Student Financial Support Advisor

What is a budget?

A budget is a simple exercise when you work out what income you will have over a period of time, such as the academic year, and what costs you will incur in this time. Ideally, you want your income to be greater than costs.

Finance and money management is a skill that we can all perfect with time, practice. Planning and knowing what your expenses will entail is very helpful to allow you spend wisely and avoid unnecessary stress or debt!

What should be factored into making a budget?

There are 30 weeks in a full academic year in UL, so it’s important that you budget correctly! Your money has to last all year, so plan how best to use it. The best thing to do is to create a list of “what’s coming in” and “what’s going out.”

It is also important to work out “essential” and “non-essential” items – food is essential, daily nights out are not! While having a busy social life can be part of college, it is definitely not essential! Maintaining a spending diary is a simple and effective way to keep on top of your spending – this will help to prevent unnecessary spending.

What’s coming in and out of your pocket?

It is important to know what sources of funding are available to you as a student, as these can provide extra funds to help you in your college career.

Part time jobs are great for your pocket, your CV, and give great life experiences and life skills. However, it is important to maintain a healthy study/work/balance. Work should complement your studies, not the other way round!

What’s going out of your pocket?

College life costs money and it is important to manage your funds properly in order to make it last and cover the whole academic year. From Accommodation to Fees, Food to Travel Expenses, these expenses will need to be covered so you can attend college. Planning and knowing what your expenses will entail is very helpful to allow you spend wisely.

Quick tips to manage your money

Here are a few very quick tips to help you manage your money:

• Shop around for best deals for weekly shopping.
• Use your Student Leap card to avail of discounts.
• If you’re house sharing – set up a shared “kitty” with your housemates and take turns
• cooking.
• Bring leftovers / or make a sandwich to bring to college for lunch.
• Have breakfast in the morning before you leave the house.
• Keep a spending diary to monitor your spending for a week or two – you will be surprised
• at what you “waste” your money on.
• Try and get as many course books as you can second hand and get used to using the
• library – you don’t need to buy all of the books on your book list.

In conjunction with UL Student Life and the Postgraduate Students’ Union, the University administers two types of financial aid. The Financial Aid Fund is funded through UL Student Capitation and supported by gifts from UL Alumni through the UL Foundation’s Alumni Annual Fund Appeal. This scheme is designed to help students who experience short-term financial difficulties. If the student qualifies for assistance, they will receive an interest-free loan or bursary. In the instance of a loan, it is repayable in full prior to graduation.

Additionally, student parents who are experiencing financial difficulties can apply for a Childcare Bursary to support them with their childcare/child-minder costs, if the child is in a registered childcare provider.

If a student is experiencing financial difficulty and wishes to apply for either type of funding, they are encouraged to call to Room CM071 to meet with the Chaplain, or alternatively, the student can email john.campion@ul.ie to make an appointment.

Undergraduate student Application Forms and further information are available from the Student Information and Support Coordinators by emailing studentsupport@ul.ie. More details are available at Undergraduate Financial Support

Any postgraduate student wishing to avail of either type of funding can email postgradpresident@ul.ie or psu@ul.ie to request an application form. More details are available at Postgraduate Financial Support

SUSI Application

 The SUSI application process for 2023/24 academic year is NOW OPEN!!

All new applications will be made online through www.susi.ie

You can continue to check www.susi.ie and the SUSI | Facebook page for information and updates

Eligibility

SUSI provides an eligibility reckoner to determine eligibility for an award. The reckoner is found online at: https://susi.ie/eligibility-reckoner-app-irish/index.html

Help & Support

SUSI provides help and support in the application process by logging onto https://www.susi.ie/help-and-support/glossary/

• 1916 Bursary

• Funds for students with disabilities 
• European Social Fund 
• Elaine Fagan Scholarship
• Stuart Mangan Scholarship
• Back to Education Allowance
• Higher Education Grants
• Academic Scholarships
• Sports Scholarships
• University of Sanctuary Scholarships

Confidentiality agreement
UL Student Financial Support and Advice offer a strictly confidential service. This means that what you say stays within the service. Your personal details are not disclosed to anyone outside of the service without your permission. 
 
Meeting notes
The service maintains notes on all student engagements. Doing so helps staff recall and think about each student’s financial situation. Access to meeting notes is provided only to staff within the Student Financial Support and Advice service. Some information made be shared with financial committees to support student applications to financial aid. Your personal data is collected and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) / Data Protection Acts 1988-2018 and with the University's Student Data Protection Privacy Notice. Should you wish to access your file, you can formally request access to your personal data by making a Data Protection Access request or a Freedom of Information request.
 
Consent to liaise with supports
Depending on your circumstances, it may be useful for members of the service to liaise with staff members of the university/campus to support you. Such staff members include but are not limited to: Student Information & Support Coordinators (UL Student Life) and Student Affairs. The Student Financial Support and Advice service will always discuss potential liaison with you in advance. Unless your safety is at risk, we will not liaise without your consent.
 
Data retention
Personal data and case-notes are stored for 7 years in compliance with data regulations and the UL records management policy. All data is stored on a limited access site. 
 
Feedback and Complaints
We ask for feedback from all students who use the service as it enables us to ensure a quality service. You will be sent an invitation to complete an online feedback questionnaire at the end of your engagement with the service. 
 
In the event of a complaint regarding the service, we encourage you to first bring it to the attention of the Student Financial Support and Advisor. If this is not possible or suitable, you can contact the Student Support and Development Manager. Alternatively, you may express yourself via the feedback link on Student Affairs website. Please check the Student Complaints Policy and Procedure for further information.