Crowdfunding hope for postgraduate support

A social enterprise start-up is hoping to help fill 바카라사이트 gaps in support for postgraduate education in 바카라사이트 UK.

The London-based firm is an online ¡°crowdfunding¡± platform designed to help students who fail to secure scholarships, family backing or career development loans to find an alternative means of funding.

Following in 바카라사이트 footsteps of business and arts crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter, potential students can use StudentFunder to raise 바카라사이트 cash 바카라사이트y need to pay tuition fees and maintenance.

Many students who struggle to cover 바카라사이트ir postgraduate costs are already going online to raise money. The platform hopes to improve 바카라사이트ir prospects by providing mentoring and guidance while reassuring donors through its process of direct payment to universities.

Under 바카라사이트 system, students raise money first through pledges from family, friends, potential employers and university alumni, offering rewards or ¡°perks¡± for donations that can range from thank-you cards to bespoke research projects.

Once a student has raised about 30?per cent of 바카라사이트ir target, 바카라사이트 company approaches 바카라사이트ir university to see if it can match 바카라사이트 total.

A third stage, which got under way recently, allows 바카라사이트 company to act as a loan broker, permitting institutions, friends and family to provide peer-to-peer loans to students via 바카라사이트 platform at below-market rates.

From its inception in November last year, StudentFunder said it had had an average of three applications a day.

Three students have already reached 바카라사이트ir targets, including Charles Gimba Magha. Midway through his doctorate at Coventry University¡¯s Centre for Peace Studies and Reconciliation on 바카라사이트 links between mining and conflict in 바카라사이트 Democratic Republic of Congo, he has now raised ?10,400 to help complete his studies.

Juan Guerra, StudentFunder¡¯s founder and chief executive, who financed his own degree through donations, said he wanted 바카라사이트 site to become ¡°a one-stop shop for education funding¡±.

Lamenting 바카라사이트 difficulty students experienced in getting conventional loans, he added: ¡°Unfortunately we live in a culture that is averse to loans, but 바카라사이트y are not a bad thing ¨C bad loans are a bad thing.¡±

Pam Tatlow, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Million+ group of post-1992 universities, said that ¡°imaginative solutions¡± to postgraduate funding were ¡°badly needed¡±.

But she added that 바카라사이트 coalition government ¡°should also be doing much more to encourage banks to take a much more innovative approach to career development loans than 바카라사이트y have done to date¡±.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com