Zero Hunger
Students Hunger Intervention
The University of Newcastle, through the University of Newcastle Students' Association (UNSA), provides direct, practical interventions to help prevent and alleviate student hunger.
For many students, balancing the demands of full-time or part-time work alongside academic responsibilities can be overwhelming. When financial pressures mount, maintaining a consistent and nutritious diet often becomes difficult, and some students may struggle to keep their fridge and pantry adequately stocked.
To address the increasing issue of food insecurity within the student community in 2025, the UNSA Pantry offered a range of food initiatives that improved access to essential groceries and meals. These interventions included Free Food Friday and the Grocery Hub, helping services are designed to ensure that all students—regardless of their financial situation—have access to the nourishment they need to support their health, wellbeing, and academic success.
UNSA's Free Food Friday
In 2025, UNSA's Free Food Friday services provided students with free groceries each Friday morning during regular semester weeks. Food donations are delivered each week from Oz Harvest and then sorted, packed, and quality-assured by our frontline UNSA Crew. This service was available to current University of Newcastle students at the Callaghan UNSA Building.
Grocery Hub
UNSA’s Grocery Hub provides free access to long-life pantry staples for University of Newcastle students experiencing financial hardship. The service acts as an emergency food-support measure, helping students maintain access to essential groceries when financial pressures affect their ability to purchase food.
Students can access the service once per week, with bookings required at Callaghan Campus and walk-in access available at other locations. At Callaghan, Grocery Hub operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm.
The service is intended as short-term emergency support. Students who require frequent assistance may be referred to other support services to help address ongoing financial or food-security needs.
Grocery Hub is supported through donations from University staff and the wider community, helping provide practical assistance to students experiencing hardship.
Sustain Me
In 2026, the University of Newcastle expanded its support for students experiencing cost-of-living pressures through Sustain Me, an initiative created specifically to improve student access to affordable, nutritious and sustainably produced meals on campus. The program was developed in direct response to student feedback about rising living costs and is partially funded through the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Through partnerships with participating food retailers, students can purchase substantially discounted meals and food options across the University’s Callaghan, Central Coast and Newcastle City campuses. Offers include low-cost meals, toasties, sushi, subs and other breakfast and lunch options, with a student ID required to access the discounted prices.
The scale of the initiative demonstrates its role in improving students’ everyday access to food. The University projects that Sustain Me will provide more than 30,000 meals each semester, with more than 2,000 meals served each week and more than $200,000 in projected savings for students.
Sustain Me provides demonstrates the University’s ongoing and expanded commitment to addressing student food affordability and cost-of-living pressures.
Where else can I get help?
See what help is available to you both at the University of Newcastle and out in the community.
Help at the University
UNSA provides various support, services, and activities for students.
If you’re struggling to make ends meet, check out UNSA’s Free Food Fridays, Grocery Pantry and Free Lunches. You can find the Latest information by visiting the following pages:
Scholarships are awarded to many different kinds of students for a range of purposes. They aren’t just considered based on your academic performance. Perhaps you contribute to the community through sport or music. Maybe you’re from a remote town or have financial difficulties.
Visit our Scholarships Page to find out what’s available and whether you may be eligible.
The University of Newcastle Legal Centre (UNLC) is the centerpiece of the Newcastle Law School’s clinical program. UNLC offers a range of services to the public, including free legal advice and assistance, representation, law clinics and community education seminars. All of the services are overseen by our in-house lawyers and delivered together with law students.
Advice and assistance are provided to clients of the University of Newcastle Tax Clinic by students from the Business School and Law School, under the supervision of experienced tax practitioners and academic staff.
The Tax Clinic is reserved for those that have experienced financial hardship, have a low income and cannot afford to appoint a tax agent to represent them in their tax affairs. Your eligibility will be established at your first appointment.
To request an appointment, contact the clinic:
- Email: taxclinic@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone: +61 2 4921 5030
For information about living on campus, visit our Student Living webpage: Student Living / The University of Newcastle
See Accommodation under Financial Tips for more helpful resources.
If you’re looking for work that you can manage around your studies:
- Contact the Careers Service for help with finding a job, and tips on the application process and preparing for interviews.
- Look at CareerHub for current job listings.
See Work under Financial Tips for more information and resources.
If you don’t have access to a computer at home, the University provides a huge range of IT facilities, including desktop and laptop computers. These are located in dedicated computer labs, libraries and student hubs. You can also access printing, scanning and photocopying facilities.
See here for details of locations and opening hours: IT Facilities - Current Students - The University of Newcastle.
Find out about discounts for computer hardware and free and discounted software available to students.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.