Student Emergency Fund

The Student Emergency Fund (SEF) was established as a partnership between Student Life, Institutional Advancement, and Drexel Central to support students who are in need of immediate financial assistance due to unexpected emergency expenses. The SEF is designed to provide one-time funding for expenses incurred due to temporary hardships such as accidents, illness, death of a family member, natural disasters, or loss of co-op. Our goal is to help students during an emergent time of need to continue their education at Drexel and make progress towards a degree.

These funds are not designed to be used for routine expenses or as a supplement to a student’s educational funding sources. Students who are experiencing long-term financial hardships due to a change in circumstances should review information regarding a Financial Aid Appeal. Requests must be urgent in nature and are usually outside of normal educational expenses, such as tuition, fees, room, and board, as these funds are not meant to cover costs typically addressed by financial aid. An event or unforeseeable circumstance must be the cause of the hardship in order to be eligible for student emergency funds.

Funding is usually limited to under $1,000 and most grants are under $500, which are made payable via refund from the Office of the Bursar. Students must also be enrolled in Direct Deposit. Amounts given will be factored into a student's financial aid package for the academic year. Money received from the SEF does not have to be repaid by the student.

Please note that Drexel Central may not be able to fulfill and/or approve all requests, as funds are limited.

Eligibility

In order to be considered for emergency funding, the following criteria must be met:

• Applicant must be a currently enrolled student at Drexel University.
• Applicant must have an immediate financial hardship resulting from an emergency, accident, or other unexpected critical incidents.
• All other resources (i.e., emergency loans, scholarships, student aid) must have first been exhausted, or determined to be insufficient or unavailable.
• Applicant must have submitted a Student Emergency Fund application and provided appropriate supporting documentation (bills, invoices, statements, etc.).
• Applicant cannot have previously received funding from the Student Emergency Fund.
• Applicant must be enrolled in Direct Deposit for refunds in order for funds to be expedited.

Priority will be given to students whose tenure at Drexel may be at risk because of unexpected expenses.

Application

Any students who would like to apply for emergency funding can submit their request through the link below. Students should provide as many details regarding their circumstances and upload supporting documentation via the application (please do not submit any medical documentation or medical bills).

Apply for Emergency Funding

All requests for Student Emergency Funds are vetted through a review committee at Drexel Central. Students are notified via their Drexel email regarding the committee’s decision.