Care Leaver Support | University of South Wales

The University of South Wales is committed to providing support for students from or leaving care who want to go on to higher education.

We are a member of CLASS (Care Leaver Activities and Student Support) Cymru partnership, who share best practice relating to care leavers across higher education institutions in Wales.

Support we offer in addition to USW's regular support:

Care leaver bursary for students who are classed as ‘home’ students - (currently £1000* per year for full time students, £500* for part time students).
A named contact
Access to 365 day accommodation for full time students (payment and terms and conditions must be met by the student).

To be eligible for this support students need to be under the age of 25 and the following criteria* must be evidenced;

To satisfy one of the following:

To be in the care of a Local Authority or
Have been in the care of a Local Authority within the 3 years prior to commencing your course
Have left the care system but are still receiving support from their local authority or an organisation such as Barnardos etc.

* Subject to change

Do I qualify?

If you are not quite sure if you qualify as a care leaver, please contact us and we can advise you further. If you are a social worker, or work on behalf of an organisation such as Barnardos, please feel free to contact us

Student Money Advice

The Student Money Advice Team supports students with:

Applying for student funding e.g. loans and grants
Additional funding available such as bursaries and grants
Financial advice including budgeting and money management

Please note that funding allocations are subject to change, please check for up-to-date information.

Support to access work experience

If you are a Care Leaver, are under 25 and studying full time, the GO Wales Programme can support you in finding career-relevant work experience that fits around your studies and any other commitments. We may also be able to help you to meet travel costs, the cost of childcare, a DBS check or other costs, if this helps you to access work experience. Contact us for more information or to book an appointment.

First Campus

We work very closely with the First Campus Reaching Wider Partnership to encourage young care leavers into higher education. You can find more information and contact details here

You can also contact the University’s Student Recruitment Team for further support