The Alumni Fund: Creating opportunities for the next generation
"Your donations fuel the University, making it more than just a place of learning - a massive and amazing part of every student's life. They take this University from a pencil sketch to an oil painting; still a beautiful artwork, but with greater depth and personality, and certainly more appealing to experience.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please don't stop your excellent work, because it really does make such a difference." - Sarah Nixon, UG English Literature, Alumni Fund Scholarship recipient.
When you look back on your University days, what do you remember most? Revising in the Library? Nights out in the Union? Meeting your new friends, or even your current partner, perhaps?
Whatever you remember most, it´s probably a fair bet that it involved a new experience or opportunity. You may even still be using many of the skills and experiences you gained in Sheffield in your everyday work and personal life today.
For an increasing number of students nowadays, even just getting the opportunity to go to university can be a struggle because of their financial or personal circumstances. And for many students, opportunities whilst they are at University are growing ever more restricted by the amount of part-time work they need to undertake to fund their studies.
For instance, did you know that:
- The tuition and living costs for a typical undergraduate student at Sheffield today total nearly £9,000 per year.
- 30% of Sheffield students come from households where the total income is less than £25,000 per year.
- 49% of students who hold down part-time jobs during term-time work between 11 and 20 hours per week (Sodexo Student Lifestyle Survey 2008).
- The average rent for a private house in Sheffield is now around £70 per week, which means that today’s students must find almost £3,500 per year for their rent alone.
- The University receives over 800 applications per year for hardship support.
We want to ensure that the next generation of students, no matter what their background, are able to benefit from all that a Sheffield education has to offer - first-class study facilities, opportunities to develop their extra-curricular skills, and financial support in the form of scholarships, for those who need that extra bit of help to fulfil their potential.
As a former student, you can help us to do this - by making a donation to the Alumni Fund. To find out more, click on the links below, or click on the right-hand side to donate online.
What has the Alumni Fund achieved so far?