Support for care leavers and estranged students
All students should be able to learn and enjoy student life, whatever their personal identity or circumstances. At NTU, you'll have access to the right information and support to meet your individual needs.
Support for care leavers and care-experienced students
We can provide practical advice, information and support if you've spent time in:
- foster care
- residential care
- arrangements outside of family.
Our Student Support Advisers can:
- provide information and signposting
- coordinate support
- deliver support on a range of wellbeing, practical and study-related issues
- help you arrange accommodation in our halls of residence over the summer.
If you'd like this support, complete our short support request form.
We'll invite students who are eligible for the NTU Care Leaver and Foyer Resident Bursary to a transition support meeting.
Students, or third parties acting with the consent of a student, can get support using our short support request form.
Financial support for care leavers and estranged students
In the first few weeks of arriving, one of our Student Financial Advisers will get in touch. They'll arrange an informal chat, so they can:
- check you're receiving all the money you're entitled to, and
- offer you advice on budgeting and money management.
There are also bursaries and other support available. These include the following:
- The NTU Care Leavers and Foyer Resident Bursary. This is an award of £1,000 for care leavers. It's to help towards living costs for eligible students who start at NTU in 2023.
- NTU Bursaries for 2023 entry. This is a cash bursary of £750 per year. It's available to eligible full-time UK home undergraduate degree or foundation degree students. You must be starting at NTU in 2023.
- Money management workshops. These cover topics such as budgeting, saving, finances after university, and much more. You must book your place.
Supporting your funding application
Many students can find applying for extra funding complicated or stressful. Email financial.support@ntu.ac.uk if you'd like help with your funding application. Our friendly team are here to support you.
Students with caring responsibilities
Managing caring responsibilities alongside your studies can be challenging. We can provide information and resources to help you plan your time and get any support you need.
If you have concerns about managing your timetable and your other commitments, you can contact your personal tutor and your Academic School.
Such concerns could include:
- childcare
- home care
- medical or personal support assistance.
Our Student Support Advisers can help you contact your Academic School, and can offer further advice.Tell us about your situation using our short support request form.
You may find external responsibilities impact your studies. These can include problems at home and caring responsibilities. If so, it's important to let your Academic School know. You will be able to use our Notification of Extenuating Circumstances policy and process to inform the University. This tells us that circumstances beyond your control are affecting your academic performance.
Estranged students
It can be daunting to come to university without the support of a family network. If you're an estranged student, we can offer you targeted support. We'll do our best to help you succeed during your time at NTU.
- We can help you arrange accommodation in our halls of residence over the summer.
- We can support you through specialist careers advice and funding through our Rise programme.
- We can provide financial support through the NTU Estranged Student Bursary and the NTU Undergraduate Hardship Fund. Both of these are subject to eligibility.
To help us to identify you as an estranged student, we rely on you to provide us with this information. You can do this by completing our short online form for estranged students. Our Student Support Advisers team will then be able to contact you with the support we can offer.
Employability support
Care leavers and estranged students have access to dedicated specialists in the NTU Employability team. These students are a target group for a range of support including:
- Exclusive events and opportunities. These are available throughout the academic year for eligible students.
- A two-day placement support programme for second year undergraduates. This helps to boost confidence and resilience in seeking and securing placement opportunities.
- Dedicated communications to Rise students. These help maximise engagement with the opportunities and support available.
Your health and wellbeing
Our wellbeing service is here to help you tackle whatever issues you might encounter. It's a safe space to talk about your personal, emotional and psychological concerns, as well as accessing specialist advice and guidance.
Further support
The Care Leavers' Association is a national user-led charity. It's aimed at improving the lives of care leavers of all ages. See their quick guide to rights and entitlements.
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