Students must be currently enrolled in the winter 2020 term to be eligible
Ryerson University is offering a student relief fund for students who may need financial assistance as a result of COVID-19.
The Ryerson Student Relief Fund offers $750 to students in financial need. In order to qualify for the fund, students must be currently enrolled in the winter 2020 term. There was no indication if the fund was only for full-time or part-time students.
Students can apply for the fund by logging into Ryerson’s Office of the Registrar portal called AwardSpring, which has a complete list of scholarships and bursaries that students can apply to.
In order to apply, students must create a profile application on the AwardSpring website. According to Ryerson’s COVID-19 financial aid page, students are not required to demonstrate financial need in order to apply.
Students who are applying for the fund will have the option to disclose any financial hardship they are currently facing, with the fund application indicating four options. In addition, the application will also ask students if they have received other relief funding.
“The Ryerson Student Relief Fund is intended to assist students facing financial hardship and/or a financial emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads the description from AwardSpring.
The deadline to apply for the relief fund is April 15, but it is dependent on the amount of demand, as the relief description states that it may become unavailable before the deadline.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians have been out of work to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Only essential businesses are allowed to operate, and others have been required to work from home.
According to an Angus Reid Institute poll released last week, 44 per cent of Canadians have been laid off from work. Eighteen per cent are anticipating losing work. The poll surveyed 1,664 Canadians.
Ottawa also recently announced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit which will provide individuals with $500 a week for up to 16 weeks. Individuals are eligible to apply if they have earned $5,000 in income within the last 12 months. The full requirements to apply for the fund can be found at the Government of Canada’s website.
Nathan Halnin was the audience engagement producer of The Ryersonian during the winter 2020 semester. He managed the social media profiles of the publication and was the media liaison to sources interested in connecting with the news site.