Independent students who are Care Leavers

Young people who are Care Leavers

The information on this webpage is for young people who are thinking of applying to Warwick as an Undergraduate student – or have an offer from the university – and are care leavers. A definition of what this means is included below. If you are a care experienced student or are independent because you are estranged from your parents, there is more information about the support available to you on the following webpages:

Contact us

Emily Watkins

Widening Participation Lifecycle Officer

Email: lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk

Support for Care Leavers at the University

Warwick offers a wide range of pastoral, academic and financial support for students who come to study here. We have a named contact at the University (Emily Watkins) for young people who are independent because they are leaving care so that you have a single point of contact to help you with any questions or queries both before you get here and during your studies. Emily, and the Widening Participation Lifecycle Team, can offer one-to-one support throughout the various stages of applying and studying at Warwick:

Application stage – We can support you to navigate through the various stages of applying to Warwick and explain how you can share more information about your independent status.
Enrolment stage – We can signpost you to the support on offer across the University, including bespoke support for independent students who are care leavers.
During your studies at Warwick – We can support you to thrive in your studies and make the most of your experience at the University.

Applying to Warwick as a Care Leaver in 2025?

Take a look at our handout for Independent Students who are Care Leavers:

CLICK HERE

Read about the support available and find links to support networks in the tabs below.

Definition of care leaver status

Care leaver: this means that you are care experienced and that you were in the care of your local authority for at least 13 weeks at any time since the age of 14, and were in care on your 16th birthday.

This care may have been provided in many different settings, including:

Living with foster carers
Living in a residential children's home
Being looked after at home under a supervision order
Living with relatives informally (kinship care) or under a guardianship agreement

If you are under 19, have left care and have been living independently, we can also offer you additional support.

Support for care leavers

In addition to the wider support available to students at Warwick, the University offers a range of bespoke support for independent students who are care leavers.

Please note that this support is only available for students who are starting their course at Warwick in Autumn 2025 and are eligible for UK/Home fees.

The information below covers the main aspects of support, but please contact Emily and the WP Lifecycle Team at lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk if you have any questions or would like more information.

Application Support

Financial support for travel to Open Days/Offer Holder Open Days – please contact lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk to discuss this further
Eligibility for a Contextual OfferLink opens in a new window

Financial Support (Undergraduate)

Please note that this support is available to students who have been assessed by Student Finance England (or the equivalent funding body in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) as 'Independent' due to their care leaver status.

Warwick BursaryLink opens in a new window of up to £2,500 per year
A Widening Participation Bursary for Independent Students who are Care Leavers or Estranged of £1,500 per year
Warwick Scholars Bursary of up to £2,000 per year (there is more information about the Warwick Scholars Undergraduate Programme below)

Accommodation Support (Undergraduate)

Eligibility for 52-week on-campus accommodation for the duration of your studies (if desired). This accommodation offer includes a 40/44-week campus room, followed by alternative accommodation over the summer vacation. There is more information about the term-time accommodation Warwick offers hereLink opens in a new window.
Please note that there is a charge for this accommodation and students are required to move rooms over the summer vacation as part of the University's 52-week campus accommodation package. You can find out more about this, and more information about 52-week accommodation costs, in our 52-Week Campus Accommodation FAQs.

Warwick Scholars Programme (Undergraduate)

Eligibility for the Warwick Scholars Undergraduate ProgrammeLink opens in a new window. This programme provides students with access to bespoke activities, along with academic, personal and professional development opportunities (such as internships and mentoring experiences) while students are at Warwick.

Graduation and beyond (Postgraduate)

Priority eligibility for the Warwick Taught Masters Scholarship SchemeLink opens in a new window (WTMSS) to support progression to postgraduate study.

What will I need to do?

When you apply to Warwick

To help the Warwick Admissions team contextualise your University application, we would encourage you to indicate that you are care experienced on your UCAS form and to ask your referee to confirm that you are a care leaver in the 'Extenuating Circumstances' section of the UCAS reference. The Warwick Admissions team will assess your application and will let you know if they require any further information from you.

If you have already applied to Warwick and did not include this information in your UCAS form, please contact the WP Lifecycle Team (lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk).

Offer holders

If you are made an offer of a place and indicated on the UCAS form that you are care experienced, the Widening Participation Lifecycle Team will be in touch to share more information about the support available to care leavers and the evidence that we will need of your Independent Student status (this is usually a copy of your Student Finance assessment, stating that you have been assessed as Independent due to being a care leaver).

If you have suddenly entered the care system, or did not include this information on your UCAS form, please contact the WP Lifecycle Team (lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk).

Useful links:

UCAS information for Care Experienced students and Care LeaversLink opens in a new window – Useful information for students with care experience who are considering applying to university.
Student Finance EnglandLink opens in a new window – Student Finance information for independent students who are care leavers.
The EaCES HandbookLink opens in a new window – A resource for students who are estranged or are care experienced and are thinking about FE or HE study, written by young people from the EaCES community.
PropelLink opens in a new window – Advice and support for care experienced students who would like to go to university. Propel also runs a series of workshops, including the Uni Ready ProgrammeLink opens in a new window for care experienced students.
Rees FoundationLink opens in a new window – General advice and support for care experienced young people and adults.
Care Leaver CovenantLink opens in a new window – A charity supporting care leavers. Their Connects networkLink opens in a new window offers a range of opportunities (including work opportunities) to students who have left care.
This Is UsLink opens in a new window – A network created by the Unite Foundation for students who are care leavers or are estranged.
Buttle UKLink opens in a new window – a charity providing funding for young people.

If you are leaving care to join us at Warwick, we hope this information has been useful for you, but please email us at lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk if you or your supporters have any questions.