We understand that sometimes things don’t go to plan when studying.
We're here to give you the support you need, be it financial help with a student hardship grant or a graduate support grant, guidance on managing debt and budgeting, or wellbeing support and counselling if everything feels too much.
Find out about the financial support we provide
Student Hardship grant
We understand that students can be particularly vulnerable to changing circumstances and unexpected life events.
You don't have to be a Royal Society of Chemistry member to apply for one of these grants but to be eligible you need to be:
- studying chemistry as an undergraduate or masters student on an RSC-accredited course in the UK or Ireland (please check your course).
- experiencing unexpected hardship or an extenuating change in circumstances, resulting in financial difficulties, since the formal acceptance of your university place. An increase in the cost of living on its own does not meet our Undergraduate Student Hardship Grant criteria.
Graduate Support grant
It’s rare for someone to immediately find a job in their specialist field after graduating, and many people find themselves searching for longer than they hoped.
Graduate support grants give you the time you need to find a role or support you to relocate for a role you secure.
These grants can also cover additional expenses that you may face when looking for employment, such as travel and accommodation for a job interview or help to buy interview clothes.
Graduate support grants give you time if finding that first role is taking longer than you hoped.
Speak with us about a graduate support grant
Here's a story of how a graduate support grant supported an RSC member
A student member, who had recently graduated, reached out to the CCF after being informed by the RSC careers team about our graduate support grant. Due to their university studies, they had been unable to dedicate time to applying for jobs in the chemical sciences, which meant that post-graduation, they were having to live off their limited savings whilst job hunting. At the same time, they also experienced the unexpected death of a parent. The CCF was able to support this member, awarding them both a graduate support grant and further financial grants to support towards their daily living costs as well as the relocation costs for them after they secured full-time employment.
The graduate support grant, provided by the Chemists' Community Fund, came as a welcome relief during a particularly stressful time in my life, where the unexpected death of my father significantly disrupted my plans to look for a new job having recently completed my PhD. The graduate support grant allowed me to stay in the UK to continue my job hunt, and when I did manage to find a job, I also received additional support for moving to my new workplace in England from Scotland. Five years after receiving the support, I am still in full-time employment, and I have been able to manage my finances to build better resilience for future unexpected scenarios. I am grateful to the Chemists' Community Fund for the help they’ve given me to get to this position.
Managing debt and budgeting
Having to manage on a tight budget whilst studying?
We can support you in many different ways, including referring you to expert advice if you are struggling to manage your debts, or need support with budgeting.
If you’re struggling to manage your student finances, you can make use of this budget tracker tool which can help you with keeping track of income and outgoings.
Find out about the wellbeing support we provide
Student wellbeing support
Does student life feel like a lonely place?
If you’re studying chemistry and something is making you feel stressed, worried or overwhelmed and you're not sure what to do – whether that’s managing finances, finding a job after graduation or feeling generally overwhelmed – we’re here for you.
We can help, for free, by giving you access to qualified counselling, pointing you in the right direction for further information, or simply having someone to talk to.
