. Financial health is a crucial aspect of student life, and one of the ways GCU is here to support you is through their Discretionary Fund.

The Discretionary Fund and the Nursing and Paramedic Discretionary Fund are available to support Home and Rest of UK students who are struggling financially with living and study costs.

Lucy Rodgers graduated from the BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism course earlier this year after starting her studies at GCU in 2021. Throughout her time at University, Lucy benefitted from the Discretionary Fund on three separate occasions.

We caught up with Lucy to hear how GCU supported her financial health.

How did you first come to use the GCU Discretionary Fund?

“At the start of 2022 I was working in Iceland but they couldn’t offer me the hours I needed. I was really struggling with money and I knew my parents would help me, but I wanted to sort something independently. I heard about the GCU Discretionary fund and just felt like I didn’t have anything to lose.

“I actually thought it was too good to be true at first – I just couldn’t understand how I was getting free money. It came through to my bank along with an email telling me how much I got. You receive it as a one-off payment and can use it however you want. I put mine into a savings account so that I could use it to relieve any financial pressure I was facing.”

How does the application work?

“When it comes to doing the application, make sure you sort your all your files first of all. You need proof of address, your rent, and your wage slips and bank statements from the last three months. There might be other things you need but it will all be clear within the application.

“Through giving all that information, the GCU Funding team are then able to figure out how much money you should receive from the Discretionary Fund. They give different amounts of money to different people depending on their specific personal circumstances.”

“You receive the money and you don’t need to pay it back – there is genuinely no catch to it. Obviously there is SAAS and other ways of receiving money during your time at University, but the Discretionary Fund is by far the best. I applied three times throughout my time studying here and received it every time.”

Sometimes people can be afraid to ask for help and support, what would your advice be?

“I completely understand that there is a lot of stigma and shame around asking for financial help, and that was definitely something I had to battle within myself. I was lucky enough to be in a position where I could ask my parents for help if it really got that bad, but the University services are here for a reason – they are here to help all of us as students.

“I remember hearing my friends talking about how they were struggling financially and couldn’t go for nights out or meals with family and friends as a result. I told them about the Discretionary Fund, but they were put off a bit by the application and how it can be quite time consuming. I reassured them that it really is short-term pain for long-term gain. The whole idea of the Discretionary Fund is just to lift that pressure off you. It’s not necessarily because you can’t afford to eat or anything like that, it’s just about making your quality of life that little bit better while you are at University.

“The main thing to remember is that the GCU Funding Team actually want you to apply for this – the money is waiting there to be used.”

Find out more about how you can benefit from GCU’s Discretionary Fund

By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk