An international student in Nottingham has described the hardships he has faced while in lockdown away from home and the support he has been given by his university.

Being short of funds has meant Abiola Lotun, a mature oncology MA student at the University of Nottingham, has had to walk for about an hour from Beeston every time he wants to shop at his favourite stores in Radford.

The part-time job on campus he had been working since September is no longer offering work and so Abiola has had to "look at other opportunities to be funded."

A £300,000 'Covid-19 Student Hardship' fund has been allocated by the University of Nottingham for the purpose of helping students facing hardship in the pandemic and to support them with living and studying costs such as buying food or equipment like a laptop.

Abiola Lotun, a 43-year-old mature Oncology MA student at the University of Nottingham. Pictured here at a scholarship ceremony.

Abiola is originally from south-western Nigeria and is currently living in private halls in Beeston.

The 43-year-old said: "I stayed in Nottingham during the lockdown because I had exams still and thought studying here would be better for me.

"Before then, I thought that staying here would be the best idea because I was also worried about travelling back to Nigeria during a pandemic. It felt there was no point and it was safer here.

"I've mainly just been staying in my accommodation but there are a few occasions on which I have to step out, like going shopping.

"Since the pandemic, I've been having issues paying for my rent - which is around £516 a month - without being able to work.

"When you have limited finances at your disposal, you have to make sacrifices and I have had to stop paying for public transport when I go to Radford, so instead I walk there which takes about an hour.

"It all meant I had to look at other opportunities to be funded and supported."

As an international student, Abiola does not receive a loan like students form the UK are able to apply. Instead, he must self-fund his way through his education and has done so partly by taking up a part-time job with Unitemps.

That job - where he worked in various roles on campus including catering - has not been available to him since lockdown and was one of the reasons he applied for financial help.

Abiola - who has not been back home to Nigeria since September - added: "During the lockdown, the university management has on several occasions made efforts to make sure people like me are okay and feel relaxed. They don't want us to have any concerns that will impact our learning.

"Through the financial support team, the university came up with the idea that students - a lot of whom are from abroad - may be in difficult circumstances especially if they would not be able to get back home.

Beeston Lane entrance to the University of Nottingham campus

"I found out about the fund through a friend who was also applying so I did too because I thought it could help me.

"After considering my case and after around three weeks, the finance team got back to me and said my application was successful. I got an initial £250 then and it's currently being looked at if I can get any more assistance."

More than 200 students have so far applied for emergency financial assistance directly as a result of the pandemic, with 60 requests for help based on anticipated hardship which cannot be supported at this time.

Abiola has sent the university finance team his bank statements to see if he can get further help with his expenses.

The Student Hardship Fund aims to cover the living expenses that a student may be struggling to meet in the current circumstances.

The oncology student said: "It would be wonderful if there's a way that I can be given further help because of things like my accommodation that I must pay for, but I know there's a lot of students who need help too.

"Anyone who is ambitious or has dreams has to show some resilience so that's what I'm trying my best to do.

"The University of Nottingham is a truly global institution and regardless of the cultural background or ethnicity of the individual in their academic community, there's a level playing field for all.

"Everyone deserves equal opportunities at universities and with their education."

Given the current circumstances,, the University of Nottingham has launched a fundraising appeal to help ensure it can support more students who have been affected by Covid-19 and to raise funds to support its research activity.

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Professor Shearer West, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, said: "Our Student Services team is providing urgent support to help ensure the students hit hardest by the financial impact of the pandemic can continue their studies.

“The world has dramatically changed for us all in such a short period of time. I am incredibly proud of the many ways our community is leading the fight against Covid-19.

“Our talented researchers are undertaking essential work to protect us against future outbreaks and develop new treatments to care for those suffering from the disease.

“Nottingham is in a unique position to help tackle the pandemic, but access to flexible funding is essential.”

Students hoping to receive financial help through the hardship fund should contact the University of Nottingham finance team.

Members of the public can donate to the University of Nottingham's hardship fund by visiting it’s Covid-19 fundraising page: https://alumni.nottingham.ac.uk/a/covid-19-emergency-appeal