Kings Student Money Mentors

National Student Money Week – Extra support from King’s

In recent times, there has been increasing global economic hardship. Students, especially those at university, are greatly feeling the impact of this situation. There can be a lot of anxiety and worry regarding how one might survive at university and withstand the current financial situation. As a result of this, King’s has created various avenues for people to receive extra financial support. Never fear, KCL is here to help!

Funding Provided by KCL

King’s College London provides different types of loans. Scholarships and bursaries for people in need of extra financial support. These include:

King’s Living bursary (available to home fee students with household earnings of £42,875 and less);
King’s Hardship Fund (available to home fee students who are undergraduates, postgraduates or on an NHS funded year);
International Hardship Fund (available to international, EU students or those who have made financial provision for their studies but have experienced an unforeseen change of circumstances).

Where to find information on all the funding

In addition to what is stated above, there are many more funding opportunities available. Below are the respective links with articles detailing what these opportunities are, and how to get them:

What loans, grants or scholarships can I get from King’s?

I’m having money difficulties, where can I find support?

Hardship Funds

I’m an International student, what financial support can I access?

What are the fees and funding options available for undergraduate study?

If there is any confusion on the information within this blog, do not hesitate to contact the Money Mentors or the Specialist Advisors in the Money & Housing Advice team.

Aminuoritse Jemide
King’s Student Money Mentor
Part of Money & Housing Advice

The King’s Student Money Mentors blog shares our students’ personal experiences and thoughts on money-related topics. Any reference, opinions or recommendations on a particular company/brand are only the views of the student(s) who wrote the blog post. King’s College London, the Money & Housing Advice service and the Money Mentor project do not share the views in the blogs nor endorse any of the companies mentioned. Readers should conduct their own research before using any companies mentioned in our blog posts.

National Student Money Week 2023 – Navigating the numbers: cost of living

Our annual campaign, National Student Money Week, is returning for 2023! Given the ongoing cost of-living-crisis, we are focusing on supporting our fellow students about making the most out of our money. We – a current and a former Money Mentor – will share our experiences with our previous National Student Money Week campaigns and introduce you to this year’s campaign.

National Student Money Week 2021: Expect the Unexpected

In our 2021 campaign, we shared our tips and tricks on how students could go about facing an unexpected financial situation, from scams and housing to emergency funds. We enjoyed collaborating with King’s Positive Peers to virtually talk about our themes on Instagram live. Not only were we sharing information with students, but we too learned a lot about how to best prepare ourselves for unforeseen situations that could significantly affect our financial and mental health.

National Student Money Week 2022: Sustainable Spending

Throughout our 2022 campaign, we shared various blog posts on themes ranging from banking and cryptocurrency. Given the rise of digital revolution, more people have been using things like online banking and cryptocurrency. By doing independent research, our Money Mentors team sought to share some of the basic knowledge on these novel areas related to money. We enjoyed engaging with students on various money-related topics that are particularly relevant today!

National Student Money Week 2023: Navigating the numbers

This year, we are back on campus for a week, so drop by our stalls to play our games, win prizes and take away lots of free goodies! We will be there from 11am-3pm on the following days:

Monday 6^th March: Sustainability (Bush House Arcade, Strand campus).

Tuesday 7^th March: Look after yourself (Library Alcove, FWB, Waterloo campus).

Wednesday 8^th March: Reducing costs and save (New Hunt’s House, Guy’s campus).

Live online Q&A: Ask a King’s Student Money Mentor.

Thursday 9^th March: Extra support from King’s (Strand Reception, Strand campus).

Friday 10^th March: Making cents of it all (Money Mentors will be giving out flyers and speaking with students in various campuses!).

Keep an eye on our Website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Blog for further information on this fantastic campaign! 

King’s Student Money Mentor Team
Part of Money & Housing Advice

National Student Money Week – The Freeway to Happiness and Health (okay, maybe)

When you’re struggling with the daily expenses of studying in London, it can be hard to feel like you can treat yourself. Of course, there are plenty of Instagrammable cafes and expensive Pilates classes I could be going to but there are also plenty of free things I can do to look after myself mentally and physically! Here is my round up of fun activities you can try during each season:

Spring

This is the best time to start getting out after the winter cold. Try making a coffee at home and going for a walk around your local park or green areas. I like to window shop and there are an endless number of unique shops around Shoreditch, Sloane Square or Soho. You might even find a great bargain by thrifting in the many charity shops. To stay fit, try the Couch to 5k challenge which helps even the most useless of runners (me!) to start running. And if you’re not quite a beginner anymore, find the nearest ParkRun for fun weekly runs (or brisk walks) with others. Strava also offers a great way to socialise while exercising, as well as providing wonderful running and cycling routes. Not a keen runner? Download the King’s Move app and get points for tracking your steps. You can then redeem your points for a free hot drink and pastry at any of the King’s food cafés/restaurants across campuses – they’ve got me through revision many a time!

Summer

It’s time to get out in the sun and soak up some Vitamin D. If it is too hot, hang out in any of the free air-conditioned museums and art galleries all around the city. For those wanting a tan, having a picnic on Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park or Primrose Hill is cheap and easy. Enjoy the sunset from Alexandra Palace or the Tate Modern and walk the long way home, you might even pass a city farm full of cute animals. KCL also has loads of opportunities around the summer time like global exchanges and research internships for which you can get funding, so check them out if you don’t think you can afford your dream holiday this year!

Autumn

So, you’ve just arrived at university or got back from your summer adventures… what better time than to get involved in the activities run by KCLSU and our societies? They often have free introductory sessions and lots of freebies to draw you in. You can also try unlimited sports and fitness classes for £30 a year with King’s BeActive (or a single Session Pass for £3)! And why not reflect on the upcoming year with a bit of journaling? I find getting my worries and goals onto the page is great for relieving stress.

Winter

Although the days are shorter and darker, you can brighten up your days by playing online games with friends (big games like League of Legends or Valorant are free). It is also a great time to organise a movie night. If you fancy braving the cold, there are Christmas markets and displays around London – I go to the one by Hays Galleria (just off Tooley Street, about 6 minutes from Guy’s Campus). Even if you don’t buy anything, the Christmas spirit is really uplifting. To stay fit I normally do home workouts that I find on YouTube; when you want to stay inside all the time it is good to get some movement in!

Sometimes though life gets hard and it’s okay to say you might need some help. KCL has lots of help available to you: check out the Wellbeing Hub or contact someone on the crisis page if you need urgent help. King’s also has a free counselling service, which provides trained counsellors to all students on each campus. There are also pages on Student Services Online which have great tips on staying healthy both in terms of your wellbeing and spending:

Rebecca Lam
King’s Student Money Mentor
Part of Money & Housing Advice