Since 1975, Leicester Medical School has welcomed thousands of students who go on to serve patients and communities across the UK and beyond. However, today’s medical students are facing unprecedented financial strain.

Since tuition fees were introduced in 1998, costs have skyrocketed.

In a 2025 poll of 294 final-year medical students:

172 reported debts of £60,000+

100 of those had debts over £80,000

A third had applied for hardship funds

43 had even considered leaving the course because of financial pressures

Many describe struggling to cover basic needs such as rent, food, clothing and shoes, or being unable to afford essential resources like revision aids, stethoscopes, or professional development opportunities.

Medicine is a demanding, long course. Medical students often have little or no time for paid work alongside their studies, leaving them even more exposed to financial challenges.

Here’s how your gift can make a real difference:

What your gift could do:

🎓 £15 – Provide a lab coat

🚍 £25 – Help with travel for placements

💻 £50 – Fund electronic learning aids

🩺 £75 – Buy a stethoscope

🍲 £100 – Feed a medical student for two weeks

By donating to the 50th Anniversary Hardship Fund, you will:

- Contribute to an expendable endowment fund which will hopefully last until at least the 100th anniversary of the Medical School *.

- Ease financial stress for medical students

- Help them stay focused on their training

- Empower them to succeed in a career that benefits us all

- Strengthen the healthcare system by ensuring no talent is lost to financial barriers

Help us mark Leicester Medical School’s 50th anniversary by supporting the doctors of tomorrow. Every gift, large or small, will be given to Leicester medical students and will make a difference to their lives.

*If we do not reach the minimum amount required (£20k) then the funds will be held in a non-endowed restricted fund to provide in the short to medium term.