Help students thrive

Pathways to Birmingham (P2B) is the University's flagship initiative that supports students from under-represented backgrounds in applying to the University of Birmingham.  

Students who successfully complete a P2B programme and meet their standard entry offer are eligible to receive a P2B scholarship, providing £1,500 financial support each year of their studies.

P2B scholarships are largely funded through generous donations from alumni and supporters. It would cost £4,500 to fully fund one scholar on a standard three year degree.

Parents play such a big role in helping young people succeed at university, giving them somewhere to live between terms, money for food and travel, a safety net if money runs out, help to move in and so much more. For many young people leaving care, missing out on this support can make university an impossibility.

Whilst the University offers financial support to care leavers through the Enhanced Chamberlain Award, this is sometimes not enough to cover the full cost of living and studying at university. 

The Care Leavers Scholarship, funded through generous donations from supporters, offers an additional £2,000 per academic year (plus a one-off £500 upon graduating) that can make a huge difference. Unlike the Enhanced Chamberlain Award, the number of Care Leaver Scholarships we can give is limited to available funds.

By donating to support care leavers, you could help us ensure that support is offered to every student applying for additional support. 

For young carers, the transition to university can come with extra challenges and pressures. The responsibility of taking care of a family member can mean that some young carers have their educational progress disrupted as a result of poor attendance. Our goal is to ensure that these students can thrive in their studies, even if they have caring responsibilities.

In addition to the advice and support offered by the University, young carers can benefit from additional financial support. Receiving financial support means that young carers don't have to rely on part-time work, which is often unrealistic alongside their caring responsibilities. One of the costs many of our young carers use the additional funding towards is commuting costs, as it is not uncommon for young carers to have to live at home during their time at university or to have to travel home more often from halls.

The Young Carer Award offers £2,000 per academic year. Our community of supporters are already supporting young carers through generous donations.

The University of Birmingham is a University of Sanctuary - awarded to institutions which commit to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for asylum seekers.

Our Sanctuary Scholarship programme offers a full tuition fee waiver, £5,000 per year stipend, and accommodation for successful undergraduate and postgraduate students who have sought refuge in the UK. Students with a live asylum claim, who have not yet been granted refugee status, are unable to access public funding. The Sanctuary Scholarships offer them an opportunity to study when they may have previously had their education disrupted due to conflict in their home country, and often with minimal financial support from elsewhere.

It costs up to £25k per year to fund one sanctuary scholar. The support of our university community can help ensure these opportunities can be offered to bright and promising students.

Student researchers want to end poverty, fight inequality and stop the spread of disease. They have spent years studying the problems and the complexities, and they are ready to dedicate another three or four years to finding tangible solutions. All they need is the opportunity.

Funding can be difficult for postgraduate researchers. You could help give a postgraduate student a Global Challenges PhD scholarship, covering fees and living costs so they can focus on the world's big problems without worrying. These scholarships will enable the most talented PhD students to pursue cutting-edge research.

We have a fantastic community of volunteers across the globe who have given their time and skills to support students at Birmingham. From offering work experience and internships, to delivering guest lectures and becoming a mentor to students, explore the ways you could volunteer your expertise.

For example, the Alumni Leadership Mentoring Programme (ALMP) has been designed to support students to navigate their ambitious early career in their chosen field. The programme provides students with the exclusive opportunity to be mentored 1-2-1 by a University of Birmingham alumnus who is a senior leader within their field. 

Mentoring is a great way to help shape our future graduates and prepare them for employment. Find out more about mentoring. 

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong at Birmingham. In 2021, the University launched a state-of-the-art incubator, UoB Elevate, based at The Exchange in Birmingham City Centre. UoB Elevate connects passionate students and recent graduates with alumni expertise and support. We offer a variety of funding opportunities, such as the Elevate Impact Scholarships that provide funding and mentoring over a 12-month period, and smaller Elevate Seed Funding awards to help get brilliant ideas off the ground.

If you'd like to offer students and new graduates the chance to make their business ideas a reality, then please talk to us about supporting entrepreneurship.

Youth mental health is a global concern. In the UK, young people have to wait around ten years between experiencing their first symptoms of mental health issues and receiving help. Early intervention could prevent decades of illness, supporting a satisfying and productive life.

We have already launched projects that support the mental health of students at Birmingham. Pause drop-in sessions are run on-campus by trained and experienced workers, and gives students the opportunity to talk about anything that may be worrying them. In 2021, Better Than Well was set up thanks to philanthropic donations. The programme offers a safe and anonymous space for students to discuss their experience of addiction.

The University of Birmingham is also working on some leading research into youth mental health. We have joined forces with HSBC UK and Birmingham Children’s Hospital to take action on childhood bullying. Together we are investigating the scale of bullying in schools and piloting an internationally-recognised intervention programme that reduces bullying. 

You could give directly to support youth mental health. Discover wider research at Birmingham.