University to offer vaccinated students chance of winning £5,000 in bid to drive uptake

All Sussex Uni students to be entered into prize draw. If their name is picked out - and they can prove they’ve been jabbed - they win the dosh

Sussex University medical student Dibon Somarib gets his jab (Stuart Robinson Sussex University)

A university is offering cash prizes to students who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in a bid to drive take-up of the jab.

All students at Sussex University will be entered into a draw, with 10 winners receiving £5,000 each if they can prove they are fully inoculated or exempt.

Vice-chancellor professor Adam Tickell said: “We're not bribing them. What we're doing is we're just giving an incentive."

He said: “We know that many students will have already had their vaccines or are planning to. If we can boost those numbers even slightly through a simple intervention like this, then of course we are going to do so.

"Whilst these are significant prizes for our students, the cost to the university is small compared with the human, social and financial cost if students were to experience the kind of disruption we faced last year."

He added that he came up with the scheme after hearing how universities in the US were offering incentives for vaccination.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Prof Tickell added that, while the university was taking the novel approach to encouraging jab uptake, it would largely be returning to normal for the next academic year with all lectures and seminars being undertaken face to face once again.

The prize draw itself will take place at the end of November to allow students time to get vaccinated.

Universities minister Michelle Donelan said: "Vaccines are the surest way to put Covid behind us and for students to reclaim the freedoms that enrich university life, and I encourage all eligible students to take up the offer of both vaccine doses.

"The department is encouraging universities to look at creative ways to boost uptake and to discuss the possibility of pop-up centres with local health partners - making it quick and easy for students to grab a jab."