Emergency Funds Help College Students Deal With A Sudden Financial Crisis

Sometimes students just need a bunch of money. Fast. Now undergraduates can get free cash from a new emergency fund created by a group of philanthropic-minded UC Davis students who hope to raise at least $25,000 this year. Donations to the grant program topped $6,000 in the first week. Last year, 617 students borrowed more than half a million dollars from UC Davis. About half needed an immediate, emergency loan of up to $500. The rest needed slightly more, which takes a few days. Defaulters are barred from registering for courses, and students are turned away altogether if they can't prove they can repay the money within 30 days.Read more at: 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/06/BAHT1NE748.DTL#ixzz1oXIoskmY