Student Experience Fund allocated once more this year
The terms of the fund, which is expected to expand, are currently unchanged.
The Imperial College Union opened its Student Experience Fund (SEF) for the third consecutive year.
The SEF, which was relaunched on Thursday 23rd October, automatically provides students on an Imperial Bursary with an allowance that can be used to make payments through the Union Shop, such as society memberships or Union event tickets.
The allocation varies based on the receiver’s household income band, ranging from £20 for incomes between £60,000 and £70,000 to £70 for incomes under £16,000. These are unchanged from last year.
Imperial Bursaries are handed out to home undergraduate students only, meaning overseas and postgraduate students are currently excluded from the SEF. Tom Gordon, the ICU’s Deputy President for Activities, had made the expansion of the SEF to these students a manifesto point.
In a statement to Felix, Gordon said: “I think there are a couple of difficulties when expanding to more students, such as Postgraduate and International. Of course, accessing additional money is a key issue, but I think another one is determining who actually needs the fund in a methodological way. My key priority over the past couple of months has been getting the fund back up and running for 2025–26, but I’m looking forward to working with our funders over the coming months to expand the fund to more students.”
The SEF is funded jointly by the Union, the College, and Imperial College Trust, a charity. It was established in 2023 by Dylan Hughes, then the Deputy President for Clubs & Societies, and expanded by his successor Christian Cooper for a relaunch last year.
| Household Income | SEF allocation |
|---|---|
| < up to £16,000 | £70.00 |
| £25,000-£50,000 | £50.00 |
| £50,000-£55,000 | £30.00 |
| £55,000-£60,000 | £25.00 |
| £60,000-£70,000 | £20.00 |
