Care experienced applicants
The one thing that students talk about the most at the University of Stirling is the sense of community. As one of the smaller sized universities in Scotland students from all different backgrounds come together on a beautiful campus and are able to settle in and make friends easily.
There is student accommodation on and off campus, guaranteed throughout the year for care experienced students, with support and advice close at hand to help you whenever you need it. You can talk to our Money Advisers, get support from the disability team or simply go to the Students’ Union and introduce yourself to the non-traditional student officer.
We have joined other higher education institutions in Scotland in enhancing our support for care experienced students - through offering care experienced applicants who meet minimum entry requirements a guaranteed offer to study with us. See more on the Universities Scotland website.
What does the term 'Care Experienced' mean?
The term care-experienced refers to anyone who has been or is currently in care or from a looked-after background at any stage in their life, no matter how short, including adopted children who were previously looked-after.
Care may have been provided in one of many different settings such as:
- Kinship care – living with a relative who is not your mum or dad.
- Looked after at home – with the help of social work.
- Residential care – living in a residential unit or school.
- Foster care – living with foster carers.
- Secure care – living in a secure unit.
- Adoption
Our support for care experienced students
We have set out the following areas of targeted commitment for all care experienced students at Stirling:
Outreach and transition
There's comprehensive pre-application and transition support including help to choose a course, find the right route into university and how to write a personal statement for your application. For more information email wp@stir.ac.uk.
What support can you expect as a care experienced student?
During your time at university as a care experienced student, you are entitled to a range of support from the University to help you succeed regardless of your circumstances. See what support is available for care experienced students.
Contextual Policy
The University will use contextual information alongside the UCAS application to assess the applicant, taking into account their personal and educational circumstances. Care experienced applicants may be considered for an offer at the minimum entry requirement. For SQA S6 Higher qualifications, the minimum entry requirement is adjusted by two grades.
| SQA Higher typical entry requirement | SQA Higher minimum entry requirement |
|---|---|
| AAAB | ABBB |
| AABB | BBBB |
Find out more
How do I find out about university?
Get in touch – it's as easy as that!
Meet the team
Our Recruitment Team are happy to advise care experienced students and their supporters. All contact is confidential and impartial and, with your permission, we'll help make the road into university easier. We'll put you in contact with the right people and make sure you get the support you need.
+44 (0) 1786 467046
Come and see what it's like
We can arrange individual visits for you and a friend, adviser or parent/guardian to let you see the campus, find out more about what we offer, and answer any questions you have. You might want to find out more about a particular subject, get advice about your qualifications or find out what specific support you could receive.
You'll meet with a member of our recruitment team and also talk to one of our care experienced student ambassadors. If we can, we'll also get you to meet with an academic from your subject area so you can find out more about the degree you're interested in.
All you have to do is get in touch and we'll do the rest.
Open Day / Offer Holder Day
Open Days are a great way to find out more about everything to do with university life. A range of information desks are available where you can speak to University staff, academics, and current students. We've a dedicated information stand manned by our widening participation staff who can help you get the most out of the day. You can also talk to some of our care experienced student ambassadors to find out more about their experiences.
If you've been made an offer then you'll be invited to an Offer Holder Day. These are really useful for you and your family and friends even if you live locally or have visited the University campus before. They give you time to ask staff and students about what it is like to study at Stirling and lets you find out all you need to know about the next steps in the application process.
If you're coming on your own to either of these events, or are unsure of what to do on the day, get in touch once you've registered online and we'll make sure you get the most out of your visit.
What applicant support can I get?
Pre-application and transition support
Our advisers will provide information, advice and guidance to anyone interested in applying to university. This includes help to choose a course, to find the right route into university or even how to write a personal statement. This might be help throughout the application process, coming to university how to manage your first weeks on campus - or anything else you have questions about.
Open Days and Offer Holder Days
These days can get quite busy, and may seem quite daunting if you've not been to one before. Actually the atmosphere on campus is warm and friendly and everyone is there to help you get the most out of the day. If you want advice on how to get the best out of the day, or even someone to help guide you, all you have to do is register for the event and then get in touch with our advisers.
Get in touch
You probably have loads of questions about coming to university. Just get in touch – we’re here to help.