The impact of scholarships

As the University of London embarks on its next five-year strategy, we recommit to our mission to promote access to education and ensure those who have the skill, aptitude and desire to study for a worldclass degree are able to do so, regardless of their personal or financial circumstances. These values have always been at the very heart of the University, as we were founded to provide access to education for those who were excluded from higher education at that time.

Scholarships and bursaries provide vital support for University of London students who otherwise would not be able to afford the cost of their studies, enabling them to complete their degrees and fulfil their potential.

Over the years, the Convocation Trust has provided funding for several scholarships, thanks to generous support given by members of the former Convocation. We spoke to Nathan Deschamps, a recent scholarship recipient from Canada who is studying with the University’s School of Advanced Study, who shared what this support means to him.

It is with the deepest gratitude that I wish to express my sincerest thanks for gracing me with the Convocation Trust Scholarship. As I indicated in my applications, I do not come from a family of means. Consequently, my time studying has depended on receiving support. The cost of living in London is so high that had I not have received the scholarship, I cannot imagine how I would have afforded the rent here.

The vote of confidence I felt on the day that I opened the email informing me that I had received the award was, and remains, a source of motivation. Over this most difficult year, I have spent time reflecting on how fortunate I am to be here as well as the ways in which my time here has been intellectually and personally transformative. Had I not have received your support, I would not have taken the financial risk to come here, and had I not have come here, I would not have gone through with my PhD applications. On that note, in February I received two fully funded offers of admission to Stanford and to Princeton for their Early Modern European History programmes. I chose Stanford.

I therefore wish to express, once more, my deepest thanks for helping me get over here to London. I would not have nearly as much to look forward to if I had not spent the last year immersed in such a wonderful, supportive scholarly community.

Nathan Deschamps, MRes in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History student at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study

To learn more about the work of the Convocation Trust, visit: london.ac.uk/about-us/convocation-trust

For more information about supporting the University, please visit london.ac.uk/support or contact the Development Office on +44 (0)20 7863 1340.