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Support if you are estranged or care-experienced

Two friends sat on steps on campus chatting. One is smiling at the other

How the Plus Programme can help care-experienced and estranged students:

  • Funding and finance.
  • On-course opportunities.
  • Accommodation.
  • Mental health and wellbeing.
  • Graduation and beyond.

Who is eligible

UK home-rated students who are:

  • Estranged: you’re not supported emotionally, physically or financially by your biological parents and have no communication with them.
  • Care experienced: you’ve spent any amount of time before the age of 16, either:
    • Living with foster carers under local authority care.
    • In residential care.
    • Looked after at home under a supervision order.
    • In kinship care with relatives or friends.

How to apply

Email Lisa Firth at estrangedstudents@leeds.ac.uk or email Lisa Firth at careleavers@leeds.ac.uk for an informal and supportive chat.

Funding and financial support

You may be eligible for the following funding and finance support:

  • A £50 welcome payment in September/October of the first year of your degree.
  • Support with applying for £2,000 extra per year if you receive the Leeds Bursary or Undergraduate Means-Tested Scholarship.
  • Advice on making applications to:  
    • Student Finance England to ask that they recognise your estranged or care-experienced status.
    • The Financial Assistance Fund if you’re experiencing severe financial difficulty.
    • The Opportunities Fund to access extracurricular professional development opportunities.

On-course opportunities

Estranged and care-experienced students are eligible for the full Plus Programme offer.

This includes access to mental health and wellbeing provision for our estranged and care experienced students. Find out more on the Plus Programme SharePoint.

Accommodation support

You may be eligible for the following accommodation support:

  • A guaranteed place in University-owned accommodation.
  • The offer of 365-day accommodation.
  • A waiver of the upfront security deposit for University-owned accommodation (meaning that you will only pay the deposit when you receive your student loan payment).

Other helpful resources

Contacts

Support and guidance