Emergency fund launched after huge rise in students seeking help

Dublin City University (DCU) has launched an emergency fund for students experiencing financial hardship after it saw a 183% increase in the numbers seeking help since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.

With many scholarship supporters also feeling the economic impact of the pandemic, the university faces significant challenges in maintaining privately-funded scholarships for more than 1,100 Access students.

The university is now seeking donations to its Covid-19 Student Emergency fund, set up to support students in four priority areas.

This includes maintaining Access scholarships while also meeting the increased demand expected next year due to record high levels of unemployment, and providing additional emergency support to students in serious financial difficulty.

With all universities facing a prolonged period of social distancing, this fund will also focus on providing technology to students to ensure they can pursue their learning online, and on providing mental health support for vulnerable students.

DCU established Ireland’s first Access programme in 1990, and continues to deliver the largest programme nationally, according to Professor Brian MacCraith, DCU president.

“We know that this crisis is creating significant difficulties for our Access students, and for many other students too, but we are determined that no student should feel unable to pursue or complete their higher education at DCU due to financial hardship caused by Covid-19.”

With the university now seeking donations to this fund from alumni, BT Ireland has agreed to match the first €25,000 received.

Joe Quinsey, the chief executive of the DCU Educational Trust said: “This fund is an important response to the financial plight of students who have seen family incomes decimated, and who have lost the part-time and summer work they rely on to save for next year’s college expenses.”

This year, almost 10,000 students applied for financial aid within hours of the opening of this year’s third-level assistance fund.

It is anticipated more students will apply due to Covid-19.