Dean of Student Life

Sun setting over Viking Pavilion

General Student Emergency Fund

General Student Emergency Fund is closed and will reopen Fall Term 2024. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please check out other emergency funds around campus for support. 

The General Student Emergency Fund (GSEF) offers short-term financial assistance to Portland State University students during a time of crisis by providing financial support when needed. Unlike other hardship funds that currently exist at PSU, this one time fund is available to all students, regardless of major or demographics. These funds keep students in school, preventing them from dropping out due to a short-term financial crisis.  Please note: The General Student Emergency Fund may be accessed once during a student’s academic career. Awards may not exceed $1,500 and does not have to be repaid. Funding will be disbursed within two weeks of an application being approved. The GSEF unfortunately cannot be used for tuition, books, dorm expenses, or fees.

To start the application process for the GSEF, please read all the information on this webpage and then send an email to basicneedshub@pdx.edu with the following information:

  • Student ID
  • Major
  • Academic Year (ex. Sophomore, 1st year Grad Student, Senior in their last term)
  • Type of emergency: Housing, Food, Medical, Transportation, Childcare, Technology, and/or Other.

We are asking this information to make sure you meet eligibility requirements and to let you know of other resources available to you. You do not need to explain your hardship to us as we are not the ones who look over the applications. We are only facilitators. 

The Basic Needs Hub response time is 3-7 business days.

What is covered?

  • Replacement of essential personal belongings due to fire, flood, theft, or natural disaster
  • Emergency or temporary housing assistance
  • Medications or costs related to emergency medical care (not covered by insurance)
  • Assistance with food, rent, or utilities due to an emergency situation
  • Childcare costs
  • Emergency transportation costs related to a family death or illness
  • Safety-related needs (e.g. changing locks, short term emergency shelter)
  • Other emergencies impacting a student's ability to fully participate in their PSU academic career

Eligibility Criteria

In order to request funds from the General Student Emergency Fund, students must be currently:

  • Enrolled at PSU at least half-time and have completed one term at PSU. 
  • In good academic standing (2.5 term GPA or above for previous term)
  • Experiencing an unexpected financial hardship resulting from an emergency or crisis situation
  • Able to provide documentation of their financial hardship, if needed (e.g., billing statements, receipts, repair estimates)
  • Using up all other possible financial aid and financial resources before applying (e.g., department funds, student loans, Medicaid, personal financial accounts, community resources)
  • Never accessed the fund before during your college career

Please note: applications will be reviewed and prioritized in the order in which they are received. Once we have met our application limit, we will allow students to sign up for a waitlist to be considered if there are remaining funds to be awarded.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, Basic Needs Hub staff maintain a broad knowledge of emergency aid resources across the PSU campus and greater Portland metro area. For more information on these resources, please send an email to basicneedshub@pdx.edu.