The Student Loans Company (SLC) has released its provisional data on numbers of care leaver and estranged students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by higher education provider in 2022/23.
The new data are part of an ad hoc publication from the SLC to provide the number of individuals applying for student finance, who have indicated on their applications that they are estranged from their parents or a care leaver in academic years 2017/18-2022/23. The data show a total count for UK & EU (outside UK) domiciled students funded by Student Finance England (SFE), Student Finance Wales (SFW) and Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) only. Scotland domiciled students studying in the UK have not been included as SLC does not hold as robust data concerning Scotland funded students as such applications are handled by Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).
The count of students has been refined to those who applied as estranged or care leavers, who are under the age of 25 and have been approved for means-tested funding. This approach gives the most accurate view of this count; however, this does not necessarily mean that all individuals captured in this count have been awarded full means-tested funding on the basis that they are irreconcilably estranged from their parents or care leavers. If initially a student under the age of 25 applied as estranged or a care leaver but did not meet those criteria; and was then awarded means-tested
funding, they would also be captured in this count. Additionally, other reasons
for independent student status do exist, such as being financially independent
for 3 years, and so if a student does not meet the criteria for estrangement or
a care leaver, they can still meet independent student status via another
route.
The data do not fully capture other students with care experience who do not fit the statutory definition of a care leaver.
You can view or download the data from 2017/18-2022/23 on the GOV.UK website.
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