Information for Care Leavers

We are aware that young people in public care and care leavers may face particular challenges in progressing to higher education.  For that reason, we are very proud that you are considering studying at the University of Nottingham and we have developed a support package especially designed to help you while you study here.  We hope that the information below will help you with some of the things you may be unsure about.

 

What support do we offer?

This support package is optional and you are welcome to take up the whole package or any part of it which may be useful to you. It includes:

• Special consideration in the admissions process - this means that you are more likely to get to get an offer and if you do, it may be slightly lower.
• Additional financial support, is available to all students who have lived or been living in the care of a local authority for over 3 months, and must be under 25 at the start of the course.  We will also ensure you receive all the financial support available to you including other grants and bursaries you may be eligible for.
• Access to 365-day University Accommodation and support in finding the right accommodation for you.
• A pre-entry meeting with our Care Leavers' Mentor, to ensure you have accessed all the financial support available to you, made the right accommodation choices and generally help you to get things organised.
• Additional welcome activities when you arrive in September, this is not to single you out, but to settle you in.
• Ongoing support throughout your studies from our Care Leavers' Mentor.

 

How do you access this support?

If you told us on your UCAS application form that you have been in care for at least three months, then we will automatically give you special consideration in admissions. Our Admissions staff may ask you to provide a letter from the local authority that looked after you, confirming that they did so. (We can help you to obtain this letter if necessary.)

If you receive an offer of a place to study at the University of Nottingham, we write to you to let you know about the support available to you as a student here.  We will also ask whether you want a pre-entry meeting with our Care Leavers' Mentor.  This meeting would normally be held over the spring or summer before you start studying and the University will reimburse you for the cost of travelling to the meeting. However, you don't need to wait for this letter. You can contact use at any time by email or phone. 

If you are interested in the financial support, you will need to confirm your eligibility by providing us with a letter from the local authority that looked after you, if you have not already done so.  After this point we will not ask for any other personal information about you or your family.

Further Information

If you have questions about our support for care leavers, you can email disability-support@nottingham.ac.uk telephone: 0115 9515992.

We have a fact sheet on financial support for care leavers (coming soon!)

The University of Nottingham provides a wide range of financial, academic and pastoral support to all students through its Student Services Centres.

We welcome enquiries from carers, support workers or personal advisers who may be helping young people to make their transition from care to university. Please contact the Widening Participation Team on wpadmin@nottingham.ac.uk or 0115 951 5075.

The University of Nottingham has been awarded the Buttle UK Quality Mark for its commitment to care leavers.