Unlocking opportunities
Our students come from all backgrounds and from across the world, enriching our vibrant community. What unites them is their passion for their subjects and their huge intellectual potential. However, this diversity also means that we have many students who are particularly vulnerable to changing circumstances. With your support we can ‘level-up’ and facilitate equality of opportunity for all our students.
You can make a donation from anywhere in the world via our Giving Online page and find out more about doubling the impact of new gifts for student support through the Harding Challenge.
Case study: hardship grants
One of the most important ways in which our Student Support fund safeguards the wellbeing of our students is through hardship grants that go directly to students experiencing financial difficulty. Economic hardship has an immeasurable impact on the ability of students to engage fully with their learning and to access the many transformative opportunities available during their time in Cambridge.
The Covid-19 pandemic has put a great deal of strain on many students who have lost the sources of funding they depended on to complete their studies and we are immensely grateful to all the alumni and friends who helped us to address our hardship funding shortfall in response to our 2020 Emergency appeal. Going into 2021 the challenges are no less urgent and we hope that with support from our donors we can continue to give students from all walks of life the financial security they need to excel.
“As a first-generation immigrant student from a single income household, pursuing higher education at Cambridge presented itself as a huge challenge. This year especially, with the pandemic, there were a number of unanticipated extra costs. However, I am incredibly grateful for the hardship grant I received from Hughes Hall. Thanks to the generosity of donors, it has lifted a financial weight off my shoulders, helping me continue my education during these unprecedented times and allowing me to confidently claim my place and value at Cambridge.”
You can read more about how the support of our donors can make a difference to students experiencing financial hardship at Hughes Hall.
“Charitable giving is an immensely personal choice but, if you are in a position to do so, I believe donating to the College’s student hardship fund is one concrete starting point towards positive action.”
Case study: digital transformation
Thanks to alumni support in Michaelmas Term 2020, the College has been able to expand our student support to include dedicated ‘digital grants’ in response to growing numbers of students struggling to afford the computer equipment they need for their research and study. These grants are already helping students to purchase specialist software and to quickly replace laptops that have broken down.
The need for the College to secure universal access to essential digital resources for our students has been accelerated by the current pandemic, but it is a need that will continue far beyond it. With dedicated grants and improved communal resources available in College study spaces we can help to ensure that our students are able to fully engage with their education at Cambridge.
