Meet Nicola Sagay, the Manchester student crowdfunding for her degree instead of using student finance

A University of Manchester student has started a GoFundMe campaign to fund the final year of her degree.

Nicola Sagay has appealed for help raising £15,000 to cover her tuition and maintenance costs, and plans to start the third year of her course this month.

The 20-year-old Philosophy, Politics, and Economics student told The Tab that she was not planning to return to university after certain circumstances in her second year left her wanting a break.

However, Nicola hasn't applied for student finance this year, and does not intend to. She now wants to return and finish her course if she can raise the £15,000 required to cover her expenses through crowdfunding.

Nicola recorded this video as part of her GoFundMe campaign.

Nicola told The Tab: "The main stirrer for this campaign are my Christian values." She feels returning to university will allow her to help others.

Originally from Gravesend in Kent, she was wheelchair bound for a significant time of her life due to an autoimmune heart condition.

Nicola plans to start a financial wellbeing society once back at university.

On her crowdfunding page, she explains her reasons for coming back to University: "I am a strong person and I have God to thank for that. I decided that my issues and pain were an opportunity to help others.

"My experiences and telling my story would definitely help people going through struggles in life. This is why I am launching a society based on improving financial wellbeing at university.

"I don't want the bad events that happened in my life to squash me or triumph over me and me coming back to university would be a win for us!

"Moreover, If I don't come back to university I will not be able to share my story and society with others."

During her second year of university, Nicola had issues with her landlord. This left her with nowhere to live for a couple of days, except her family home in Kent.

She also organised a social action to distribute necessities to over 60 homeless people in Manchester.

She claims that is indicative of "her kind of personality" and therefore potential donors to her campaign know their "money won't be wasted" as "I am somebody who always likes to help other people, that's my nature."

The £15,000 crowdfunding target is made up of £9,250 tuition fees and £3,780 rent for the year. £235 travel expenses and £1,735 for food, utilities, and bills bring the total to £15,000.

Anyone donating over £300 can look forward to a personalised video of thanks. Smaller donations can expect their choice of a poem, postcard, or a shoutout.

At the time of writing, a total of £180 has been raised.

If you'd like to donate to help Nicola finish her degree, here is the GoFundMe page.