October 2025
Focus on your future, not your funds
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- Focus on your future, not your funds

By Claire Huggins
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Building on last year鈥檚 pioneering initiative, 蜜桃传媒 (UCB) has repeated its commitment to making student support simple, by making its Cost of Living Allowance available for a second consecutive year.
Eligible for new UK students starting a three-year undergraduate degree course in 2026, the Cost of Living Allowance amounts to 拢5,000 paid in instalments over the duration of the degree course.
鈥淚 first found out about the Cost of Living Allowance at an Open Day, and I honestly felt excited because one of my biggest worries about going to university, was the finances.鈥 said Reah Richards, first year Psychology BSc (Hons) student. 鈥淎s a commuting student, this allowance will make a huge difference; it will help me afford transport costs, so I can focus more on my studies.鈥
No ifs. No buts. No catch.
The allowance is not means tested and does not have to be paid back. The eligibility criteria are deliberately simple; there are no complicated forms to fill in or long waits for confirmation.
鈥淭he 拢5,000 Cost of Living Allowance reflects our belief that every student deserves to be able to focus on their future, not their finances,鈥 said Ben Pithouse, the University鈥檚 Director of Student Support and Wellbeing.
鈥淲e recognise the financial squeeze households are under where every penny counts, but we hope that this initiative goes some way to breaking down barriers to higher education for young people, from all walks of life.鈥
As recently as September of this year, the identified that a third of the students they polled had considered dropping out of university due to financial pressures, with most students making compromises and cutbacks on heating, eating and socialising as standard.
Ahead of March鈥檚 Spring Statement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, UCB conducted its own that demonstrated an anticipated average increase in prices of 拢34 per month across the UK.
"We hope that this initiative goes some way to breaking down barriers to higher education for young people, from all walks of life"
Ben Pithouse Director of Student Support and Wellbeing
Building positivity from pressure
In the face of rising financial pressures, Birmingham remains one of the most聽. With UCB鈥檚 campus buildings and student accommodation all in the city centre, our students are right in the heart of not only the UK鈥檚 second biggest city, but also a city that has .
鈥淎round 70% of our home students are based in the West Midlands - living, working and being educated within easy reach of us,鈥 said Professor Michael Harkin, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, 蜜桃传媒.
鈥淭his put us in the unprecedented position of being able to make a dramatic impact on our immediate community and surrounding region; empowering young people to achieve their goals and serving employers as they seek to fill their skills gaps with the freshest young talent around.
鈥淭he Cost of Living Allowance is not about hardship and struggle; it鈥檚 a tool for change. It is a means to widen participation in higher education and unlock potential, by removing impairments to improvement.鈥
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE
: Max and Livvy discuss how they will spend theirs.
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