Applying to Bath as a care leaver
If you have lived in care, organised via Social Services/your Local Authority, you should answer yes to the relevant question on your UCAS application. This is so that we can contact you as early as possible about the support available at Bath. The Admissions Progression Team can help with any queries about applying to Bath, you can get in touch via ugadmissions-care@bath.ac.uk. They will consider your time in care status as part of their contextual admissions process. If you feel that your circumstances have had an impact on your academic performance, then you may want to submit a mitigating circumstances form for them to consider alongside your UCAS application. Provided that you have answered ‘yes’ to the UCAS question, you do not necessarily need to mention that you are a care leaver in your personal statement.
Guaranteed offers for Care Leavers
The University of Bath is committed to supporting the successful applications of those who have spent time in care. We understand that time spent in care can have a significant impact in all aspects of life. Accordingly, we appreciate that your educational journey is likely to be disrupted and more challenging, with barriers that you may face making your next steps into higher education. We believe that our applicants should be considered on an individual level and based on their potential. Therefore, we want to ensure that for applicants who have experienced such significant disruption we are offering you an equal chance of entering the university.
We therefore will make a guaranteed conditional offer to all applicants who meet our care leaver criteria, have demonstrated an interest in the subject that they have applied for and meet the minimum entry and subject requirements for the course they have applied for. In some cases, there will be an interview as part of the admissions process and a conditional offer will be made to applicants who are successful at interview. View our eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for guaranteed offers to Care Leavers for more information.
If you are eligible you will need to provide evidence of your care leaver status. This should include:
- a letter from your local authority, case worker, social worker, or personal advisor.
This letter must confirm:
- that you were looked after by a local authority (this includes being placed in foster care by a local authority)
- the dates you were in care
Please email this information to ugadmissions-care@bath.ac.uk as soon as possible once you have submitted your application. Our Admissions Progression Team will work with our key contacts in Student Support to both share and process your information.
If you do not meet our eligibility criteria and you are care experienced, we would still very much like to hear from you. If you are care experienced, please send an e-mail to ugadmissions-care@bath.ac.uk with a short paragraph of no more than 200 words to give us an overview of your circumstances. This will ensure your application is given additional review from our Progression Team, and that we can send you any relevant information about additional support and funding at Bath.
Applying to Bath as an estranged student
Estranged students are young people studying without the support of their parents (biological, step or adoptive parents), due to a breakdown in those relationships. Some students might live independently, with friends, or with another family member (kinship care) while applying for university. Individuals in this position often have no contact at all with their parents, or sporadic and conflictual contact. Key causes of a breakdown of relationships could include (but are not limited to): emotional or physical abuse, mismatched expectations about family roles and relationships, or a clash of personality or values.
Not all information you may have disclosed to UCAS is directly accessible to us and therefore regardless of if you have ticked the box on your UCAS application to provide this information we would like to know if you identify as being an estranged student. Please send an e-mail to ugadmissions-care@bath.ac.uk to give us an overview of your circumstances. We strongly encourage all applicants in this situation to get in touch with Admissions via the above email address so they can provide advice about applying and ensure your application is given additional review from our Progression team. Please also contact Imroze and Joanna via studentsuccess@bath.ac.uk for information on additional support and funding advice.
Stand Alone has worked with UCAS to produce guidance for estranged students on how to write their personal statement.
Bursaries for care leavers, Foyer residents & estranged students
The University of Bath offers eligible undergraduate students a non-repayable bursary of £1,000 per academic year plus £1,000 to help with start-up costs and a further £1,000 on graduation – a maximum of £7,000 over a 5-year programme including placement.
To apply for the Care Leaver/Foyer or Estranged Student Bursary:
Check you are eligible by reading the terms and conditions here: Care Leaver/Foyer and Estranged Student.
Complete the Student Support online bursary application form.
If you are not sure if you meet the criteria for these bursaries please contact us via studentsuccess@bath.ac.uk so we can discuss your situation. If you are a current student you can book an appointment with us online via MySkills. We want to ensure you receive all possible funding while at Bath.
Key contact
Imroze Sahota, Student Retention Team Leader, and Joanna Newman are your key contacts within Student Support to help you with any queries you may have and, if necessary, direct you to the appropriate services. Imroze and Joanna will be able to provide advice and guidance before you arrive and during your studies, and ensure you are accessing all possible support at the University.
Accommodation
If you are a Care Leaver, former Foyer resident, or estranged student, you are guaranteed a place in University accommodation for 365 days a year for the duration of your course. This includes the vacation periods and if you need to return for short periods between private housing contracts.
You can find out more about arranging this by visiting the West Accommodation centre on campus, or emailing accommodation@bath.ac.uk
Government funding
You should be classed as having independent status and therefore be able to claim the maximum funding from Student Finance, if you think this applies to you please arrange to meet a member of Student Money Advice. You can also be classed as an independent student if you have been self-supporting for three years prior to the start of the course and can evidence this.
Find out more about government funding from:
- Student Finance England
- Student Finance Wales
- Student Awards Agency for Scotland
- Student Finance Northern Ireland
Other University funding
You may be entitled to support via the Undergraduate Bursary scheme or one of the University's Scholarships. There are eligibility criteria you need to meet, please check our bursaries and scholarships pages for more information. If you encounter financial difficulties whilst at University you can also apply to the University of Bath Hardship Fund.
Further information for care leavers
University and Leaving Care booklet
Local Authority funding
If you started your university course after September 2008 then your Local Authority is required to pay you a Higher Education Bursary worth £2,000. Please contact your Local Authority Leaving Care Services in order to find out more about the funding they have available for you. If you need assistance doing this please contact Student Money Advice.
The Eagle House Education Trust offers financial help for students who have lived in care in Somerset.
Anyone who is a Curo resident is eligible to apply for the £9,000 Curo University Scholarship. You must apply directly to Curo, further information is available on their website.
Further information for estranged students
Find out more about life at Bath from some of our Estranged students.
UCAS have a hub of resources on their website with information on the process of getting financial assistance, finding suitable accommodation, and understanding the type of support you may be able to access to succeed at university
Buttle UK Support for Young People provide individual grants of up to £2,000 for estranged young people between the ages of 16 and 20. By estranged young people they mean those who are living independently and have no support from their parents, guardians or carers. This package of support will particularly focus on three key areas of need:
- support in accessing education, employment & training
- safe and comfortable accommodation
- maintaining positive emotional and physical wellbeing
The University of Bath demonstrated its ongoing support for estranged students by signing the Stand Alone Pledge in April 2018. Stand Alone is a national charity supporting adults that are estranged and provides additional resources and guidance for students at University.