UniCares
Supporting students who are care-experienced, estranged, young adult carers and Sanctuary Scholars.
UniCares is City St George’s dedicated support network for care-experienced students, young adult carers, young estranged students, refugees and asylum seekers.
UniCares offers a range of support to help you navigate the ups and downs of your student journey from enrolment to graduation.
Providing you with the support you need
Here at City St George’s, we understand that some students need support for concerns that goes beyond exam stress and money worries.
UniCares aims to alleviate your worries by providing specialised individual support to students who need it.
Whoever came up with the idea of UniCares is amazing. I never thought anyone would understand my situation!
Second year Psychology student on the UniCares programme, 2021
Who we can help
We provide specialised, individual support to students in the following groups:
Care leavers and care-experienced students
City St George’s, University of London is committed to supporting those who are, or have been, in the care of a local authority. We recognise that being a student with little or no family support may mean that you often face additional challenges whilst at university and we are committed to guiding you so that you can make the most of your time here.
The UniCares team provides tailored support to anyone aged 25 and under by the start of their course, who has spent any time in Local Authority Care.
To receive support from UniCares you must register with the service by first contacting us via Support@City to disclose your status and then providing some evidence. As a care leaver or a care-experienced person, we will need a signed letter on headed paper from a relevant professional in your local authority to show that you were looked after for any period of time. If you need support or advice to obtain this evidence, please contact us.
If you are a current City St George’s student and would like to disclose that you have spent time in care, please contact us via Support@City. We have a strict privacy policy and we will only talk to others about your situation if you have given us permission to do so.
Young adult carers
Caring responsibilities may have an impact on your financial situation, your own physical and mental health, your academic attainment (you may find yourself missing classes and deadlines) and your relationships. We recognise that juggling caring responsibilities with studying can be challenging and is likely to place additional pressures on you.
The UniCares team provides support to young adult carers, aged 25 and under by the first day of their course, who care, unpaid, for a family member, dependant or friend with a long-term illness or disability, mental health condition, is elderly or frail, or who misuses drugs or alcohol.
This does not apply to childcare unless the child has additional care needs as listed above.
To receive support from UniCares you must register with the service by first contacting us via Support@City to disclose your status and then providing some evidence. As a young adult carer, we will need a letter on headed paper or an email from a relevant professional, who can verify your status as a carer. The letter should explain the impact that caring responsibilities have had on your education and day-to-day life. Further information about accepted evidence can be found here.
We have a strict privacy policy and we will only talk to others about your situation if you have given us permission to do so.
Young, estranged students
We recognise that students with little or no family support often face additional challenges whilst at university and we are committed to supporting you with difficulties you might have so that you can make the most of your time here.
To receive support from UniCares you must register with the service by first contacting us via Support@City to disclose your status and then providing some evidence. As a young, estranged student we will need to see confirmation that you have been assessed as independent on the grounds of estrangement by Student Finance England. If you need support or advice in obtaining this evidence, please contact us.
If you are a current City St George’s student and would like to disclose that you are a young, estranged student, please contact us via Support@City. We have a strict privacy policy and we will only talk to others about your situation if you have given us permission.
Refugees, asylum-seekers, and forcibly displaced students
At City St George’s, we are proud to support equal access to higher education for forced migrants through our Sanctuary Scholarship consisting of full tuition fee support and a grant to help with the costs of living.
We also recognise that students with a background of forced migration, who may also have little or no family support in the UK, can face additional challenges whilst at university and during times of transition. You might encounter additional challenges such as accessing student finance or with accommodation, finance, mental health and have had breaks in education and need pre-entry support.
Students with a background of forced displacement are not able to register with UniCares but can access some of the benefits that the service provides and we can signpost and advocate for you.
Some refugees and forcibly displaced students may also be care-experienced and/or estranged and you could register with UniCares under that status.
To receive support from UniCares you must reach out to us via Support@City.
How we can help
UniCares provides students with access to a Designated Member of Staff who will respond to all queries in a timely manner.
UniCares students receive pastoral support which includes guidance, practical assistance and encouragement to promote students’ wellbeing and welfare, to improve their ability to engage successfully with their studies.
UniCares students are also eligible for additional financial support, outlined below. They are prioritised for accommodation in our partnered halls and benefit from priority access to a range of City St George’s services and extra-curricular activities.
How to join
To receive support from UniCares you must register by first contacting us via Support@City to disclose your status and then providing some evidence. You can find further details of specific evidence required in the sections above.
Financial support
City St George’s offers a range of bursaries and scholarships to support you financially, including:
- UniCares Bursaries – Undergraduate students aged 25 and under with experience of being in local authority care, who are irreconcilably estranged from their family or who have unpaid caring responsibilities may be eligible for a UniCares Bursary.
- Student Support Fund – students who find themselves in financial hardship can apply for the Student Support Fund.
- Graduation package – care-experienced students, young adult carers, young, estranged students or Sanctuary Scholars, who complete their final year of undergraduate studies are eligible for a financial package to aid with graduation costs and life after City St George’s.
On-course support
During your time at City St George’s, we offer a range of practical support, including:
- A Designated Member of Staff to support you throughout your time at City St George’s by being your first point of contact.
- As a care leaver, care experienced student, young adult carer, young, estranged student or Sanctuary Scholar you are prioritised for City St George’s partner student accommodation throughout your undergraduate degree provided you have City St George’s as your firm choice by the UCAS deadline. We work closely with City St George’s Accommodation Advisers to ensure you are allocated accommodation that best meets your needs, including out of term time.
- All care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers, young, estranged students or forcibly displaced students receive priority access for counselling services.
- First year undergraduate care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers, young, estranged students, or forcibly displaced students are prioritised for the CourseBuddies peer mentoring scheme to help with settling into student life.
- UniCares students have increased access Learning & Development services, including workshops and 1-1 sessions to make sure that you're getting the most out of your studies.
- Second- and third-year undergraduate care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers or young, estranged students will be guaranteed an interview and given priority for the professional mentoring scheme, an opportunity to receive mentoring with a person in industry.
- City St George's offers extensive career support through the Careers and Employability team. This includes 1-2-1 appointments with Careers Consultants, workshops, and an array of different online resources. UniCares students can access the personalised Careers Ahead service for tailored support.
- UniCares students can claim a free annual membership to CitySport.
Contact us
If you want to speak to our UniCares Advisers, Michel Salamouni and Alice Myers, please contact the UniCares team via Support@City.