Higher Education
University
On April 1st 2015, every college and university in Scotland became a Corporate Parent to care experienced young people. A responsibility that brings new duties and great opportunities.
Work is ongoing within colleges and universities, to ensure further and higher education institutions are listening to care experienced young people so they are the best Corporate Parent they can be.
We want to support more care experienced people to go into higher education; national data shows there are significantly lower percentage of young people who have experienced care who leave school to attend university than their non care experienced peers.
If you don’t have formal qualifications but aspire to go on to university you can get in touch with Skills development Scotland, Forth Valley College or Stirling Learning and Employabiity Services for support and signposting to help you achieve your goals.
If you already have qualifications but are unsure about applying for higher education, rest assured each university is working towards creating learning environments that are welcoming, supportive and accessible. Search for the Student Advisory Service for the university you're interested in- their job is to help you to be successful and have lots of advice and supports to make that happen. The advisory services are more aware of the issues facing care experienced young people or the barriers that stop them from achieving their full potential.
Here is a link to a story of one care experienced person's Higher Education success from WhoCares?Scotland .
The info below give an example of how our local university is taking their corporate parenting duties very seriously and want you to be a success.
Support for young people
My Academic Family offers free mentoring and support from the beginning of the learning journey with Higher Education. Through 1:1 online support young people can get help and advice with university choices; personal statements and navigating the application process.
MAF Application Services PDF.pdfMAF Mentorship PDF.pdfScholarships
Having somewhere of your own to call home matters. With the Unite Foundation scholarship, you’ll have accommodation and bills covered for up to 3 years of study. That includes all through the holidays too, so you don’t have to wonder where to go during Christmas or summer. You can even stay the summer after you graduate to plan your next move. The Unite Foundation team will help you settle in, keep in touch and offer opportunities for employment and enjoyment. So far, over 600 estranged and care experienced young people have gone to university on the Unite Foundation scholarship, are you next?
Watch our video introducing the support available to anyone interested in coming to learn with Stirling University
The Student Recruitment Team at the University of Stirling provides support for all applicants and enquirers. This includes detailed information about entry requirements and the application process, opportunities to visit our campus and also arranging a number of information and guidance sessions that applicants and enquirers can sign up to.
Any student with additional support needs is encouraged to get in touch with the Student Recruitment Team by emailing recruitment@stir.ac.uk and one of our friendly dedicated team will work with you to establish what type of information, advice and guidance would suit you best.
Under normal circumstances* we would be happy to arrange a visit to the campus for you, led by a Recruitment Team member. Someone from the Student Support Services team will also be on hand to give you information about the support offered to Stirling students. A Student Ambassador can also take you to all the key areas across our campus.
Students with a disability should declare this in their UCAS application form. This will then trigger communications from our Student Support Services team providing information about what support is on offer. Our Accessibility and Inclusion team can arrange a pre-entry visit for students to ensure that all individual requirements are met before starting your course. For more information about the support available, visit www.stir.ac.uk/student-life/support-wellbeing/student-support-services/accessibility-and-inclusion/ or email realiseyourpotential@stir.ac.uk
* Under the current COVID-19 restrictions, currently we are unable to arrange campus visits, and many of our staff are working from home in order to keep our university community safe. However, we still offer a range of support, including email, telephone and video calls, so please do get in touch with us to arrange a meeting.
Thinking about going to university and starting your university journey is an exciting time. It can also be a confusing time with all the information and options available to you. Whether you have just left school or college or you have been out of education for a while, there is a lot of support and resources out there to best help you make a decision.
Click here to find out more