Supporting Student Carers
Supporting Student Carers
We welcome and actively support applications from those with caring responsibilities.
Student Carers
A student carer is someone who, at any point in their studies at the University, provides care for a family member or friend who would not be able to manage without that support.
If you have caring responsibilities and are thinking of applying to us, or are a current student, there is a range of support and provision that we can offer you, including tailored advice and support from our Student Carer Support Coordinators, Denise and Heather.
At the pre-application stage we can offer you support and guidance with your application as well as an adjusted offer of entry.
As a registered student at the University, you can self-identify as a Carer at any point during the course of your studies, through our student portal, My Campus.
Student Carer Verification
In order to be verified for an adjusted offer as a carer, applicants must have noted their caring responsibilities in their UCAS application and/or made the university aware of their caring responsibilities.
- Applicants should tick the Carers’ box on their UCAS form to indicate they have caring responsibilities.
- The applicant’s referee should mention their caring responsibilities in the ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ section of the reference form.
- If appropriate, the applicant may choose to mention their caring responsibilities as part of their personal statement.
In order to be verified:
- Applicants should be registered with their local care partnership. You can find your local care partnership here: Carers' Centres - Scotland
- If you are not registered with a carers’ centre, you can do this during or after your application. Medical studies applications and others requiring interviews should be verified by end of February. All applications for general subjects should have completed verifications by end of July.
- You will be asked to complete one of our programmes (Reach, Top-Up, or Summer School)
- We will ask applicants to provide a letter from the Carers centre, outlining their caring responsibilities and the impact these responsibilities have had on the applicant and their education. The letter should be sent to us directly from the Carers Centre.
- We also recommend applicants fill out a Carers’ Statement in conjunction with their Carers’ Centre to help you assess the impact of your caring role.
If you have any questions about the verification process or require further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Carer Support Co-ordinators, Denise Hooper and Heather Wells.
Once at the University, students who are carers are entitled to a Carers’ Plan – a document which outlines adjustments or mitigations to be put in place to help the student balance their studies alongside their caring responsibilities.
Student Carers' Policy
The University of Glasgow has a Student Carers’ Policy in place which outlines how the university can support you to balance your caring responsibilities with your studies.
For more information please see the Senate Office page.
Student Carers' Plan
The University is committed to providing as much flexibility as possible to facilitate students’ success, making sure no student is disadvantaged whilst ensuring academic standards are not compromised. For Carers who, due to their caring responsibilities, will require special arrangements, these can be can put in place by filling out a Student Carers Plan with your Advisor of Studies/Advising Team. This document lays out the provisions which you can have in place to help you balance your academic commitments with your role as a Carer, and can be filled out and amended at any point during your studies.
Financial Support
Those with caring responsibilities are a priority group for our Talent Scholarships. These can provide £1,500 for each year of your degree.
Other financial support may also be available through the University's HEI Discretionary & Childcare Fund, as well as a variety of other scholarships and educational loans which you can find out about on our student finance pages.
Please make sure to indicate that you are a Carer on the application form.
Other Useful Contacts
For more information on other support available please visit Carers Trust Scotland.
You can find your nearest Carer Centre by typing your postcode into the ‘Find local care and carer service’ search bar on the Carers Trust Scotland website. Your nearest Carers Trust Scotland Network Partner Carers Centre will be able to give you more information on what support is available in your local area, including respite and your entitlements under the Carers Act (2016).
Carers Trust Scotland Going Higher Award
In 2019 the University of Glasgow was awarded the Going Higher for Student Carers Award in recognition of the support and provision that we have in place for student carers.