Widening AccessStudent carers

Are You a Carer? Let Us Know!

Do you look after a family member or a friend in an unpaid capacity, who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem, or addiction, cannot cope without your support?

At Strathclyde, we understand how difficult it can be to balance studying with caring responsibilities, and are dedicated to identifying and supporting student carers and to helping you succeed. We can offer you a range of support, even before you submit an application to us - just let us know that you are a Carer! If you are thinking of applying to study with us, we can offer the following services:

  • Specific guidance on which subjects you'll need to study before applying to the University
  • An offer based on minimum entry requirements, if applicable (please ensure your caring role is highlighted in your UCAS personal statement or teacher's reference, or by emailing louise.martin.100@strath.ac.uk). Carer verification accepted include: an NHS carers card; a letter from a carers centre; a confirmation letter from a GP, medical professional or teacher; or evidence of being in receipt of carers allowance.
  • Individual, personalised tours of our campus
  • Priority places on summer programmes, such as our Accelerate courses
  • Advice on financial support, including help with filling out funding applications
  • A single point of contact for you to approach with any questions or worries you might have before and during your studies
  • A range of student support services throughout your studies

Please see our Student Carers Policy which highlights our commitment to supporting student carers and provides information on the support the University can offer to students with caring responsibilities.  For current students, please also see our link to MyPlace for more information and resources for student carers.

You may find some of the services below useful:

Which? Elderly Care is a source of free and independent information and advice on care choices for older people across the UK.

Carers Trust Scotland is the largest provider of comprehensive carers support services in Scotland.  Please also see Carers Space which provides advice for adult carers.

TIDE provide support to carers of people with dementia in Scotland.

Are you a current student?

We are currently looking to identify students with caring responsibilities, with a view to establishing their support needs.  Please get in touch to arrange an appointment to discuss your requirements, and also to hear about the student support services we offer at the University.

Get in touch with our dedicated adviser for Student Carers, Louise Martin, for more information, or to arrange to pop in for a chat.

E-mail: louise.martin.100@strath.ac.uk

Looking for careers and employability support? NEW Careers module for student carers!

At the University, we understand that student carers often struggle to find employment that fits around their caring duties, and suffer from a lack of time to attend careers events to gain essential employment skills and engage with prospective employers.  In order to address this challenge, the Careers Service teamed up with the Widening Access team in 2020 to employ 2 student carers to adapt an already existing careers and employability module to be student-carer friendly.  The module focuses on career and employability learning and will provide student carers with an understanding of career choice, career development, graduate recruitment processes and the labour market, whilst encouraging student carers to consider how their caring role can contribute to employability skills. The module is non credit-bearing and does not have any assessments. Students can work through the module in their own time, with no deadline for completion. To register for the module, please click here.

We were delighted to be awarded the 'Going Higher for Student Carers: Recognition Award' by the Carers Trust in 2018, for our work and commitment to supporting student carers!