Exeter smashes fundraising record, raising more than £15 million in single year

More former students are giving than ever before, but donations have come from a variety of sources and from far and wide; from Devon and Cornwall and from people living thousands of miles away. The funds from individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations will support projects, research and students across all disciplines at the University’s Exeter and Cornwall campuses.

Highlights include transformational donations to secure a new imaging centre for dementia research, hosting the latest generation PET and MRI scanners at the RD&E Hospital; a 20-year scholarship programme for the Camborne School of Mines; support for research into Classics and Ancient History; and the receipt of legacies to support the University’s Exeter Forever endowment fund. 

The University has also received multiple donations to support scholarships, from undergraduate level through to PhDs, so that the brightest students can realise their potential irrespective of their financial background. Sports facilities and the activities of student societies have benefitted from donor support.

One of our students grew up in care and spoke of the impact of this support: “Getting confirmation of my place at Exeter to study medicine was a very exciting moment, but even though I had been studying hard to achieve my place it was still in doubt, as I was unsure if I could be able to afford to cover the costs. I thought that I might not be able to come to university at all or I would have to struggle to find work that I could fit in around my timetable and not be able to make the most of university life. To be awarded the scholarship felt like a dream and as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.”

Exeter alumnus and Chair of the University’s Campaign Board, Gerry Brown (Economics & Economic History, 1966), said: “The support for our Campaign this past year has been exceptional. We have witnessed the most successful 12 months for philanthropy in the University’s history. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported our work, to all the volunteers on the Campaign Board and to those within the University who have helped make this happen.”

Dr Shaun Curtis, Director of Global Advancement at the University of Exeter, said: “It is wonderful and also incredibly humbling to see such levels of philanthropic support. So much of this comes from alumni supporting their alma mater through regular monthly gifts and these donations combine to have a transformational impact on our work. Thank you to all our donors for their outstanding generosity.”

‘Making the Exceptional Happen’ is the University of Exeter’s most ambitious fundraising Campaign.  It launched publically in February 2017 with the aim of raising £60 million and 60,000 volunteering hours by 2020.  The current totals (as of August 2018) stand at £44.5 million and 62,000 volunteering hours. Get involved at www.exeter.ac.uk/exceptional