ÂÒÂ×Ðã

ÂÒÂ×Ðã is committed to supporting young people in care and those who have left a care environment, and we encourage these students to apply to study at ÂÒÂ×Ðã and access the support available.

ÂÒÂ×Ðã recognises that when applying to and entering higher education, young people in care can face particular difficulties that their peers are less likely to experience. This page explains some of the activities and support that is available if you have experience of being in care.

On this page:

• What do we mean by care experienced?
• Access ÂÒÂ×Ðã
• Events and activities
• ÂÒÂ×Ðã support for care experienced students
• The UCAS application - three reasons to 'tick the box'
• Other sources of support

What do we mean by care experienced?

For the purposes of our widening participation activities, ÂÒÂ×Ðã defines a care experienced person as someone aged under 25 who has been looked after by a local authority for at least 13 weeks (not necessarily consecutive) in their life. This includes foster care, residential care, kinship care as a formal agreement with the local authority or living at home under the supervision of the local authority.

Access ÂÒÂ×ÐãÌý

Access ÂÒÂ×Ðã is our contextual offer scheme for applicants from some groups that are underrepresented at ÂÒÂ×Ðã.ÌýAccess ÂÒÂ×Ðã eligible applicants that are successful in receiving an offer from ÂÒÂ×Ðã, will receive an offer that is lower than the standard entry requirements for the programme.ÌýIf you are care experienced, you may be eligible for the Access ÂÒÂ×Ðã contextual offer scheme. Please see our webpage for further details of eligibility requirements and processes.Ìý

Events and activities

Are you in care, or have experienced some time in care when you were younger? We strongly encourage you to apply to one of our widening participation activities as we prioritise students from care experienced backgrounds, as long as they also possess the academic potential to meet ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s minimum entry criteria. To make sure we can identify you and give your application additional consideration, please make sure to select that you ‘are currently in care, or have been in the past'. For full details of our targeting criteria please see ourÌýWho we work withÌý±è²¹²µ±ð.

Whether you want to have a taste of university life, experience a subject of interest, or learn some study skills required for higher education, then make sure you submit an application to one of our programmes. We publish all eligibility requirements on our activity pages.Ìý If you are uncertain if you meet the care experienced criteria or grade requirements, please contact Jalal Pour and Michele Sahiri atÌýwp.pre16@ucl.ac.ukÌýto discuss your situation.Ìý We would love to hear from you!

Additionally, we do offer some activities specifically targeted at students with experience of being in care:Ìý

• Experience ÂÒÂ×ÐãÌýis an exciting opportunity for year 12 or 13 students to visitÌýÂÒÂ×Ðã and learn aboutÌýlife as a student: you willÌýspend a day with twoÌýcurrent undergraduate students, go on a tour of the campus, and seek advice fromÌýmembers of ÂÒÂ×Ðã staff on topics such as applying to university, support services available and financial support.ÌýHead over to the Experience ÂÒÂ×ÐãÌý·É±ð²ú±è²¹²µ±ðÌýto seeÌýfurther details and access the application form.ÌýÌý

ÂÒÂ×Ðã support for care experienced students

If you are applying to ÂÒÂ×Ðã, or currently studying at ÂÒÂ×Ðã, and would like to learn more about the various forms of support ÂÒÂ×Ðã has to offer care experienced students, then please visit our dedicatedÌýwebpage.

Suzanne Hewings, Senior Student Success OfficerÌýin the ÂÒÂ×Ðã Student Success Office, is Student Support and Wellbeing's named first point of contact forÌýcare experienced and estranged undergraduate home students.ÌýThis contact is there for students from the pre-application stage all the way through to graduation, to ensure that your journey through ÂÒÂ×Ðã is as smooth as possible.ÌýSuzanneÌýis able to put you in direct contact with relevant support services at ÂÒÂ×Ðã. You can contact SuzanneÌýby email.

The UCAS application - three reasons to 'tick the box'

When completing your UCAS application, you will notice that there is a question asking if you have been in care and for how long.ÌýAs outlined in on the UCAS website, there are three reasons why it’s a good idea to ‘tick the box’ to indicate your care experience.

1. Your chosen universities can connect you to the support you’re entitled to. If you have grown up in care, you are entitled to a range of practical support in higher education, if you want it. Ticking the box in the UCAS application is a quick and easy way to let your chosen universities know that you would like to know more about any additional support they can offer, and they may get in touch with the details.Ìý

2. Admissions staff can consider your achievements and potential in context. Universities are aware that people with experience of being in care may have had a more challenging and disruptive experience in their education than those who have not been in care. Disclosing your care experience will help admissions staff consider your achievements ‘in context’.ÌýAt ÂÒÂ×Ðã, care experienced applicants under the age of 25 are automatically eligible for a reduced offer through our Access ÂÒÂ×Ðã contextual offer scheme.

3. The information you share about your care experience is confidential. Information about your care experience is treated confidentially and will only be shared with those who would be involved in supporting you.

It’s important to point out that your decision to tick the box will not negatively impact on a university’s decision to offer you a place. Universities want to make you aware of all the support available to you, so that you can choose to access the services that you need to ensure your experience of university is the best it can be.Ìý

Other sources of support

• . This guide has been created by a care experienced current ÂÒÂ×Ðã student in collaboration with the Student Success Office.
• is a charitable organisation that provides support for young people in care and care experienced students.
• TheÌýÌýcan help you research the support available at different universities and colleges, and there is lots of information about going to university from care, including information about finance and funding, accommodation help, student case studies, and help with applying.
• Ìýhas resources for care experienced students on its website.
• Ìýsupports young care leavers in England aged 16-25 to live independently – here you will find universities and colleges who have made a public commitment to support care leavers, career opportunities (including job vacancies, apprenticeships and internships), and other opportunities (such as discounts and careers advice).
• has a dedicated webpage with information and advice for care experiencedÌýstudents, including guidance on how to find outÌýwhat support a particular universityÌýmight be able to offer you.

• SAYes Mentoring is currently looking for young people (aged 16-24) who live in London and have experience of being in care to take part in a fully-funded online mentoring programme. You can find out more details about the programme and how to apply on the SAYes .