At UCEM we are committed to supporting care experienced students to achieve their full potential in their higher education studies.
Who has care experience and what does this mean?
Different higher education institutions have different ways they define and support students. ‘Care leavers’ or ‘care experienced’ are terms that can often be used. At UCEM we support any students who have experienced care, which means applicants or students who have spent any amount of time living with foster carers under local authority care, in residential care, looked after at home under a supervision order, or in kinship care.
Our range of services (subject to eligibility) are available to view below.
Contextual admissions (undergraduate applicants).
Our contextual offer scheme exists to provide fairness and equality of opportunity, by ensuring that adequate steps are taken to address differences between applicants, including differences in their experience of educational opportunities.
If you are a student with care experience and are applying to one of UCEM’s undergraduate programmes, you may be eligible for this.
For more information view our Contextual Admission Policy or contact UCEM’s Admissions team.
Whilst you are here
We are committed to providing all students with the support and tools they need to succeed. We offer tailored support to students with physical and sensory impairments, specific learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, mental health conditions, and long-term health conditions. Students are also supported throughout their journey with academic skills support from the first week at UCEM through to graduation. You also have the opportunity to be paired with another student as part of our buddy scheme, to help make connections during your studies.
Students with care experience are provided with access to our supported SilverCloud provision. SilverCloud is UCEM’s online CBT platform (which explores the connection between your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviours empowering you to think and feel differently). Students on the supported version of SilverCloud have enhanced access to SilverCloud’s mental health programmes, alongside fortnightly reviews with a member of UCEM’s Disability and Welfare team.
The financial implications of being in care often mean that you could be worried about managing the costs of higher education study.
If you are a current student facing financial hardship which is impacting on your ability to study, you may be eligible for financial support from UCEM’s Financial Support Fund. Applications made by students with care experience will be fast-tracked.
The Fund’s application guidance will give you important information before applying.
For more information on Government funded support visit the Government website.
UCEM offers a £150 bursary to students with experience in care. If you have spent any amount of time in care, either currently or in the past, you may be eligible for the Care Experience Bursary, which provides one of the following:
- £150 to support study-related expenses
- £150 towards your RICS Standard Membership fee
- A paid one-hour consultation with Property Elite, covering areas such as RICS APC and AssocRICS technical and mandatory competencies, among other topics
If you are a student eligible for this Bursary and would like to apply, please email outreachandinclusion@ucem.ac.uk.