Record levels of financial support for students coming to Sussex
New figures show that, despite increased fees, more money than ever before is available to help students coming to the University of Sussex meet the costs of university life.
The University of Sussex spent more than £5 million on scholarships and other measures to widen access to higher education during 2012-13, the first year of charging £9,000-a-year tuition fees, according to a national report published yesterday (Thursday 17 July).
The report by the Office of Fair Access (OFFA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is the first to assess how well universities and colleges responded to the challenge of improving access for low-income and other underrepresented groups in 2012-13.
The figures show that Sussex invested more than £4 million in financial support for students, with the majority going towards the University’s award-nominated First Generation Scholars scheme. This provided a £5,000 financial support package for students with a family income of less than £42,600, including a £1,000 bursary each year and either a £2,000 (£50 a week) rent reduction or a £2,000 fee waiver in the student’s first year.
Nearly half (1,260) of new undergraduates in 2012-13 benefitted from the scheme, with 920 of those receiving the full financial package. The other 340 recipients did not qualify for the financial support but were the first in their family to go to university and so have access to the non-financial support, which includes study-skills support, careers and leadership coaching, work-study opportunities and internships.
The University also spent £750,000 on outreach activities, such as visits, talks and workshops for schoolchildren.
Since the period covered by the report, the University has further expanded its activities and will spend £8.1 million in 2014-15 to ensure that talented students from all backgrounds can enjoy a Sussex education.
Professor Clare Mackie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), said: “We designed our scholarship to help our students meet the costs of university life during the three or four years that they are with us. Many universities offer fee waivers, but these only help you once you graduate and are earning more than £21,000.
“By receiving a £1,000-a-year cash bursary and the option to take a £50-a-week rent reduction or a fee waiver in their first year, our First Generation Scholars can get money in their pocket when they need it most.
“We also work extremely hard to help our students adjust to university life and complete their studies, especially during the first couple of terms, which are often the most challenging for students with no family experience of higher education.”
When the new students arrive on campus this September, there will be around 4,000 undergraduate students on the First Generation Scholars scheme and the first cohort of scholars will graduate next summer.
One of those is Rachel Molloy. She has just finished the second year of her Psychology degree at Sussex and is currently halfway through a 10-week summer internship, funded by the University, at Brighton-based marketing company MiShop.local Ltd.
She feels that the opportunity has made her more employable. She says: “I believe this internship has massively increased my chances of getting a job, especially in this field, as so many jobs want people to have 'experience'. It is always frustrating when you do not get a job because you do not have experience, when you just need someone to give you that experience in the first place! From this job, I can confidently say on my CV and in an interview all the new skills I have learnt and the responsibilities I have been given and succeeded at.
“I would recommend an internship to anyone because doing an internship in the field you think you want to go into gets you great experience and boots your CV. It also makes you realise whether it is the path you want to go down. There is also potential to get a job with the place where you did your internship and many are paid internships! Finally, an internship shows that you are keen to learn and work hard, which every employer looks for.”
Rachel is one of 80 First Generation Scholars currently undertaking a 10-week internship as part of the scheme.