For every completed staff survey form, UCL will donate £10 to the Student Hardship Fund.  In 2011 £40,590 was donated. This is how the money is spent:

The aim of the Hardship Fund is to assist students who find themselves in unexpected financial need during the course of the academic year. Awards are typically made in the region of £1000 and applications are reviewed by a panel.  

Last academic year, 2012/13, we received 143 applications for support. The applications we receive are from a range of students of all nationalities, years and programmes. The fund only offers assistance with maintenance costs.

We help students in various situations where financial support is needed, for example; last year we were able to help students who had been victims of crime, experienced unexpected family bereavement, and those who suffered personal injuries. Our support helped students replace items such as stolen laptops or passports, pay for travel back to their home countries to attend funerals, and to cope when personal injuries (especially where this impacted on their ability to undertake the part-time work that normally helps to support them). We also received applications from international students whose families are supporting them, but where they have been adversely affected by the economic situation in their own countries, or a drastic change in exchange rates, resulting in the students receiving less financial support than original planned.

In all cases we ask for appropriate evidence of expenditure and financial records - the SFO team are very experienced in assessing students financial need. Donations to the hardship fund provide an essential source of financial support for UCL students when they need it the most.