The campaign to raise £60 million for the University of Surrey 
The Future Says aim high
Student hardship
Today’s students are tomorrow’s inventors, engineers, scientists, creatives and leaders. With your help, we’ll support every one of them.
What’s the problem?
The worst of the pandemic is hopefully over. But its fallout will hit students for some time yet.
Many will struggle to find part-time work to subsidise their studies. Some have parents who’ve lost jobs and can no longer provide financial help.
Other worrying trends support this prediction:
- Our University Hardship Fund has seen a 33% increase in applications when compared to the previous year.
- The Office for National Statistics found that between February 2020-2021, 693,000 fewer people in the UK were in paid work – 437,000 of those were under 25.
Negotiating the landscape ahead will be fraught for students.
What we’re trying to do
A 2020 Save the Student poll found that 36% of those surveyed considered leaving their degrees due to the financial burden of university. We want to ensure that is a position no Surrey student ever finds themselves in.
Since 2005, we’ve awarded hardship grants worth a maximum of £4,000 to almost 1,000 students. These awards are often the difference between continuing a degree or a student being forced to leave education.
As PhD researcher and young mum Leah explains: “I can’t overstate how crucial these grants are to people at certain points due to unforeseeable difficulties.
“Many students live with precarity hanging over them. The grant was life-saving at the point it came for me.”
Who benefits?
We’ve supported a wide variety of students, including:
- Veterinary medicine student George, who lost his part-time job during the pandemic, threatening his ability to undertake course placements.
- Business Management undergraduate Elizabeth, who faced triple trouble. Her parents could no longer support her education, she needed money to fly home and she had to pay rent on a house she was unable to live in.
Why we need your help
Some of our graduates become prominent figures and thought leaders in medicine, science, engineering and the arts. Others contribute to society as nurses, teachers, researchers and creatives.
Together, we’ll ensure we can support those most in need so they can finish their education and fulfil their potential, regardless of unexpected financial problems.
We’ll also look at innovative ways in which we can provide additional expertise, advice and support.
“I’m grateful the hardship fund exists. Everyone who donates to this is doing a wonderful job, supporting people that really need financial help. Thank you.”