Misunderstandings regarding access to Magdalen College’s Student Support Fund have prompted the JCR to advertise the fund, in light of a possible increase in student rents.
Magdalen has a Student Support Fund (SSF) of over £7 million to assist students in financial difficulty. The fund was launched in 2003 to ensure that no students abandons their course because of financial hardship.
The college website states, “These awards are invaluable to ensure students selected to study at Magdalen can actually get the degrees they deserve.”
Some students suggested that not many students have applied for the SSF. JCR President Amelia Ross told Cherwell, “With the development of the Oxford Opportunity Bursary in the last few years the remit of the Student Support Fund at Magdalen has changed slightly, which has led to some confusion in the JCR. Since awards from the fund are made at the Dean’s discretion for those who need it the most, there is no hard and fast rule as to the circumstances under which it should be claimed.”
Nevertheless, Ross emphasised that Magdalen students have been accessing college funding: “Last year, Magdalen awarded more than £330,000 in grants to help students with living and research costs and in the time since the fund has been established, to my knowledge no student has had to leave Magdalen on financial grounds.
“The JCR is currently working with the Deans to change the layout of the form and the advice and information that is provided about the fund so that the money that is available always goes to the students who need it most.”
Last term, Magdalen students boycotted their hall in response to a raise in their Hall subsidy to a termly fixed charge of up to £50. Undergraduate rooms for 2012-2013 cost just under £3675 a year.
Some students have also suggested that the college has used the existence of the SSF to justify putting up rents, which are expected to rise by five per cent this year. One Magdalen student claimed, “It’s ridiculous for college to be trying to raise our rents again; just because we haven’t all been applying for extra financial support doesn’t mean we’re rich. I really hope the JCR is successful in renegotiating the situation with college. With higher hall prices and now this attempt to raise our rent, Magdalen clearly isn’t dispelling its image as an elitist college.”
