bursaryfund

I am writing to ask you to consider making a standing order donation of 20 a month to St Annes College. It is some 40 years since I first took my place at this College, as an undergraduate preparing to read Jurisprudence. My time here - and I hope yours too - was life-transforming, opening my eyes to new challenges and opportunities. Looking back, we were the lucky ones. Education was free, and we had our maintenance grants. For todays students our experiences must seem a different world. Most students pay tuition fees in excess of 1,000 a year - and the maintenance grant has been abolished. A survey this year revealed that students now leave university owing 10,000 on average, triple the 1999 figure. It is for this reason that St Annes, in association with the University, launched this autumn the Oxford Bursaries Scheme - the most comprehensive to be offered by any British university. All students who are most in need are now eligible for bursaries worth up to 2,500. Providing this level of student support costs money. To fund the 50 bursaries that will be needed once this scheme is fully up-and-running will cost the College 35,000 each year: that is the equivalent of 875,000 of endowment funds at current interest rates. Achieving such a sum is perfectly possible. St Annes today has 6,000 Senior Members. We need only 570 of you to give 20 a month under Gift Aid, and we will reach that 875,000 in just five years! We recognise that individuals circumstances will vary: some may be able to afford more, others less. All I ask is that those of us who had the privilege of being educated at St Annes give what we can to ensure that our young people can enjoy their college years with financial peace of mind. With all good wishes,

ST ANNES COLLEGE

Dame Ruth Deech

Dame Ruth Deech (Fraenkel, 1962 Jurisprudence) Principal, St Annes College PS: Please dont delay returning the enclosed Standing Order form - your donation really can make a difference.