A College scholarship set up to attract and support the brightest students will have a record intake next week.

Thanks to the continued generosity of Imperial's alumni community this year 85 of the undergraduate students beginning their academic careers at Imperial will be supported by the Rector’s Scholarship Fund, the highest number since the Fund was established in 2010. This number is set to increase for the academic year 2014-2015, when the Fund aims to support up to 110 students, each of whom will receive the scholarship for the first time as a £3,000 first year award.

In total 300 students demonstrating academic promise and the potential to succeed will have received funding since the programme began. President & Rector Sir Keith O’Nions said:

“I’m delighted that the Scholarships are able to support more students than ever before this year. The generosity of our alumni and other supporters means that the Scholarships will continue to help the next generation of talented students make the most of their time here.

Ang Wan Wei

Ang Wan Wei is due to start studying Medicine next week. She says: “It is a great honour to be awarded this scholarship, which is only made possible by the generosity of the alumni of this amazing university. It has certainly motivated me to achieve further excellence both in my life and studies. Words cannot describe how excited and exhilarated I am to be joining Imperial!”

The Scholarships aim to attract the brightest students from every background, giving additional financial support to ensure they feel able to pursue their studies and activities beyond their degree, such as volunteering, internships or joining clubs and societies.

Kathryn Turner, an undergraduate in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering has completed her first year at Imperial. She said: “I was so relieved when I got the scholarship. It’s taken a lot of stress away. You don’t want to be worried about your finances when you’re studying.  A lot of the donors have studied at Imperial and put the time and effort in, and I want to show them I can do that too. And one day if I do well, then maybe I can help someone in the same position in the future. It’s definitely motivational.”

The Rector’s Scholarship Fund also supports postgraduates through the Imperial College PhD Scholarship Scheme, and last year donated £500,000 towards doctoral research.