Students from all backgrounds can face changes to financial or personal circumstances during their time here, through no fault of their own. Your support will provide a lifeline for students when they need it most.

We’re extremely grateful to those of you who have supported our students. You've helped, for example:

• A student rent a quiet place to study, when they had to provide childcare for their younger sibling during the pandemic.
• Fund private counselling sessions for students struggling with their mental health. Support for counselling has been in high demand in recent years.
• Provide a loan for a student who was plunged into debt after financially supporting a parent.

Changes to personal circumstances can seriously affect a student's academic performance and wellbeing. Often, a grant can be the difference between them staying or dropping out. As you know, students work so hard to get here. It’s vital that they aren’t forced to drop out for preventable reasons.

In any year, the demand for hardship support is high. But the Covid-19 pandemic showed us how unexpectedly everything can change. As we now face steep increases to the cost of living, we expect that demand to increase.

In 2021-22 we spent over £122,000 on hardship grants. That's around £40,000 more than the previous two years. So ensuring we can support every student who truly needs it is more important than ever. You can help us do this. And the more support we have available, the more students we can help.

Hardship grants have ranged in size from £15 up to £15,000. So whatever you can spare today, your gift will make an incredible difference.