Giving

Volunteering has always been at the heart of our institution. The building of our Chapel in the 1840s, on our Exton Park site, was only possible thanks to the volunteering efforts of our students at the time. Volunteering continues to play an important part in the student experience today, and our incredible community of over 90,000 alumni has the power to make a positive impact upon the lives of our students and new graduates. Whether that is through sharing skills, knowledge or networking; when you give your time and talent today, you are helping the graduates of tomorrow reach their full potential.

Why volunteer?

• Create a positive and tangible impact upon our alumni community, the student experience, and the continued development of the institution;
• Develop professionally and personally, while strengthening your skills;
• Gain experience for your CV and career development;
• Meet new people and expand your network;
• Strengthen your connection to the University and our alumni community.

How can I get involved?

We will soon be launching a brand-new Alumni Volunteering Programme, so please keep an eye out for further details coming soon! In the meantime, please get in touch by emailing alumni@chester.ac.uk if you would like to volunteer, whether you have your own ideas, or would like to be involved in any of the following ways:

• Become a case study to inspire others on their academic or professional journey;
• Become a mentor to support our students or new graduates;
• Share your knowledge by speaking at events or workshops;
• Offer opportunities to students or new graduates through your employer or business;
• Contribute to ACH1EVE magazie, The Cestrian or our blog;
• Share your memories or photos from College or University to add to our archive;
• Volunteer at one of our events.

If you would like to show your support but don’t have much spare time, you can always try micro-volunteering. This could be as easy as interacting with us on social media!

This project is all about our graduates sharing their skills and knowledge with those not quite as far along in their journeys, supporting them during their transition out of University and into their graduate careers. This opportunity is open to final year students (Chester Business School and Psychology) and recent graduates.

Feedback from our Graduate Peer Mentoring pilots shows the mentors and mentees feel they developed both professionally and personally, gaining confidence and strengthening skills.

• Mentor Eligibility – Any UoC Graduate who:
  • Either: Graduated from their undergraduate course within the last four years, and is currently employed in a graduate-level job, or running their own business.
  • Or: Graduated from either their undergraduate or postgraduate course between four and ten years ago, and is currently employed in a professional or managerial role, or running their own business, and has at least two years’ experience at this level.
• Mentee Eligibility:
  • Either: A graduate of UoC who finished your most recent course up to 2 years ago, currently unemployed or underemployed
  • Or: a current final year (level 6) student from Chester Business School or the Department of Psychology.

The mentoring live period will run in Spring Term 2023, between February and June. This will include one group training session and one additional group session via Teams, as well as the individual mentoring sessions arranged between mentor and mentee (minimum of one hour per month)

If you’re not eligible, don’t worry – we have plenty of similar opportunities available. If you’re looking for ways to give back or get involved as a graduate, please email alumni@chester.ac.uk, or contact careers@chester.ac.uk to find out about all the ways we can support you in your career development.

• Realising academic ambitions.
• Excelling through a passion for sports or societies.
• Developing exemplary work in and with our communities.
• Becoming citizens who are part of the solutions to today’s challenges.

You can play a part in the stories of today’s students, and their lives as graduates.

The world around the students and graduates of today has changed in ways that no one could have expected. They must continue to acquire knowledge and develop their skills beyond university, in order to accomplish even more in these increasingly uncertain times. We have asked today’s students what they need, and found that with life after university being at the forefront of our students' minds, they want to stand out in the crowded graduate landscape.

We need to provide our graduates with opportunities to grow their skills, expertise and networks to successfully navigate their futures. We want to guide and empower our students, to watch them transform in citizen alumni. We created the ACH1EVE Fund to help them achieve even more during their time at the University of Chester.

This Fund will be open to all students and new graduates for a wide range of activities and initiatives - from funding a trip to national conference for a Teaching student, to funding an opportunity for a Music student to perform at a concert. Students and new graduates can apply for funding starting from £500, increasing to up to £2,000, to enhance their development.

Scholarships

Receiving a scholarship can change a student's life forever. Through the generosity of our donors, scholarships assist outstanding students in three areas of activity: Study overseas, study for a higher degree, and competition for sport at international level. Scholarships have long been part of the institution's mission, and we have been offering opportunities through education throughout our history.

Prizes

The ACH1EVE Prize was established in 2020, in partnership with Art and Design, and is funded by alumni donations. The Prize invites Art and Design students to submit artwork to appear on the front cover of ACH1EVE magazine - the winner also receives a cash prize.

If you would like to make a donation that could help to fund a scholarship or prize at the University, you can make a single or regular donation online.

For further information or to discuss your donation further, please get in touch by emailing giving@chester.ac.uk, or calling 01244 512717.