Windows of Gateway building

Care leavers

Care leavers

If you’re a care leaver or an estranged student and studying at BNU, you’ll find plenty of support here to help you get the most out of your time in higher education. We understand the challenges you face, and we’ll support you from before your application right through to graduation and beyond, to help you make the most of your potential.

There’s lots of support you can call on:

  • Care Leaver or estranged student Bursary for each year of study
  • Help with your university application
  • Help with accommodation
  • Financial support
  • Access to services within the University
  • Special activities and events designed for care leavers

Our student services team can help you through your application. We can give you advice on everything from filling in an application form through to interviews and preparing portfolios, including how to write your personal statement. We can also talk to the accommodation team for you, to help you find a place.

We can provide you with accommodation for the full 365 days of the year. We’ll do everything we can to give you your first choice, depending on what’s available. If you’d like to know more, please call the Accommodation Team on 01494 603 063, or email accommodation@bucks.ac.uk.

Please note, our accommodation support depends on you making Buckinghamshire New University your firm choice on your UCAS application. You’ll also need to meet all course entry requirement and have gained an unconditional offer.

You can apply for accommodation from the spring onwards. You’ll automatically get an email, sent to the email address you registered with UCAS. When you apply, please let us know that you’re a care leaver in the notes section in the application form.

If you’re a care leaver or estranged student, we will offer you £1,000 each year to support you during your studies. We understand that you face additional challenges and we will do our best to support you at every stage of your studies.

In addition to the bursary we will offer you accommodation all year round, assistance with your university application and a mentor throughout your studies.

To apply for this bursary, you can either disclose your status on your UCAS application or contact our Student Hub once you arrive at students@bucks.ac.uk.

We offer one-to-one mentoring support if you’re a care leaver. You can ask for a mentor and we’ll assign a member of staff to be a mentor for the time you’re here. They’ll give you support, advice and advocacy and be your first point of contact for any questions you have.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us for more information.

Admissions Team

admissions@bucks.ac.uk or 01494 605 060

Student Hub

students@bucks.ac.uk or 01494 603 020