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    Supporters' toolkits for advising students with individual needs

    If you're unfamiliar with the UCAS application but helping someone apply to university or college, our step-by-step guides will help.

    These back-to-basics guides assume no background knowledge of the UCAS process and will help you to support students every step of the way: 

    1. Discover their options: How to use the UCAS Hub to research their options and find the right support
    2. Search and shortlist: Find courses and universities – and make informed decisions
    3. Apply and send: Help them complete the UCAS application and consider their next steps
    4. Decisions and offers: Find out what happens next – how to reply to offers and manage results day
    5. Get ready to go! Preparing for university life and studies

    The supporter's toolkit (basic version)

    This toolkit offers all the basic information about the UCAS process – from helping someone research their options, through to helping them get ready to start their studies. You'll find links to more detailed information on the UCAS website so you have everything you need to support their journey.

    The supporter's toolkit: Care-experienced applicants

    As well as the basic information about the UCAS process, this guide provides everything you need to help someone who has been in care to apply to university. The guidance covers financial support, sharing their care background, contextual offers, accommodation – and more. You'll also find links to UCAS pages and expert resources.

    This toolkit is ideal for personal advisers, virtual school staff, local authority leaving care teams, foster carers, outreach staff – and anyone helping a care-experienced student to think about their future choices.

    More guides will be added here soon.

    Students climbing stairs in university

    Adviser toolkits

    Our adviser toolkits assume a working knowledge of the UCAS process and offer practical steps on how to support students from different backgrounds at each stage of the UCAS process. They are designed for careers advisers and UCAS advisers in schools and colleges but can be used alongside the Supporter's toolkit: Basic version (above) if you are supporting students including.

    • Students with caring responsibilities
    • Students with parenting responsibilities
    • Students estranged from their parents
    • Students from UK Armed Forces families
    • UK Armed Forces Service leavers and veterans
    • Displaced students (refugees and asylum seekers)
    • Students with imprisoned parents

    Adviser toolkit