Our Charitable Status

The University is an exempt charity* whose principal regulator is the Office for Students. As an educational institution and an exempt charitable body the University does not have a registered charity number or a Company Registration number.

The benefits of our charitable status are:

• The University can reclaim tax from HM Revenue & Customs under the Gift Aid scheme, increasing the value of donations from UK tax payers by 25%.
• Higher rate tax payers can also qualify for personal tax deductions on donations made to the University.
• The University pays no income tax and inheritance tax on gifts of money or property it receives. A gift made to the University in a Will reduces the tax payable on the estate.
• A gift of stocks and shares made to the University will reduce the donor's income tax liability, and makes the gift exempt from capital gains tax.

*Certain charities are 'exempt' from Charity Commission supervision because they are considered to be adequately supervised by, or accountable to, another authority - in our case, the Office for Students. Although not subject to Charity Commission jurisdiction, an exempt charity is subject to the legal rules generally applicable to charities.

Ethical Fundraising

The University of Warwick is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and follows the Code of Fundraising Practice, which sets the professional and ethical standards that apply to fundraising in the UK. The Development & Alumni Engagement team carries out fundraising on behalf of the University. We apply the 'know your donor' principles, and comply with the legal requirement for charities to conduct due diligence on donations received. The University’s Policy on the Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts, overseen by the Fundraising Ethics Committee, defines principles for when gifts should not be solicited or accepted by the University.