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Support for care experienced and estranged students

It can be daunting to come to university without the support of a family network. If you're a care experienced or estranged student, we can offer you targeted support. We'll do our best to help you succeed during your time at NTU.

Applying to NTU for 2026 Entry

You’ll find the latest information, entry requirements and course details on our course webpages and study pages.  You can also order our 2026 study guide to get a flavour of what it’s like to be a part of NTU.

You will see on our course pages that we also make contextual offers to eligible applicants. Contextual offers are issued up to two grades lower than our standard entry criteria but may also be unconditional for a course that requires a portfolio/interview.

Applicants who are care experienced or are estranged from their families are guaranteed a contextual offer from NTU. As we receive this information from UCAS, you don’t have to do anything extra to receive a contextual offer and we will automatically make these to eligible applicants.

More information on our entry requirements can be found on the NTU course pages and in our Admissions Policy.

Welcome events

In September each year, we hold a welcome event for Care Experienced and Estranged Students. This is a great opportunity to grab a bite to eat, meet fellow care-experienced and estranged students, hear more about the support and opportunities available and ask questions to our Independent Student Ambassadors and specialist NTU staff. You will also receive an exclusive welcome pack.

We will send students an email in early September inviting you to the event.

Student Support Advisers

We can provide practical advice, information and support if you're estranged from your parents and/or 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 Support and wellbeing referral form.

We'll invite students who are eligible for the NTU Care Leaver and Foyer Resident Bursary to a transition support meeting. Transition meetings for other care-experienced and estranged students are available on request.

Students, or third parties acting with the consent of a student, can get support using our support and wellbeing referral form.

Money matters

Our money advisers can offer information and advice about funding your studies and help you navigate application processes to make sure you get everything you are entitled to.

If you are applying to NTU, you can arrange an appointment with a money adviser to discuss funding for your studies at any time. They can advise about sources of funding available from both Student Finance and NTU.

Student Finance applications tend to open in the Spring, and our advisers can guide you through the application process. They can also advise on evidencing your estrangement or time in care, to make sure you get the maximum funding available.

They can also help with financial planning for university and offer advice on budgeting and managing your money while you’re at university, or before you arrive. Watch out for our online workshops over the summer, to help you get ‘Money Ready for NTU’.

Find out how to contact the Student Money Team.

There are many ways to cover the cost of your university experience.  Our fees and funding pages outline the main government funding package for UK home undergraduate students. This package covers tuition fees and living costs.

NTU also offers extra undergraduate bursaries for students with a low household income. There’s no separate application process to apply for these NTU bursaries. Your eligibility is automatically assessed if you’ve applied for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan from your national Student Finance Service.

For care leavers and estranged students, additional funding is often available.

There is a new dedicated web page where those who have been in care or looked after in England can see what money care leavers can apply for to help with their education and training.

Care leavers can often get additional financial support from their Local Authority, including a Higher Education Bursary.

You may also be extra non-repayable funding from the university:

There are non-repayable that will assessed and paid automatically to eligible students. The University awards a bursary if you are under 25 and your Student Finance service assesses you as independent on the grounds of being a care leaver or estranged from your parents. If your Student Finance service hasn't classed you as independent on these grounds but you meet the criteria for either of these bursaries, contact us.

In addition, there is an undergraduate support fund that you apply to if you are struggling to meet your basic living costs. This includes those who need extra help over the summer vacation. Find out about this and other sources of extra money for those who need it.

The NTU Undergraduate Support Fund is an amount of money provided by the University. It offers financial assistance during the academic year and is available to eligible UK home undergraduate students who have a shortfall between their income and outgoings. Care experienced and estranged students are priority groups to receive this support.

Accommodation options

If you’re a care-experienced student, you’ll be given priority for a place in campus accommodation - no matter your course or year of study. You may also be eligible for 365-day accommodation in NTU/UPP halls, with no need for a guarantor.

Applications open each spring, and you’re encouraged to apply whether your course offer is conditional or unconditional. If you’re care-experienced, estranged, or at risk of becoming estranged, we’re here to support you. A dedicated member of our team is available to guide you through the process and answer any questions.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’re here to help.

If you're an undergraduate or postgraduate applicant at NTU, your first year of accommodation in Nottingham is guaranteed. Your offer may include NTU-owned, partner, and private accommodation. The offer covers all new full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students. Terms and conditions apply.

Learn more about our guaranteed first-year accommodation in Nottingham

NTU has partnered with Housing Hand to provide guarantor services for students who would otherwise struggle to provide a UK guarantor. NTU students who follow the above link will receive a discounted rate for their guarantor fee.

Please note, you do not need to provide a guarantor for NTU or UPP accommodation.

This competitive scholarship offers 20 care leavers free NTU/UPP accommodation in their first year of study.

Applications are now open and the deadline is Friday 5th June.

You can apply if you meet the following criteria:

  • You will be under the age of 25 on 1st September 2026, and
  • You have an unconditional or conditional offer to study a full-time undergraduate course at Nottingham Trent University, commencing in September 2026 and have accepted NTU as your firm (first) choice, and
  • Your chosen course will lead to an Undergraduate Degree, Foundation Degree, Certificate of Higher Education, Higher National Diploma or Higher National Certificate, and
  • You have been
    • in the care of a local authority in the UK at some point since the age of 16, or
    • looked after by relatives who are not your parents, but who have a court order to do so, at some point since the age of 16, or
    • a foyer resident in the UK

You cannot apply for this scholarship if your Local Authority Leaving Care Service is paying your full accommodation costs during the 2026/27 academic year.

If you meet all the above criteria, you should complete the NTU Care Leaver Accommodation Scholarship Application Form by the deadline on Friday 5 June 2026.

As part of the scholarship application process, you should also log on to the NTU Accommodation Portal and set up an account.  (You will need to enter the NTU ID in your offer letter).  To help us understand your accommodation needs, you should complete the form, giving your details, including disclosing any medical conditions, but do not progress to the accommodation booking section.

Further information on the application process can be found in these NTU Care Leaver Accommodation Scholarship Guidance Notes.

Employability support

Care experienced and estranged students have access to dedicated specialists in the NTU Employability team. Part of NTU’s Employability team, Rise aims to ensure all students, regardless of their circumstances, have fair access to opportunities whilst at NTU. Rise provides a range of employability initiatives, opportunities, and advice tailored to students from a variety of different backgrounds. Our care experienced and estranged students form part of our targeted Rise offer, and we offer the following support:

  • Exclusive events and opportunities These are available throughout the academic year for eligible students. You will receive information about these in termly targeted Rise bulletins
  • A two-day placement support programme for second year undergraduates called the Rise PLAN. This helps to boost confidence and resilience in seeking and securing placement opportunities. Information will be sent about the programme via email.

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.

Student Health and Wellbeing Services

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