If you’re a student in financial need, this Pitt fund can help

When it comes to weathering a financial crisis, Pitt students don't have to go it alone.

The University's Student Emergency Funding and Meal Assistance Program provides short-term monetary assistance for students facing urgent, unforeseen circumstances and connects them with additional campus resources.

The goal of the fund, administered by the Office of the Vice Provost and the Dean of Students, is to help students overcome obstacles to their well-being without interruption to their academic pursuits.

In 2025, 483 students received emergency assistance for a range of unexpected issues, including emergency medical or dental expenses, past-due utilities facing a shutoff, sudden loss of housing or imminent eviction, loss of childcare and travel related to the loss of an immediate family member. Students in need may request up to $1,000 of emergency assistance funding by completing a form on the Division of Student Affairs website.

The University established student emergency funding in 2020 in response to unexpected economic challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, said MariSol Little, director of care and resource support in the Division of Student Affairs.

"While the pandemic was a specific event, we recognized that students would continue to face challenges," she said.

For one MBA student who was in a serious accident over the summer, Pitt-provided support covered rent, groceries and transportation to follow-up appointments, allowing him to start the semester on time instead of taking a leave.

"[After my accident], everything stopped at once; I couldn't work my on-campus job, I had rent due and I was staring at medical bills I didn't know how to read," he said.

"The first week after the accident, I was mostly thinking about how I was going to pay for things. Once that was handled, I could think about healing and about school again. I'm back in class, back at work and recovering quickly," he added.