Discover your impact in 2023

In the current climate support like yours is vital, not only in providing scholarships for less fortunate students, but also for improving the student experience via Cascade or making sure there are adequate mental health provisions available on campus.

We wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. Your help makes a life-changing difference to a student in need and every penny goes to improving the student experience at Nottingham. Thank you! Please read the article below for more details on how you've made a difference in 2023.

Helping students start their journey at Nottingham

Thanks to your donations for the Nottingham Potential scholarships programme, 148 talented students from all backgrounds were able to say ‘yes’ to their university place this year. Your support for scholarships means bright and determined students can achieve more than they ever thought possible.

A scholarship is often so much more than just financial help. For many of our students who receive a scholarship say it's a vote of confidence, peace of mind and an opportunity to make more out of their university experience by enabling them to become a member of a society or join a sports team.

Over the course of the year, we’ve spoken to several students about how your donations have made a difference to their time at Nottingham. Watch our latest interview with scholarship recipient Albert Salimov below.

Providing mental health support

In November we held our second Nottingham Ambition Giving Day, with more than 450 donors raising more than £68,000. During the 36 hour event on Nov 1-2 a donor gave every eight minutes. Based around the university motto of ‘a city is built on wisdom’, this was an opportunity for alumni to pull together to raise money for scholarships for disadvantaged students, Cascade: student-led projects and medical research at the University of Nottingham.

Another important cause was mental health support at the Student Union. This year you helped raise funds for Nightline, which is a student-run support service that’s available to all University of Nottingham students via phone, text messaging and Skype. This vital service is open 7pm to 8am every night, and 24 hours a day during freshers’ period and exam season.

Rodhan Patke, Second-year Veterinary Medicine & Science Student and Nightline Service Coordinator, explains why Nightline provides such a vital service for those that need it.

"University has been brilliant for me so far, but sometimes we all go through periods where we need a helping hand.

"Nightline is a student listening service, run by students for students. It has been such an important part of my university journey and I wanted to give back to my community by working as a part of the Nightline team. Nightline provides a crucial service for students. We are always just a phone call away when things get tough.

"Running a service like Nightline can be costly, we have to get the message out to students that we are here for them when they need us most. Donations from alumni enable us to grow and be there for more students when they need us most.”

Guiding Lights Event

Earlier this year we held a Guiding Lights event in the Senate Chamber at University Park. Supporters that have pledged a gift in their will, or those interested in leaving a gift, had the opportunity to learn more about the impact leaving a donation can make.

Hosted by Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, guests heard from scholarship recipient Georgina Wilson, as well as special talks on stroke rehabilitation and the university’s progress on becoming a zero carbon campus.

If you’re interested in leaving a gift in your will and becoming one of our Guiding Lights, you can find more details here or call our Alumni Giving Manager Rebekah Spencer on +44(0)115 951 3997.

Supporting Sporting Success

With 42 teams winning their leagues and 16 team national championship titles, Nottingham remains the number one UK University for team sport. We were also named Sports University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time we have been awarded the accolade since 2018.

Boosted by 132 podium finishes from our individual athletes, we finished 2nd overall in the BUCS rankings, posting a record points score of more than 7,800 - nearly 2,000 points clear of our third-place rivals.

Our cohort of sports scholars were instrumental in this year’s success – you supported 174 student athletes (59 postgraduates) to combine their studies with competing at the elite level of their sport. We remain very grateful to those who continue to support these programmes.