Help to keep The Student newspaper in print

We’re broke.

In the current climate of print journalism, we're really struggling to stay afloat. Despite all the pressures facing the industry over the past couple years, we've managed to keep running - until now.

We are The Student , based at Edinburgh University. We are Europe's oldest student newspaper, founded in 1887 by legendary Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

In our 136 years of existence, we have flourished into an incredible community of writers, illustrators and copyeditors who work tirelessly on a volunteer basis to create our incredible newspaper.

After losing funding from a major print advertiser this spring, we've found ourselves in a tough spot. We don't receive funding from the university (which allows us to remain editorially independent), which means our entire income comes from society membership fees and advertising.

We aim to print on a fortnightly basis during the semester, and we publish online every single day on our website as well as on our social media . We've also covered the Edinburgh Fringe for the last nine years throughout the summer. The only time we've been out of print in recent memory is during the Coronavirus pandemic, which saw us cease printing for a few months. We used to print every week, which shows you just how much times have changed!

The Student is a vital source of information for students not only in the Edinburgh community, but for people across Scotland. In the past year alone, our recent reporting has covered housing and cost-of-living crises, Edinburgh University's decision to ban a student from protesting, and the growth of the pro-life movement in Scotland.

But it goes beyond that - we aren't just a newspaper. The Student is an incredible place to build friendships and make connections that last a lifetime. It's also the first place most young people get to try their hand at journalism. It is vital that we remain open and accessible to all, so we can continue to break down the barriers that exist in journalism.

We're doing everything we can to secure more advertising, but our current lack of funds means that we're going to struggle to print consistently this year - and that's not a good look to potential advertisers.

Journalists like Helen Pidd, Paul Hutcheon, Laura Kuenssberg, Tom Gordon and dozens of well-known names have found a home here. Other alumni include figures like Gordon Brown, Robin Cook and Lord Steel, as well as so many others who have made important and lasting contributions to the world.

Please, if you’re a former Student hack, a concerned alumnus or student or a kind member of the public, consider throwing a few quid our way to help us keep informing our audience and keep this incredible institution going.

Anything you donate will go directly towards funding our printing costs, and will be greatly appreciated by every single one of us who gives up our time to keepThe Student functioning and flourishing.

If we're lucky enough to pass our £1000 goal, all excess funds will be invested intoThe Student, so that we can continue to print and provide important journalism for generations to come. We'd like to look into improving our editing software and our distribution stalls as our main priority.

Most importantly, we just want to make sure students down the line can continue to benefit from the existence of The Student. We have such a rich and colourful history, and we're determined that this won't be the end.

Thank you so much for your time, we are extremely grateful.

Please note: we are not a charity. The Student is run independently by students at the University of Edinburgh. We exist as a society under Edinburgh University Students' Association.