Information for care experienced students

All you need to know about applying to higher education and the support available at King’s College London

Who is a care leaver? The legal definition of a care leaver is someone who has been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14, and was in care on their 16th birthday. However, at King’s College London we recognise that any time spent in local authority care can have a significant impact on educational opportunities and outcomes, and therefore we provide pre-entry and on-course support to students who have spent any time in local authority care.

Additional consideration for care experienced applicants

King’s has a competitive admissions process and most programmes have many more applications than places. If required, King’s will ensure that applications from care-experienced students will be given additional consideration as part of the admissions process. For example, students whose admissions test score is considered as being close to the required standard might be given additional consideration.

Additional consideration will vary from course to course and applicant to applicant – however no exceptions are made for our Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme and Extended Medical Degree Programme.

For more information, please visit our website: www.kcl.ac.uk/care-experienced

Pre-entry support

nIf you need help with your personal statement, navigating UCAS, or improving your interview skills, contact our designated member of staff for care experienced students, Anne-Marie Henderson, who can give you 1:1 advice on how to write a competitive application (contact details on the back)

nKing’s College London can organise free bespoke visit days for looked after students at any age. A typical day will involve a university tour, meeting care experienced student ambassadors and hearing about the support available

n All our widening participation programmes, including K+ and Sutton Trust Summer School prioritise applications from care experienced students. These programmes equip undergraduate students from underrepresented groups with the knowledge, confidence and skills to successfully transition to university

TOP TIPS for applications 1. Disclose your care experienced status by ticking the box in the care question on your UCAS application form. This will allow admissions staff to take your circumstances into consideration and will not have a negative impact on your application 2. Ensure the teacher reference gives additional information and provides context about your care experienced background 3. If needed, fill in the mitigating circumstances form 4. When applying for Student Finance allow your household income to be assessed (means-tested) to ensure you receive all available financial support

Financial support

nYou can apply for a student loan from Student Finance to cover your tuition fees, which you will start paying back once you are earning over £21,000

nYou will be eligible for the Care Leaver and Estranged Students Bursary, King’s Living Bursary and King’s Hardship Fund. For more information visit: www.kcl.ac.uk/care-experienced

nAs a care leaver attending higher education you are eligible for support from your local authority. Make sure you talk to your key worker and have it written in your Personal Education Plan (PEP)

Accommodation

nThe UNITE Accommodation & Access Bursary fully covers housing costs for selected students with care background. For application information please visit the care experienced section of our website

nWe offer affordable 52-week lets (including summer months)

nWe also have a King’s Affordable Accommodation Scheme (KAAS) which subsidises accommodation across all King’s residences

Personal support

nOur designated member of staff can answer all your questions and help with your smooth transition to higher education

nOur Wellbeing and Counselling teams provide emotional support throughout your time at King’s College London

nYou can also be matched with a buddy in your first year, who is a fellow student and can help you with the transition to university

Academic & career support

nAll students are allocated a personal tutor within their department who will be your first point of contact

nThroughout your studies, a dedicated career advisor will be there to help you with internships, job opportunities and employability skills

Some students have the blessing of having their parents supporting them prior and during their time at university. On the other hand students like myself, as a care leaver, are not as fortunate.  Making the transition filled me with anxiety, feeling that I was embarking this journey alone, thus I had little to no expectations regarding the help I would receive. Nevertheless, three months prior to my place at King’s College London being confirmed I was contacted by the Widening Participation Depeartment at King’s, who informed me about the support I may be able to receive before, during and after my studies. I was also recommended to apply for the Unite Accommodation  Scholarship, which would ensure my  accommodation would be covered for three years in an  en-suite, single room close to school.  Furthermore I would be rewarded £4000 a year, for three years.  When I had successfully been accepted for the scholarship I felt like I had won the lottery! I no longer felt the fear, anxiety and envy towards other students and moving to university.

–Third year student at King’s College London

KCL Residences – Moonraker Point in Zone 1

Do you have any other questions?Contact Anne-Marie Henderson outreach@kcl.ac.uk or 020 7848 3948

Do you need more detailed information?Check out the King’s College London Widening Participation website for more details: www.kcl.ac.uk/care-experienced

Would you like to participate in a class or visit our campus?You can attend our taster sessions, open days or book a campus tour:http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/visit/university-of-london-events.aspxhttp://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/visit/undergraduate-open-dayshttp://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/visit/campus-tours.aspx

Where else can you get information about the available support for care leavers?Propel www.propel.org.ukBecome www.becomecharity.org.ukNNECL www.nnecl.org

Where can you get more information about the UCAS application for care experienced students? UCAS for Care Leavers www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/individual-needs/ucas-undergraduate-support-care-leavers

Where to get more information about Student Finance? Student Finance www.gov.uk/student-finance

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