Accessibility statement

Estranged students (studying without parental support)

The term ‘estranged student’ describes someone who has no communication with both of their biological or adoptive parents, and the situation is likely to remain permanent.

To help us identify you as an estranged student we rely on you indicating this on our enrolment form, but in order to give you pre-arrival advice and support we would like estranged students to still contact us directly. We can then get in touch with you early on and inform you of all the support the University of York can offer.

Information of a student’s estrangement will be kept confidential and will have no effect on your UCAS application to the University.

Dedicated contact

In order to receive all the help we can offer, please let us know you are estranged by getting in touch with our estranged students' contact:

Daniel Hall

"The support given is not only financial, it’s also emotional and mental. It’s whether or not you choose to accept it. Believe me, it’s worth it.”

Before you arrive

Before you arrive

The University of York’s Access and Outreach Team offers specific support, advice and guidance to young people who are estranged from their parents, at the pre-entry stage.

We have a dedicated Access and Outreach Manager, Vanessa Conman, who is here to support you in thinking about your future and pathways to university, along with other members of the Access and Outreach Team.

Vanessa’s contact details:

As an estranged young person, you have access to the following: 

  • VIP Visit Package: available to any care experienced or estranged young person who is planning on going to university in the next two years.
  • Financial support: you can apply for either £50, £100 or £250 to help towards the costs of applying to university.
  • Bespoke support and advice covering general information about university, your options, student finance, your application and student support. This can be provided in person, over the phone or on a video call. To arrange a session, please complete this form.
  • A personalised campus tour with a current university student (who will ideally also be an Independent Student).
  • Priority places on one of our Access and Outreach programmes eg Shine, Roots to Success, YorWay to York or Next Step York.
  • Priority places on one of our summer schools, like the York Experience Summer School. 
  • Free Gym Membership at our two on-campus sport centres (for those who are 16-25 and live in York or North Yorkshire).
  • We can also offer advice and signposting if you do not receive an offer, or do not meet your offer.

You can hear our students talking about the support on offer in our YouTube video.

Admissions support

The York Access Scheme aims to improve access to the University for applicants who have faced challenging circumstances. By providing us with more detailed information about your background than you provided on your UCAS form, you could receive additional consideration from our admissions assessors and a contextual offer of up to two grades below the typical offer. 

Additionally, if you successfully complete one of our Access and Outreach programmes, you could be guaranteed an interview or offer to study at York and may also be eligible for an alternative Widening Participation offer up to three grades below the typical offer. To find out more about our widening participation programmes, contact Vanessa.

Sign up for our newsletter

Are you a professional who supports estranged young people? We send out a quarterly newsletter to keep partners at local authorities and other organisations up to date with our work in this area. 

Sign up to receive the Access and Outreach Newsletter 

Support while you're studying

Support while you're studying at York

Financial support 

Before starting university, we recommend that you prepare a budget so you know how much income you will have for the year and your anticipated expenditures so you can plan for any shortfalls through part-time work or other sources of funding. Once you arrive, this is something that we can help you with if you are finding it difficult to budget.

We offer an Estranged Students' Bursary to students who meet all of the following criteria:

  • You are studying an undergraduate degree course
  • You are under 25 on the first day of your course
  • You are a UK student
  • You have had little, no or negative contact with your parents for a significant period of time (usually twelve months or longer, but this can depend on individual circumstances), and this is likely to remain permanent
  • You have been assessed as independent on the basis of estrangement by your student finance provider (Student Finance England/ Wales/ Northern Ireland or SAAS)

Please contact student-independent@york.ac.uk, so we can confirm your eligibility for the bursary.

The bursary can be used towards a range of opportunities or activities including: driving lessons, funding an internship, travel costs, study materials, childcare and Students’ Union society activities.

Unite Accommodation Scholarship

The Unite Accommodation Scholarship covers the cost of accommodation bills for students who are estranged from their parents, for a maximum of 3 years of study.

Travel awards

We have a number of financial awards for students wishing to pursue organised and independent international travel projects during their studies at York. When you come to York you'll be given information and invited to events where you can find out about funding and the international experiences that are on offer.

Further sources of information on funding, bursaries and grants can be found here:

Free Sports Membership

You can make the most of our facilities at the York Sport Village and York Sport Centre, with a free off-peak membership or discounted full membership. Our dedicated contact will be in touch with you to offer this at the beginning of the academic year. 

We can also offer some support to estranged students studying at York who are from outside the UK. Please get in touch with our estranged students’ contact for more information.

Accommodation

Accommodation

Flexible accommodation contracts

For new undergraduate students, if you have accepted a firm place at York and apply for University accommodation by 31 July 2024, we will guarantee you an offer of a room owned, managed or approved by the University. You'll be able to stay in University accommodation for 365 days of the year should you need to.

The sooner we know that you're an estranged student, the better we'll be able to help. Even if you're making a late application, let us know your situation as soon as possible. Our 40 and 44-week lets cover both the Christmas and Easter holiday. If you want to live in York over the summer you can apply to live on campus for the summer nearer the time.

Many students will move into private sector accommodation for their second year. As you won't know what your plans are yet, we'd advise you to select a 40 or 44-week let length to keep your options open. If you choose one of these shorter let lengths, we still guarantee you a room over the summer so that you can stay longer if you would like to. We suggest you don't choose a 38-week let length as this would mean moving your belongings out of your room during Easter.

We understand you may require additional information to help make your accommodation choices and are happy to discuss individual requirements.

You can get in touch via email at accommodation@york.ac.uk or by phone on +44 (0)1904 322165. Please visit our accommodation web page for further information.

Support renting private sector accommodation

After your first year at York, you may decide to rent shared private sector accommodation that requires a UK based rent guarantor. If you don’t have a UK based guarantor, the University will act as your guarantor through the Rent Guarantee Scheme. 

Storage of belongings

The University can pay for the storage of your belongings during the summer break or if you decide to take a sandwich placement or study abroad year. 

Unite Accommodation Scholarship

The Unite Accommodation Scholarship covers the cost of accommodation bills for students who are estranged from their parents, for a maximum of 3 years of study.

Dedicated contact

Dedicated contact

You'll have access to a single point of contact during your studies at York.

Daniel can:

  • help with any questions you may have about our courses and what it's like to study at York
  • facilitate a tailored visit to the University where they will meet you and discuss what support will be available to you
  • meet with you when you start at York
  • offer support throughout your studies and direct you to other appropriate University services
  • keep you updated with news and opportunities through a monthly newsletter
  • put you in touch with other estranged students at the University, if you would like this. There are a number of social activities that you can go along to - they are a fun and informal way to meet other students
  • put you in touch with a current student who can meet you on arrivals day, help you settle in and take you for lunch. Where possible, this student will also be an estranged student
  • offer you tailored budgeting advice that will help you manage your money effectively and meet your essential costs, while still being able to enjoy yourself!

“Starting university can be a daunting time. I will be in touch with you once you've enrolled as a student at York and continuing throughout your time here.

I can give you guidance on applying to Student Finance as an independent student, including helping you with evidence if you need it to reapply in subsequent years.

You may need support with organising your move to York; if this is the case, look out for the welcome pack that we will send to you towards the end of August. To make your arrival as smooth as possible, we can provide bedding and kitchen packs for students moving into our campus accommodation.

We can also send you luggage to help with the packing before you arrive and set you up with a student buddy if you would like to have someone meet you and help you settle in on your first day.

Please get in touch with any questions you may have. I’m really looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you to the University of York - it’s a fantastic place to study!"

Daniel's contact details