University College London | National Network for the Education of Care Leavers

UCL recognises that when applying to and entering higher education, care experienced young people can face particular difficulties that their peers are less likely to experience. We are committed to supporting care experienced young people and encourage them to apply to study at UCL.

Access UCL

UCL runs a contextual offer scheme for students from groups that are underrepresented at UCL. Eligible students can receive a reduced offer of up to two grades below the standard UCL offer for the programme they have applied to. Care experienced applicants who will be under the age of 25 on their first day at UCL will automatically be eligible for Access UCL. Please see the website for more information.

Events and activities

Are you currently at school, college or sixth form? Are you in care, or have experienced some time in care when you were younger? We strongly encourage you to take a look at our wide range of widening participation activities. 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. UCL’s Access and Widening Participation team also offers bespoke opportunities for care experienced students. See our webpage to see the list of opportunities.

Applying

For all our widening participation activities we prioritise students from care experienced backgrounds, as long as they also possess the academic potential to meet UCL’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’. If you are uncertain if you meet the care experienced criteria or grade requirements, please contact Jalal Pour and Michele Sahiri via [email protected] who can discuss your situation with you.

Group visits

If you are a Virtual Head/Teacher, LAC Care team, or charitable organisation and would like to know about applying and studying at UCL and/or would like to arrange an activity for your students, then please contact Jalal Pour and Michele Sahiri [email protected]. We would be delighted to host a day or activity for you.

UCL support for current care experienced students

If you are applying to UCL, or currently studying at UCL, and would like to learn more about the various forms of support UCL has to offer care leavers, then please visit our dedicated webpage. If you have any questions or concerns, or would just like to speak to someone in person, please contact UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Care experienced students are guaranteed 365-day accommodation in UCL halls for their first year and can apply to remain in 365-day accommodation for the remainder of their study if needed.

Care leaver students who come to UCL are able to receive a Care leaver bursary of £1,000 per year as well as the UCL Undergraduate bursary of £2,500 per year (provided care leaver status is approved by Student Finance).

UCL also takes part in the Unite Foundation Scholarship which offers free accommodation to care leaver and estranged students for the duration of their course, meaning they can study, meet new people and plan their career without worrying about the cost of accommodation.

UCL’sTransition Programme supports all new first-year undergraduate students in adapting to university life, assisting new students in dealing with the social, academic and personal issues that are specific to UCL. As a first-year student, you’ll be allocated a Transition Mentor, a second- or third-year student from your department of study. They will introduce themselves to you in your first week and mentor you during your first term, as you settle into university life.

Named contact for care experienced students

UCL’s designated contact for care experienced students is Mitesh Vagadia. In his role as named contact Mitesh is there to answer questions from care experienced students before and once they are at university, put them in touch with the right services at UCL and make sure they are getting the support they need. You can contact Mitesh by email or through the ask UCL student enquiries system.