A hardship fund for Otago Polytechnic students is worth $214,000, but just $12,000 has gone into their pockets so far.
The money needs to be distributed by December.
A three-tier system is in place — grants of less than $100, grants between $100 and $500, and those between $500 and $2000.
Otago Polytechnic board members expressed misgivings on Friday about the level of rent students were facing.
Chief executive Megan Gibbons said some students had lost part-time jobs they had relied on before the Covid-19 crisis.