Alumni and friends have generously donated over £69,000 to enable the University to award a record 23 Development Trust Scholarships to academically gifted students in need of support.

Of the donations, more than £18,000 was received through the annual telephone fundraising programme.

Sarah Hannaford, Head of Student Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions at Loughborough University, said: “Such gifts are enabling us to support an increasing number of students from areas where few young people progress to higher education and therefore form a key component of our endeavours to widen participation.

“A huge thank you to our extended Loughborough Family of alumni and friends who continue to support scholarship provision at the University.”

Once at the University, scholarship recipients have an opportunity to meet with the Vice-Chancellor, donors and the Philanthropy team, which they remain in contact with to provide regular updates on their academic journey and achievements.

This year’s scholars are from a range of subject areas including STEM, social sciences, business and economics, and the arts.

Tracey Mapanda, a Development Trust scholar and recent graduate, said: “Getting a Development Trust Scholarship has been instrumental to my academic and professional achievements. Being able to afford key resources meant that I was well equipped to tackle my studies.

“In conjunction, I could afford to travel long distances for placement interviews and assessments, which led me to a placement at a very successful company in London.

“Knowing that this scholarship was funded by former Loughborough students gave me more drive to succeed and push myself to do the best I can.”

Learn more about supporting scholarships by visiting the Giving to Loughborough webpage. 

The latest edition of the University’s donor magazine, Your Gift, also shows how donations make a difference at Loughborough.