If you're responsible for providing unpaid care to a family member, partner or friend, you may be able to get extra support during your studies. This could include:
- financial help, such as a bursary
- support with managing your workload and deadlines
- help with your own health and wellbeing
There’s a variety of help available for students with care responsibilities, so it’s a good idea to do your research before you apply. We recommend you contact your university as early as possible to discuss your circumstances and any support needs you may have, however small or major they may seem. This will help you make a smooth transition to university and succeed in your ongoing studies.
Visit the Carers Trust website for help with applying to uni
Who is a carer?
A carer is anyone who has a commitment to providing unpaid care to a family member or friend who could not cope without their support. This may be due to illness, disability, a mental health issue, or substance misuse.
A caring responsibility may be short term — such as supporting someone with their recovery following an accident, or long term — such as helping someone with a long term illness.
Some students with care responsibilities might think it's not worth telling the university or college about their circumstances, perhaps because they think it's a temporary situation, or because they don’t think it ‘counts’. However, all carers deal with their responsibilities alongside their education differently, and you may still find some occasional support helpful, especially if your circumstances change. It’s important to make sure it's ready if or when you need it.
Charities providing support, information, and advice to young adult carers
These are just two of the many charities which can help you:
- The Carers Trust offers support to those who who give unpaid care to a family member or friend.
- If someone in your family has a life-threatening illness, Hope Support Services can help. You might also be interested in watching Ben’s story.
The UCAS application
UCAS has introduced a section in the application so you can share more information about your circumstances with the university or college – including whether you have caring responsibilities. This information means the university or college will be able to connect you to the right support for your needs quickly and easily and ensure you have all the information you need.
If you provide unpaid care for another person, just select ‘yes’ from the drop-down box in the question that asks if you have any caring responsibilities in the ‘More about you’ section of the application. You will not have to give any further details at this stage.
Note: There is a separate question where you can share if you have parenting responsibilities.
When you share this information, the university or college may get in touch to discuss how they can help you and tell you more about your options. This information is treated sensitively and only shared with those responsible for arranging support and helping you with your application. Knowing about your circumstances may also help admissions staff consider your achievements in context – it won’t reflect negatively on your application.
You are always in control – if you decide upi don’t want support, you can choose not to accept it, but if you change your mind later on, or if your circumstances change, it’s ready for you. To find out more about sharing information about your caring responsibilities in the UCAS application, read our FAQs page.
Remember: not all universities and colleges offer the same type of support so research your options before you make your application to ensure they offer what you need.
Not sure how to share information about your caring responsibilities? Read LEAPS' advice and watch a step-by-step video guide to sharing your caring responsibilities with your unis and colleges in the application.
Not sure how to share information about your caring responsibilities?
What support is available to carers in higher education?
Some carers think their caring role will prevent them from going to university, even if higher education would help them meet their aspirations in education and work. This might be because of financial reasons, concerns about balancing studying with a caring role, or worrying about who would provide care in their absence if they wanted to move away.
If you're balancing your studies with the responsibility of caring for another person, this can sometimes be challenging. To help you manage this, many universities and colleges have put support in place specifically to help student with caring responsibilities. This can include:
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Do your research
Find out what support your uni or college offers for carers before you make your final decision.
This info will be on their website, sometimes on a student carers page. Contact student support services by email or phone, or visit during open days to find out more about the academic and practical support they can offer.
Other resources to help you research your options:
- Check out the Going Higher for Student Carers Recognition Award resource on the Carers Trust Scotland website.
- Carers Trust’s Supporting Students with Caring Responsibilities highlights examples of great work being done by unis to support student carers in England and Wales (Welsh language version available here).
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Tell the uni about your circumstances
Knowing you have caring responsibilities allows the uni to put support in place, to make sure you get the most from your experience. We recommend you do this as early as possible, however small or major your caring role may seem to you.
There are several ways you can tell the uni about your circumstances:
- Share if you have caring responsibilities in the ‘More about you’ section of the UCAS application – this is the quickest and easiest way.
- With your permission, your referee can mention your circumstances in the reference. They can also make sure the university knows if your caring role has had any impact on your studies or exam results (e.g. through absence).
- You can also contact the uni after you've received your offers or confirmed your place. If your circumstances change during your studies or after you apply it’s a good idea to let the uni know, so they can support you.
Knowing about your circumstances can help admissions staff take your achievements into account, and gain a better understanding of your potential in context. It will not reflect negatively on your application or academic ability, but instead will enable them to form a more complete picture of you as an individual, and your potential to succeed.
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Use your personal statement to highlight your strengths and skills
Your personal statement is a great place to highlight the skills, strengths, and positive attributes your caring responsibility has allowed you to develop.
Read more about completing your personal statement, or advice for writing a personal statement as a carer specifically.
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Consider the practicalities and make plans before you go
Whether you're planning to live at home or move away, it's helpful to think about some of the more practical aspects. Some things to consider might be:
- finances – as well as applying for student finance, don’t forget to check when you need to apply for any carers’ bursaries or grants. Set aside time to plan your budgeting, taking into account any costs for equipment, books, etc. you’ll need, as well as your day-to-day living costs. Visit the Blackbullion website for some useful resources to help you
- travel plans – if you're planning to commute to university, think carefully about travel time at different points in the day, such as rush hour. Find out where you would need to park, or where the train station or bus stops are. If you're planning to move away from home, how you will move your belongings to your new accommodation? Remember to build all travel costs into your budget
- work placements – if you're taking a course that requires work placements or off-site learning, find out in advance when these are likely to take place — so you can make any necessary arrangements and update your travel plans and budget
More information and help
Carers in the UK have rights in law, which emphasises that they should receive the appropriate support to allow them to meet their own personal goals, including education. There are some differences depending on where in the UK you come from – select your country below for more information from Carers Trust:
Fran's story*
Fran is studying at the University of Winchester and has hopes of doing a master’s. She has been caring for her brother who has autism since she was 11. Fran wants universities to make sure that anyone who does care for someone is recognised from the start.
In terms of increasing support at university, it is to make sure that anyone who does care for someone is recognised from the start so the university can make sure that they are not alone and know that if they want and need help there is always someone there! Starting university, I did not disclose that I cared for someone on my university application as I thought it was not needed and to be honest did not want to use it as an excuse. However, since telling someone at university the support that I have gained has helped so much. I wished I had said something at the beginning and do recommend disclosing this on the application as you never know the help or opportunities you can get by doing this.
*Source: Carers Trust guide to 'Supporting students with caring responsibilities'.