Scholars Fund (US)

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Scholars Fund

With your backing, Exeter’s brilliant students can become the solution to some of the world’s greatest challenges

At Exeter we are working hard to make sure the University is open to everyone with the academic ability, irrespective of their background or financial circumstances. We invest in and support the brightest young minds, in order for us to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, and help forge a greener, healthier and fairer future for everyone.

Our Scholars Fund supports talented young people to come to Exeter, and opens up opportunities for them to fulfil their potential while here. Our efforts are now more important than ever - recent research indicates that students from the UK’s most affluent areas are more than twice as likely to enter higher education than those from the most deprived areas. (Source: Education Policy Institute, 2020).

A donation to our Scholars Fund provides the backing our students need to deliver the breakthroughs, discoveries and innovations the world needs.

How Your Backing Can Help Our Students Forge a Better World

  • 11 supporters giving £5 a month could provide financial relief for Exeter students in need of support during the cost of living crisis
  • 100 supporters giving £10 a month could fund a full three-year Widening Participation scholarship - providing life-changing opportunities
  • 7 supporters giving £15 a month could provide a talented student from a low-income household with the financial support they need to study at Exeter through the Access to Exeter undergraduate bursary

Chinemerem’s Story

Chinemerem grew up in a deprived area of Essex, in a low income household and from an  underrepresented background within Higher Education. As such, she worried that her aspirations of championing human rights may have been out of reach.

But thanks to the generous support of Exeter alumni, Chinemerem’s scholarship is helping her flourish at Exeter, giving her financial security and the opportunity to make her dreams of helping others and creating a fairer society a reality.

“I choose to study law due to the number of careers available after studying this degree as well as how it challenges one to think and solve problems effectively. I love the idea of working in an area such as international human rights law, or for an international organisation like the UN.”

The Impact of Donations

Last year, 117 new students received scholarships and bursaries thanks to donations from Exeter alumni and supporters.

These programmes make an immediate impact through:

  • Helping us to attract students from diverse backgrounds (we work with hundreds of students every year through our ‘Pathways’ programmes – offered to school pupils from year 10 onward)
  • Offering financial support which enables students to focus on their studies, and diminishes the fear of debt
  • Giving recipients a feeling of working in partnership, which is vital to a sense of belonging. Donations give students a sign that they belong at Exeter, and that an individual from the Exeter community believes in their potential.

Without these programmes, many gifted students would be put off applying to Exeter or may be forced to drop out due to financial pressures once they are here. But with donations from our alumni and supporters, these students are now on track to harness their enormous potential, and deliver the solutions we need to forge a better world.

Josh’s Story

Josh recently completed a PhD at Exeter, supported by a scholarship. Josh conducted     cutting-edge research investigating the intricate mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s. His studies     have the potential to pave the way for personalised treatments and improved patient outcomes.

“I was delighted to be awarded a grant to study key molecular components associated with Alzheimer’s disease. My scholarship gave me the ability to live and work at the University, along with an opportunity to learn new techniques and strengthen my skills as a researcher. I am hugely grateful.”

You can give another talented student your backing, and make sure that Exeter remains a place where all students can reach their potential despite their financial circumstances.

When you make a regular gift, you’ll be joining a community of more than 1,400 loyal supporters backing talented young people to thrive at Exeter.

Thank you for helping our students deliver a greener, healthier and fairer future by donating to our Scholars Fund.

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