More and more students are having financial difficulties. Our university launched the Students in Need project because financial worries shouldn’t stand in the way of a degree. Every year, many students get a financial boost. ‘For me, it has made a world of difference,’ says master student Rafal Mahan.
Studying is quite a challenge, and it doesn’t get any easier when you’re struggling to make ends meet. Rafal Mahan (46), an Iraqi refugee and mother of three, knows this all too well. In 2020, she moved to Belgium with her children, following her husband. The start in our country was difficult.
‘My husband, who’s a doctor, can no longer work due to health problems. I’m a dentist myself, but my diploma isn’t recognised in Belgium. So frustrating. To improve our situation, I decided to go back to studying. But there wasn’t a lot of financial room, with only my husband’s living allowance bringing in some money.’
Impact on academic career
Rafal is far from the only person for whom studying isn’t a matter of course. The Social Service team saw a sharp increase in the number of students with financial problems. Rising energy prices, unemployment, death, illness, divorce, international crises: these are all reasons why things can suddenly go downhill financially, according to Dimitri Van Gaever from the Social Service team.
‘The increased number of requests for assistance may also be partially caused by the fact that students have been able to apply digitally for several years now. But that doesn’t explain everything: we’re also increasingly seeing difficult individual cases. This also has an impact on study results. Students are less able to focus on their studies because they’re experiencing stress or have to spend time on a student job.’
Dimitri Van Gaever, Social Services
Born during the pandemic, needed more than ever
It’s no coincidence that the Students in Need initiative came into being during the Covid pandemic. Many students lost their student jobs at that time, with all the consequences that it entailed. ‘That’s when the Diversity and Inclusion team initiated this project, which aims to support financially vulnerable students,’ Dimitri explains. ‘In concrete terms, it’s a collaboration between the University of Antwerp Fund and the Social Service team. The University Fund collects the financial support, which we then allocate to the appropriate students.’
Everything starts with the student’s request for help. Some take the initiative themselves, others may be referred by someone in their network, like a lecturer or a study programme counsellor.
Dimitri explains ‘After an extensive financial and social investigation, we offer them tailored support. This often takes the form of financial assistance, but it goes beyond that. Students can, for example, rent a laptop or purchase one on instalments through external partners, participate in a budget management workshop or read the tips and tricks about interesting discounts in our student budget survival guide.’
Study grant and support
Rafal didn’t let herself be held back by financial worries. At first, she sought and got support from the Student Counselling Services, which encouraged her to take the plunge and enrol in a new study programme. To this very day, her study counsellor regularly checks in with her to see how she’s doing.
Rafal goes on ‘I started the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the beginning of 2022. The first few months were difficult. I’d learned Dutch, but I wasn’t familiar with the names of chemical compounds, for example. Fortunately, I was entitled to a lot of exemptions.’
It was also a tough period financially. As Rafal was able to condense several programme years and also had a family, a student job wasn’t an option. ‘I’d heard that at my age you’re no longer entitled to a student grant, so I didn’t apply for one. It was only after two years that I contacted the Social Service team thanks to a friend’s advice. I learned that I was entitled to a grant after all, and that I also qualified for additional financial support. With that amount I was able to buy a laptop, course material and books, among other things. I also received about 200 euros per academic year to spend at komida. Not a huge amount, but more than enough. All that support made a world of difference to us.’
Donations welcome
Last year, the University Fund received some 20,000 euros in donations for Students in Need. ‘Which is a great amount, but not enough to meet all the requests for help. That’s why we’re directly approaching our network of alumni and sympathisers to ask them to contribute,’ says Eline Joukes of the University Fund. You can also support the project as an employee, thereby making an impact through community engagement.
Dimitri says ‘For one thing, you can help draw attention to the initiative. Talk to colleagues about it, mobilise your network and refer students if necessary. After all, the Social Service team aren’t the only point of contact: as a lecturer, study programme counsellor or student psychologist, you’re often a person of trust, too.’
Eline Joukes, University Funding
Celebratory donation
If you would like to support the project yourself, you can do so by making a donation via the University Fund website or by adding one, two or five euros to your komida payment. Another option is to make a celebratory donation. If you’re planning to celebrate the completion of a PhD or hold a farewell party, for example, you can suggest to your guests that they make a donation to Students in Need instead of giving you a present.
‘We also receive funding through the sale of ICT equipment and the liketo employees. If they buy a laptop or smartphone, half of the amount goes to Students in Need,’ Eline explains. All these donations and revenues are used exclusively for study-related costs. ‘So you effectively help students get their degree,’ Dimitri adds.
He himself has seen many students for whom the financial support has made a real difference. ‘It’s nice to see how some people, thanks to the extra support, have been able to receive a great education and achieve wonderful results. Personally, I find that enormously valuable.’
Focus on studies
Rafal also took full advantage of the opportunities presented to her. After a difficult start, she achieved brilliant results and is now combining a master programme in drug development with a few courses from the bachelor programme. The end is in sight and she dreams of doing a PhD.
The past few years have been tough, but she isn’t complaining. ‘I’ll manage’, she says with conviction. ‘People sometimes ask me how I do it, studying when I don’t even have a living allowance. But I just focus on my studies. During the week I do my internship at a pharmacy, and on Saturdays and Sundays I study. I simply don’t have time to relax or go shopping. Fortunately, my parents regularly send clothes and other things for me and the children. No, I’m managing just fine. And I’m very grateful to the university for the support I’ve received.’
