Thank you to everyone who donated to this appeal – we are absolutely delighted that it reached the target of £20,000, raising essential funds to provide financial aid to students adversely affected by the pandemic. Your support is greatly appreciated by us all here at Exeter – thank you!

Thank you to all the alumni and supporters who have donated to help students facing hardship during the pandemic - it means such a lot.

Below is a recent press release about the scheme that you have kindly supported...

University of Exeter students affected by coronavirus given £1 million in hardship and emergency funds

The University of Exeter has distributed £1m in hardship and emergency funding to students most significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The financial support, which has been available since the first lockdown last Spring, is helping those most in need to continue studying in these difficult times. The funding for students started as an emergency scheme last Spring, and evolved into the current Success for All Fund at the beginning of the Autumn Term. Funding is fast-tracked for those on the lowest household incomes, and includes emergency funding, ongoing support for students facing continued hardship and IT bursaries to buy computer equipment for students facing digital poverty. The money has been used to pay for accommodation, bills and groceries. Students have faced hardship because of loss of employment and the end of financial support from parents and carers, as well as additional costs in relation to coronavirus.

More than 1,000 payments have been made from the scheme, which is partly funded through the generosity of University of Exeter alumni and a gift from Santander Universities UK in addition to core university funds.

In a survey of recipients after the first lockdown, 82 per cent said the help was very important in helping them to continue their studies and 46 per cent believed receiving financial help had prevented them from becoming homeless.

Nicola Sinclair, Head of Widening Participation and UK Student Recruitment, said: “The fund has offered a financial lifeline for students, and is helping to improve their material wellbeing and mental health and ability to study. It means those at risk of having to leave their studies are remaining at university.

“We are grateful for the support of alumni, their contributions are making a big difference to people’s lives.”

One student said: “I am so thankful to the university, they saved me. They saved me from being homeless and starving. The generosity of those involved in getting the fund was amazing. I am so proud to be a part of this university who really came together to help students like myself.”

Another said: “It really was a life saver for me. I was really worried about how I was going to manage after losing my jobs. This funding allowed me to be able to not worry so much as things got sorted during a very unsure and scary time.”

Janice Kay, Provost, said “We are a University that is striving to be the most inclusive and diverse institution it can possibly be, and this initiative has been vital in helping us support members of our community who have been disproportionality affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. We are very grateful to our Alumni donors, alongside Santander Universities UK, whose generosity has made the Success for All Fund possible.”

Professor Tim Quine, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), said: “Since the escalation of the pandemic in March 2020 we have been acutely aware of the many impacts on our students and have focused on mitigating those impacts wherever possible. We know that for some, individual circumstances have made the pandemic been especially challenge and that, therefore, individual support is needed to enable them to continue their engagement with education, to succeed and to achieve their goals upon graduation. The Success for All fund has been established to provide that individual support and is therefore critical in enabling us to do the right thing by our students, and we are extremely grateful for the support of all donors who have made it possible.”

Thank you to the 75 alumni who have donated already - in less than 48 hours since launching the appeal we are half way towards our goal!

Thank you to everyone who has given to this appeal already - you truly are making a difference to the lives of students at Exeter. Messages from a couple of students:

“Thank you so much for even thinking to do this. It has lifted a weight from me. I cannot say thank you enough.”

“That's such a help and a huge relief! I really appreciate how much the university has done for me during this time.”