Care experienced prospective students
Applying to university can be a confusing time, whether you are applying for your first undergraduate degree or considering continuing study to postgraduate level. We recognise if you are care experienced you may need some additional support to navigate the processes. We have a range of pre-application supports available for you and members of your support networks to help ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about the next steps on your university journey.
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Whether you are applying for your first undergraduate degree or considering continuing study to postgraduate level, we have a range of pre-application support available for you and members of your support networks to help ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about the next steps on your university journey.
The University of St Andrews has a pre-application care experienced support coordinator, Joanna Fry, who acts as a point of initial contact for you at any stage in the process of thinking and applying to university.
Joanna can also offer ongoing support and impartial guidance through the process and as you make the transition to university life, and is able to direct you to all the relevant support services within the University.
If you have any questions about applying to the University of St Andrews, please do not hesitate to contact Joanna on our confidential care experience email address.
Joanna Fry
Access Manager: Widening Access and Transitions
Phone: 01334 46 2346
Email: careexperienced@st-andrews.ac.uk -
Undergraduate admissions
The University of St Andrews, like all Scottish universities, has a Contextual Admissions Policy which means that we consider not just academic grades, but also all the information provided by an applicant, and this includes whether you have been care experienced.
Our Contextual Admissions Policy for undergraduate applications outlines this in more detail.
As part of the policy we guarantee an offer to anyone who has been care experienced, as outlined above, provided that they meet the minimum entry requirements for the degree they have applied for and have made a suitable application for that degree.
What is a "suitable application"?
By 'suitable application' we mean that you must have studied appropriate subjects for the degree you have applied for and your personal statement should show a good interest in and understanding of that subject. The personal statement is very important for us at St Andrews as our academic colleagues support our admissions decision making and they will be looking for applicants who show that they wish to study that subject.
Care experienced applicants could also consider applying for one of our Gateway programmes. These routes do not make any difference to the degree you will graduate with, but do give you some extra support and guidance in your first years at St Andrews to help ensure you make the best possible start to your studies.
Gateway programmes can provide entry to any degree programme at St Andrews. If you would like more information, contact Joanna at careexperienced@st-andrews.ac.uk
Postgraduate admissions
If you are care experienced and considering applying for a postgraduate degree, we would encourage you to reference this in your application form and contact Joanna at careexperienced@st-andrews.ac.uk to discuss your individual circumstances and allow us to provide you with support and guidance through the process.
We will ask for verification of your care experienced status, although we appreciate that, due to the potential time frames involved, it may not always be as straightforward to obtain documentation. We will work with you to find suitable documentation where we can.
Care experienced postgraduate applicants are not required to make the pre-payment for postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes to secure a place on their course. Please email Joanna at careexperienced@st-andrews.ac.uk to ensure you are exempt from this payment.
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The University is committed to increasing the number of care experienced young people going to university. If you meet the definition of care experienced and you are applying to the University through UCAS, please make sure you tick the box that asks if you have been in care. If you are applying to us outside of the UCAS process, via a direct or postgraduate application, please ensure that your care experience is referenced in your application.
This enables the support coordinators to contact you with more information about the support we can offer. We may also ask you to provide verification of your Care Experienced status as part of the application process.
When assessing applications, in line with our Admissions Policy, all aspects of the application will be considered, including information regarding Care Experience. Applicants will be considered based on their individual circumstances.
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Visiting a university is a great way to find out if it's the right place for you to study. By visiting us you will get a sense of what it might be like to be a student at St Andrews and have a chance to talk to some current students about their experience, as well as find out more about the subjects you might be studying.
Undergraduate visits
We have a range of options for visiting us from our large-scale visiting days to smaller weekly 'talk and tours'. Details of these events and how to book are available on our visit us pages.
We may also be able to arrange one-to-one calls or individual visits if you wish to discuss your application in more detail. Please contact Joanna at careexperienced@st-andrews.ac.uk for more information.
Postgraduate visits
If you are considering postgraduate study with us, we have a range of online events, information sessions and in-person visiting days. More details of these and how to book can be found on our visit us or explore postgraduate pages.
You can also request a one-to-one call with a member of our Admissions team if you wish to discuss making an application in more detail. Use our Ask Admissions booking form to book a call.
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Scholarships from the University
The University offers a wide range of financial support packages for undergraduates and postgraduate students. Many of our scholarships are based on financial need rather than academic achievements, and we strongly encourage all care experienced applicants to apply for a scholarship package as soon as they have submitted any application.
Undergraduates
The St Andrews Access Award offers a guaranteed award for UK domiciled care experienced students. You should make an application to this award as soon as you have submitted your UCAS application. Please do not wait until you have a decision from us.
More information can be found on our scholarship webpages.
The deadline for applications is early April each year.
Postgraduates
The University of St Andrews offers a range of funding opportunities for Masters and PhD applicants, details of which can be found in the postgraduate scholarships catalogue.
We encourage care experienced postgraduate applicants to view the information regarding our St Leonards Widening Access Scholarships for both Masters and PhD programmes.
Fees and funding
Undergraduate
All UK students can apply for government help to pay their fees and provide maintenance loans.
If you are a Scottish-domiciled student, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will usually pay any undergraduate tuition fees for eligible students. Scottish care experienced students will also have access to a bursary through SAAS, which is non-repayable. Visit the SAAS website for more information
If you are domiciled in the UK outside of Scotland, your local education authority (in England) may provide support and you are also likely to be eligible for a repayable student loan. To find out more information on tuition fees and student loans see the gov.uk website.
Across the four nations, each local authority may also have a policy detailing how it can help you financially to cover the costs of your studies, for example, payments for books and accommodation. Keyworkers, social workers or aftercare teams should be able to provide you with further information on what kind of support your local authority could provide. If you have any further questions or would like some help contacting your local authority, get in touch with our support coordinator.
Postgraduates
UK students can apply for government support to finance further studies. Full details of the support available can be found on the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website or for UK students outside of Scotland information and guidance can be found on the UK Government website.
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Accommodation Guarantee Undergraduate Students
The University of St Andrews offers an accommodation guarantee to all first year undergraduate students who apply for accommodation prior to 30 June in the year of entry.
If you are care experienced this guarantee extends to providing you with accommodation all year round, should you require it. We do not require that care experienced applicants pay a deposit for University accommodation, nor will you need to provide a guarantor.
Depending on which hall you are living in, it may not always be possible for you to stay in the same room over the summer break and you may be required to move to a different room. We will try to communicate any changes to you as far in advance as possible.
As with all students, it is important that you apply for University accommodation within the stated deadline. Please ensure you read the application process guidelines before applying for accommodation; the support coordinator can assist you in this process.
For more information on accommodation offered by the University, take a look at the accommodation web pages.
Should a student wish to find private accommodation, we will offer advice with finding this, including assistance with deposits if needed. The support coordinator can provide advice on this.
Postgraduate accommodation
If you are applying for University accommodation, please declare this on your accommodation application and contact us at care.experienced@st-andrews.ac.uk to make the support coordinators aware you will require University accommodation.
Care experienced postgraduate students can access year-round University accommodation. Depending on which hall you are living in, it may not always be possible for you to stay in the same room over the summer break and you may be required to move to a different room. We will try to communicate any changes to you as far in advance as possible.
We do not require that care- experienced applicants pay a deposit for University accommodation, nor will you need to provide a guarantor.
As with all students, it is important that you apply for University accommodation within the stated deadline. Please ensure you read the application process guidelines before applying for accommodation; the support coordinator can assist you in this process.
For more information on accommodation offered by the University, visit the accommodation web pages.
Should a student wish to find private accommodation, we will offer advice with finding this, including assistance with deposits if needed. The support coordinator can provide advice on this.
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Your local authority may be able to help you meet some or all of your accommodation costs while you are in full-time education. Care experienced young people applying from Scotland can find more information on the responsibilities of your local authority in the Scottish Parliament's guidelines on Supporting Young People Leaving Care in Scotland (2004)
Each local authority may also have a policy detailing how it can help you financially to cover the costs of your studies, for example, payments for books and accommodation. Keyworkers, social workers and aftercare teams should be able to provide further information on what support your local authority could provide. If you have any further questions or would like some help contacting your local authority, get in touch with our support coordinators.