Nearly 125 years ago, Birmingham became England’s first civic university with our heart and our roots in the city. A place where bright students from all backgrounds could come and cultivate their talents.
You might remember Birmingham as the place where you gained the vital skills and knowledge for your career. Perhaps it is where you discovered a new hobby or interest. It might be a place you recall through the time you spent with friends, or even the place you met the love of your life.
It is a place that helps people to define who they are and who they want to be.
The ongoing support from our alumni community continues to transform the lives of students and grant opportunities that otherwise may have been missed, helping the next generation to experience Birmingham and all it has to offer.
Following the same path
Pathways to Birmingham (P2B) is a suite of programmes, supported by our alumni community and friends, aimed at pupils from non-selective state schools across the West Midlands who are keen to increase their knowledge of and exposure to university life and study. These programmes also offer help with applications, decision-making and financial support.
Central to this programme are the P2B scholarships given to talented students who otherwise might not be able to access a university education.
Since 2007, alumni have helped offer an incredible total of 7,415 scholarships. That's thousands of lives that have been changed by generous alumni who have given what they can, so more students can follow in their footsteps and study here.
These life-changing scholarships not only help students to access a University of Birmingham education, but also to thrive.
A scholarship can give them the support and flexibility, in particularly challenging times with the cost-of-living crisis, to fully explore the benefits of studying at Birmingham. Some respondents to our recent P2B scholarship survey said that, without the scholarship support, they would struggle to pay for commuting to campus, or required equipment and materials for their studies.
Not only do the students themselves benefit, but these talented young people go on to achieve great things for the benefit of society as the doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, musicians, policymakers and inspiring leaders of the future.
Saba (BSc Business Management with Year in Industry) has first-hand experience of a Pathways to Birmingham scholarship: 'My scholarship helped so much with the financial cost of being at university. I was also able to take up an internship at a start-up company without worrying about how much I was paid and make a big impact, which led to me being offered an important role at another company. Thanks to my scholarship I'm now at a place in my life I'm very proud of.'
So many of our generous alumni have helped to inspire the next generation of Birmingham students. As Saba and other scholars can attest - this is the place where you can change a life.