National Student Money week is taking place in the wake of York MP Rachael Maskell’s warning over the plight of many students who are facing a cash crisis.

If you’re a student in York who is worried about your finances or maybe what they will look like after graduation, this week will have ample opportunity’s to combat those worries.

Universities around the country are getting involved to create conversations about financial issues and creating money related life skills.

The theme this year being ‘Future Ready: Money Skills for Success.’

This week to celebrate, BlackBullion, a website and app that helps students learn, find and manage their money, is actively participating with various activities and initiatives aimed at helping students build financial confidence and skills.

The BlackBullion Future Fund offers the chance to win £500 of funding to two students whilst they gain valuable work experience in content creation.

There’s different dedicated sessions to be a part of like, ‘My Money after University’ workshop delivered by The Money Charity which covers things like income after graduation, investing, budgeting and spending etc..

Across the city there is also non-university initiatives to take part in like cost of living support initiatives , food distribution, student pantry schemes, information on student discounts, funding and hardship support.

This campaign aligns with wider financial wellbeing initiatives in the city and the fact that cost of living and housing prices for students is a rising concern in York which is heavily populated by students as there are two universities here.

Last week on the 25th of February MP for York Central Rachael Maskell mentioned in a Westminster debate on student loan repayment plans how she had been talking directly to students from York St John University and other students in York about financial pressure.

In the debate she said how when speaking to the student unions from both universities, as well as many graduates, they told her that ‘a student loan doesn’t even cover the cost of living in our city because housing is so expensive’.

Maskell’s point was that maintenance loans are not keeping up with the cost of living in York particularly because high student housing costs, general costs of living pressures and students taking on debts while struggling to afford living costs.

2021 census data estimates that university students make up 15% of York’s population making it a student-heavy place to live. Which is why we need resources like all of the initiatives coming out this week.

So National Student Money week is good way to be having these conversations about financial struggles especially in a city where it is a bigger issue.