Strathclyde Cares
Have you ever stayed in residential or foster care? Have you been cared for by friends or relatives, or cared for at home? Have you thought about attending university?
Strathclyde Cares was awarded the Buttle UK Quality Mark at 'exemplary' status. We achieved The Guardian University Award in 2018 in the Retention, Support and Student Outcomes award for its Strathclyde Cares programme, a recognition which we are really proud of.
At Strathclyde, we encourage applications to study from care leavers and anyone who has previously been cared for by a local authority.
We were the first educational institution in Scotland to sign up as an 'official friend' of Who Cares? Scotland.
The Strathclyde Cares programme - a UK first - helps students from care throughout their Higher Education journey. We're here to help you from pre-application to studying and from graduation to beyond.
As part of Strathclyde Cares, you'll enjoy:
- Named Care Experience Adviser offering pre and post application support
- Guaranteed offer when meeting minimum entry requirements
- support from a member of staff through our one-to-one mentoring programme
- the opportunity to become a paid student ambassador
- get involved with our Care Experienced Student Society
- help with graduation costs
- help with accommodation options
- funding opportunities
Find out more below about the application process and life at Strathclyde.
You can also access information from Propel Scotland. This is an online resource for care-experienced youngsters and the carers and professionals that support them. The website offers information on key issues such as funding and accommodation in both further and higher education, and to compare course information from every further education college in Scotland and 94 per cent of all universities in the UK.
Support for applicants and students
At Strathclyde Cares we offer a wealth of support for applicants and students under our Strathclyde Cares banner. Some of our support includes:
- We invited all of our CE students to a remote Christmas dinner party over the festive period, where each student received a pre-cooked Christmas dinner and had dinner 'together' remotely, whilst taking part in games and quizzes.
- CE students were prioritised for Christmas goodie bags distributed by the Student Union, which contained JustEat and Aldi vouchers and lots of gifts and goodies.
- CE students are prioritised in our Digital Inclusion scheme, to receive a laptop loan and/or a WiFi grant.
- As part of Care Experienced Week 2020, we launched our Corporate Parenting video for staff, students and prospective students produced by Articulate The video was created by both CE young people and Strathclyde students and staff, to better understand what care experience and corporate parenting means.
- We also launched our new Care Experience Policy for Staff and Students.
Student life
From contacts and mentors to the student support service, we're here to ensure you have the best possible experience at Strathclyde.
Discover more about student life.
Applying
We're here to help you throughout the application process. Find out more about the support we offer and information on study options.
Accommodation
Where you'll stay is a key part of your student experience. Our accommodation team will be happy to discuss requirements with you.
Find out more about our accommodation options.
Finance
There are a number of ways you can support your studies financially, such as the SAAS Care Experienced Student Bursary.
Take a look at some of your financial options and find out who to speak to for financial support.
