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 estranged from both of their parents. A definition of what this means is included below. If you are a care experienced student or are independent because you are a care leaver, there is more information about the support available to you on the following webpages:
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 estranged from their parents 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 estranged.
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 an Estranged Student in 2025?
Take a look at our handout for Independent Students who are Estranged:
Read about the support available and find links to support networks in the tabs below.
Estranged students: An 'estranged student' is a young person under the age of 25 who is studying without the support and approval of both of their parents due to a breakdown in their relationship – this might be their birth, step or adoptive parents, and sometimes their wider family members. Students in this situation are able to apply to Student Finance England (or equivalent student finance bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) as ‘Independent and Estranged’. You could apply for student finance as an estranged student if:
You haven’t had any contact with both of your parents for 12 months or more; or
Your relationship with both of your parents has broken down within the last 12 months and you don’t expect this to change in the near future.
Students who are assessed and approved by Student Finance as ‘Independent & Estranged’ are eligible to receive additional University support. There is more information about how Student Finance bodies assess estranged students on the following webpages:
If you are a current student at Warwick and you think you are at risk of becoming estranged, or if you are an applicant and you are applying to Student Finance as an independent student for another reason (because you are bereaved, for example), please contact the Widening Participation Lifecycle Team at lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk for further guidance and support.
In addition to the wider support available to students at Warwick, the University offers a range of bespoke support for independent students who are estranged from their parents. Please note that this support is only available for students who are eligible for 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
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 being estranged from both of their parents.
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 if you are estranged when you enrol at the University (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 twice 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 if you are estranged when you enrol at the university. 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. If you are a current Warwick student and you have become estranged while on course, please note that you will not be eligible for the Warwick Scholars programme or Warwick Scholars Bursary.
To help the Warwick Admissions team contextualise your University application, we would encourage you to indicate that you are estranged in the 'More about me' section of the UCAS form and to ask your referee to confirm your estrangement 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 estranged, the Widening Participation Lifecycle Team will be in touch to share more information about the support available 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 estranged from both of your parents).
If you have suddenly become estranged, or did not include this information on your UCAS form, please contact the WP Lifecycle Team (lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk).
If you become estranged during your studies, or you think you are at risk of becoming estranged, your Student Finance application can be reassessed during the academic year. Students should complete a ‘Confirmation of Estrangement’ form and upload this to their Student Finance portal (or email it to their Student Finance awarding body). The Confirmation of Estrangement form for Student Finance England can be found online hereLink opens in a new window.
Evidence from a third party who knows about your situation is usually required, but you can contact Student Finance atand speak to an Estrangement Assessor if you are not able to provide evidence.
Please contact Emily and the WP Lifecycle Team at lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk for further guidance and to explore all of your options.
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.
If you are an independent student because you are estranged from your parents, 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.
