Queen’s offers bursary assistance for COVID-19-related extenuating circumstances

New bursary designed to help with immediate, short-term needs for students

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Queen’s announced a new bursary designed to help students cope with short-term financial challenges brought on by COVID-19. 

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to create increasing financial uncertainty for students, the University has launched a new bursary program to help alleviate pressures.

The supplemental bursary is designed to help students in the Queen’s community deal with immediate and short-term needs related to extenuating and unplanned financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis.

“We know many students who are accessing OSAP, or equivalent programs from other provinces/territories, were also working and many have lost their jobs,” Teresa Alm, Associate University Registrar (Student Awards), wrote in a statement to The Journal.  

Some of these students may be eligible for the federal government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which began accepting applications on April 6.  

As a response to the number of individuals across the country who lost work because of COVID-19, the CERB was established to provide Canadian residents with temporary income support of five hundred dollars for up to 16 weeks.

The Queen’s bursary assistance, however, aims to help bridge the financial gap for students until they can access the CERB. 

According to Alm, the University also recognizes that some students who have previously demonstrated financial need may have encountered additional unplanned expenses because of COVID-19.

As an example, she referenced those who were forced to return home to comply with preventative measures, like social distancing, before their apartment or house for next year was ready for occupation.

She also said the University is currently looking into what other government supports may be available to students who have concerns about summer income because of the impact the pandemic has had on the economy. 

“This is an unprecedented situation and things change quickly,” Alm said. “In addition to the supplemental bursary, the university is [exploring] further tailored solutions to help support domestic and international students who are most severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.” 

The University is continuing to share information regarding financial assistance on the Student Awards Website as it becomes available.

Tags

Covid-19, student awards

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