A passion for education

In the 1960s, only 4% of school leavers went to university, but Sussex actively encouraged non-traditional groups of students to apply, welcoming exiles, mature and working-class students. Now, the largest single donation towards supporting undergraduate students at Sussex will benefit students who have been in care through a generous new scholarships programme.

Virginia and Andrew Rudd

We want to encourage care-experienced applicants to come to Sussex, and then to enable them to make the most of their time as students, succeeding academically and graduating with the skills and knowledge to thrive in their lives after university.”PROFESSOR SASHA ROSENEIL
President and Vice-Chancellor

At Sussex, we believe passionately that background should not be a barrier to university and the pursuit of a rewarding and successful future. Research shows that young people who have lived in the care system have significantly poorer educational and life outcomes than the general population on average.

The number of young people in care in the UK has risen significantly in the last decade, with this figure likely to reach 100,000 in the next few years. In a recent survey, the Office for Students estimated that only 13% of pupils who have been in care for 12 months or more enter higher education, compared to a national average of 43% across all student groups.

The generous £600,000 donation from the Rudd Family Foundation is intended to support care-experienced students’ living costs whilst at Sussex, to enable them to make the most of their student experience and fulfil their potential.

Launched in September 2022, nine students from across all disciplines have been awarded £5,000 each year for the duration of their degree. The annual scholarship is named after alumnus Andrew Rudd (Mathematics 1968), a long-term supporter of the University and a former chair and president of the Friends of the University of Sussex, a charity based in the United States.

“Education has always been important to Andrew and our family as a way to expand opportunities and choices in life,” says Jinny Rudd, co-founder of the philanthropic Rudd Family Foundation. “Andrew began his university career as an undergraduate at Sussex and, with his degree and preparation from there, he went on to earn two Masters and a PhD from the University of California in Berkeley CA, which opened a career in academia as a Professor at Cornell University and then in the business world.

“Andrew now suffers from Alzheimer's, but we know he would feel privileged that this scholarship will be made available to help support students who have challenges in their lives, on their educational journeys,” she adds. “In this way, his belief and passion for education can be passed on to students who are just beginning their university careers.”

Speaking about the significance of this new scholarship programme, Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor, commented: “Young people who have experienced the care system are hugely under-represented in higher education, and when they do make it to university, often struggle due to the lack of family support that other students take for granted. We want to encourage care-experienced applicants to come to Sussex, and then to enable them to make the most of their time as students, succeeding academically and graduating with the skills and knowledge to thrive in their lives after university.

“We are extremely grateful to the Rudd Family Foundation for supporting our ambitions for this group of students through the Andrew Rudd Scholarship Programme. It will make an enormous difference to our students, providing them with options and opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.

“Our intention is to build on our long-standing tradition of widening participation in higher education, so that more young people who have experienced care can realise their potential through a Sussex education. The Rudd family’s immense generosity is making this possible.”

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