Care Leavers and Estranged Students Bursary

Open to UK (home) students only.

The Care Leavers and Estranged Students Bursary is open to students with a 'Home' fee status. If you're unsure whether you're classed as a UK or international student for fee purposes, check your fee status.

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.

The Care Leavers and Estranged Students Bursary is for students aged under 25, who come to York having been in the care of their UK local authority; or who have come through the national Foyer Federation (foyer.net), or who are irreconcilably estranged from their parents.

We will automatically assess your eligibility based on your residual household income using the information supplied in your application for Student Loans. Assessments are run in October, January and April. Bursaries are awarded based on your eligibility on the date of the assessment, and allocated on a prorated basis.

• If you are a Care Leaver, we will automatically assess your eligibility based on the information supplied in your Student Finance England application. There is no need to apply for the bursary directly.
• If you have been assessed as independent by Student Finance England because you are estranged from your parents, we will automatically assess your eligibility based on the information supplied in your Student Finance England application. You can contact our dedicated contact for estranged students  if you need assistance in establishing estrangement status with your Student Finance provider. If you have been assessed as independent due to both parents having passed away please get in contact with our dedicated contact, who will establish your eligibility.

Please make sure your information is up to date before 1 April 2025, as no awards will be made after the final bursary assessment run in April 2025.

If you are a Care Leaver, regardless of if you live on or off campus, the bursary will be paid to your bank account for Year 1 and all subsequent years of your course. Further information will be included on the award letter.

If you live in private sector accommodation and are eligible to receive the Care Leaver’s accommodation subsidy, the subsidy will be paid to you alongside the bursary directly into your bank account in three instalments. The instalment dates will be included on the award letter.

If you have been assessed as independent by Student Finance England, and chose to live on campus during the first year of your studies, the bursary will be paid directly to Accommodation Services. If you live off campus, the payment will be made to your bank account. Further details will be included on the award letter.

For subsequent years of study, the bursary will be paid as cash directly to your bank account. Further details will be included on the award letter. Students who remain in accommodation owned by the University of York will have the option of having their bursary directly applied to their accommodation fees instead of paid to their bank account.