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Many thanks to everyone who's worked with UCAS this year
We never take the support of our customers for granted. As a thank you to you and to help support some amazing projects, we'll be donating to three charities whose values and missions align with our own. During 2021 our work and research highlighted some key causes students care about and challenges they face, which has helped inform our charity choices this Christmas:
Learn more about the fantastic work each of these charities:
SOS-UK: Students Organising for Sustainability UK
Why we're supporting them:
Back in March our Student Lifestyle Report highlighted that sustainability issues really matter to students when it comes to what they spend their money on and the brands they favour:
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Asked what they think the next big brand trend will be, students' top pick wasn't a specific brand but about their principles: 'any brand that is sustainable or environmentally friendly'.
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Nearly half of students said they'd decided to not purchase an item they were interested in because of the company's unsustainable production practices.
We're delighted to support a charity working not only for a cause we know students care deeply about, but that is actually led by students themselves.
Mind
Why we're supporting them:
In June our report, 'Starting the Conversation', revealed there has been a big shift in students' willingness to talk about their mental health over the last decade, but there's still much to do to remove the stigma:
- The number of UK applicants to UCAS that shared a mental health condition has increased by 450% since 2011.
- Nearly half of the students with an existing mental health condition entering higher education in 2020 chose not to share this information with their university or college.
With one in four people experiencing a mental health problem every year, it's fantastic to support an organisation that makes such a difference to so many of us.
Save the Children
Why we're supporting them:
Our October application data showed more disadvantaged students applied to the most selective universities and courses (which have the early, Oct 15 deadline) this year, but the numbers are still far behind those applying from advantaged backgrounds:
- 3,030 of the most disadvantaged students (POLAR4 quintile 1) applied, up 8% from 2,800 last year.
- 17,570 of the most advantaged (POLAR4 quintile 5) applied, up 1% from 17,410 last year.
We know early education is vital to raising ambitions and improving outcomes in later life, so we wanted to support a charity that really helps children to discover and develop their love of learning whatever adversities they face.
