Leave a gift in your will

There are two main ways to leave a gift in your will:

A pecuniary gift

A pecuniary gift is a specified amount that can be linked to inflation so that it retains its value over time.

A residuary gift

A residuary gift is a percentage of the value remaining in an estate once all pecuniary legacies, debts and fees have been met. A gift of as little as 1% of your estate can be an affordable way to support talented students or pioneering research at Leicester.

Other options

• A lifetime gift: a gift that provides for your loved ones during their lifetime (e.g. the right to live in your property and/or to benefit from income that your assets produce) – also known as a ‘reversionary gift’. On their death, the property or underlying assets are donated to the University.
• Assets: a gift of assets such as property, stocks, shares, library collections, artefacts or other valuables.
• Endowed gifts: Depending on the size and intention of your gift, you may wish for it to be endowed with the capital of the bequest invested by the University to produce an annual income, for instance to fund a student scholarship.

Please contact us if you would like to explore leaving an endowed gift: giftinwill@leicester.ac.uk

Making plans for a legacy gift is an important decision and there are many factors to consider. We always recommend that you take professional legal advice when drafting or updating your will, adding a codicil (a supplement or minor change to your existing will), or writing a letter of intent (guidance for the people dealing with your estate, also known as a letter of wishes).

Legal name and charitable status

The University’s legal name is ‘The University of Leicester’. The University of Leicester is an exempt charity – it has the same rights as any registered charity in accordance with Charities Act 2011. The Inland Revenue claim number is X23305/3, which can be used in place of a registered charity number.

Expressing your intentions

Pledging to support the University’s Greatest Need Fund gives maximum flexibility to use your gift where it will have the most impact at the time it is received. However, if you have a specific area that you would like to support, you might wish to write a letter of intent (or wishes) to accompany your will. This means that as circumstances change, the University can continue to use the gift to support your area of interest. Should you wish to direct your gift to an area other than our Greatest Need Fund, please do speak to us as we want to ensure that we are able to fulfil your wishes.

We recommend that you seek advice from your solicitor when making or changing your will, but as a guideline we suggest:

‘I give the University of Leicester (X23305/3), University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH <xx% of my estate> or <specific amount> to be applied to <Greatest Need/chosen area>. The receipt of the Director of Finance or other duly authorised officer of the University shall be a good and sufficient discharge to my executors.’

We can offer UK residents a free will through the National Free Wills Network. The Network will put you in touch with a solicitor who can help you make or amend a simple will at no cost.

If you are resident outside of the UK but own a property in the UK, the Network will send you contact details for some solicitors who can help you make or amend a simple will, but please note that you will also need a will in your country of residence to deal with any assets you have there. It is likely that The Network could help to reduce the cost, but there is likely to be some charge incurred for both the solicitors’ firms in the UK and your country of residence to enable them to work together to avoid any gaps.

For more information, please contact giftinwill@leicester.ac.uk

We understand that your loved ones come first.

• Please take your time to make a decision. You won't be put under any pressure.
• Your privacy will be respected. We would love the opportunity to say thank you and to keep you updated on our plans for the future so we will ask if you are willing to share your decision with us, but you are free to decline.
• You can change your mind about leaving a gift to the University of Leicester at any time.
• Your gift will be used carefully and cost effectively to have the greatest impact for the purposes you intended.
• Your gift will be handled sensitively and respectfully.
• We’ll always act with integrity.