100,000 British students have already been directly disadvantaged to date since £9,000 annual fees
were introduced a decade ago, with 10,000 students continuing to be impacted each year.
Please support our campaign to lobby the government to urgently introduce Alternative Student Finance
so the life changing opportunity of receiving a university education is not denied to another
generation of British Muslim students.
Paying or receiving interest is something many Muslims consider to be scripturally prohibited. This prohibition results in many Muslims deciding either to forgo attending university or being forced to self fund to try make ends meet. The Alternative Student model, which was developed by the government many years ago, mirrors the charges and terms of existing student loans but through an underlying process which does not use interest.
In addition to this, the lack of equal access to higher education is felt more keenly by the Muslim community as its has a relatively higher-than-average younger population. 48% of British Muslim community is under 24 years old (compared to 31% of the overall population as per official labour market stats). For many of their peers, pursuing higher education is one of the most common routes of aspiration, progression and development for them (86% of domestic university students are aged 24 or under).
“Never again should a Muslim in Britain feel unable to go to university because they cannot get a Student Loan- simply because of their religion.”
David Cameron – then Prime Minister
The campaign started in 2013 after university tuition fees were tripled from £3000 to £9000- significantly increasing the financial barrier to entry for higher education.
By working together we managed to:
Click the logos to see coverage of our campaign:
1. There are various grants and bursaries you can apply for such those offered by NZF, Aziz Foundation, and Ansar Finance. See a complete overview in this IFG article.
2. Plan productive gap years (either before or during studies) to build up skills and save. Freelancing jobs are also an option whilst working.
3. Check university websites and reach out to them to discuss if they can provide financial assistance or a bursary.
Read more ideas in this article.
The lifeblood of the movement. Everyday superstars that feel passionately about ensuring Muslims have access to Higher Education without compromising their values. Count yourself in by signing up below.
IFG is a hub that helps Muslims with their investment, personal finance and entrepreneurial journeys. We do this for one reason: to make our community better-off. Check them out here.
BBSI is a national assembly of Imams, Scholars & Islamically literate Muslim Academics formed to facilitate intra Muslim dialogue on theology, jurisprudence and community welfare. Check them out here.
NZF is the only platform that receives Zakat and distributes it to thousands of Muslims in need across the UK. Check them out here.
Muslim Census is an independent organisation committed to collecting representative data, to highlight issues faced by the UK Muslim community. Check them out here.
By working together we’ve put this on the political agenda. With your help, we’ll get Alternative Student Finance over the line.
1. Write to your MP to put tell them this matters to you (click here and we’ll help you with the letter).
2. Collaborate with us- click the button below to let us know how you can get involved!
3. Join us in bringing attention to this issue with #equalaccesstouni
About
The ASF Campaign is a not-for-profit campaign that has a number of Muslim charities and community organisations coming together to support it.