Supporting Student Carers

Supporting Student Carers
We welcome and actively support applications from those with caring responsibilities.
Student Carers
A student carer is someone who, at any point in their studies at the University, provides care for a family member or friend who would not be able to manage without that support.
If you have caring responsibilities and are thinking of applying to us, or are a current student, there is a range of support and provision that we can offer you, including tailored advice and support from our Student Carer Support Coordinators, Denise and Heather.
At the pre-application stage we can offer you support and guidance with your application as well as an adjusted offer of entry.
As a registered student at the University, you can self-identify as a Carer at any point during the course of your studies, through our student portal, My Campus.
Student Carer Verification
In order to be verified for an adjusted offer as a carer, applicants must have noted their caring responsibilities in their UCAS application and/or made the university aware of their caring responsibilities.
- Applicants should tick the Carers’ box on their UCAS form to indicate they have caring responsibilities.
- The applicant’s referee should mention their caring responsibilities in the ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ section of the reference form.
- If appropriate, the applicant may choose to mention their caring responsibilities as part of their personal statement.
In order to be verified:
- Applicants should be registered with their local care partnership. You can find your local care partnership here: Carers' Centres - Scotland
- If you are not registered with a Carers’ Centre, you can do this during or after your application. Medical studies applications and others requiring interviews should be verified by end of January. All applications for general subjects should have completed verifications by end of July.
- You will be asked to complete one of our programmes (Reach, Top-Up, or Summer School)
- We will ask applicants to provide a letter from the Carers Centre, outlining their caring responsibilities and the impact these responsibilities have had on the applicant and their education. The letter should be sent to us directly from the Carers Centre.
- We also recommend applicants fill out a Carers’ Statement in conjunction with their Carers’ Centre to help you assess the impact of your caring role.
If you do not receive support from a Carers' Centre, we will also accept either:
- Evidence of being in receipt of Carers Allowance or Carers Support Payment
- Evidence of being in receipt of Young Carers’ Grant (paid within the last 12 months)
We cannot accept letters from teachers or GPs as evidence for Carers’ verifications. The University does not require a Carer to send a copy of their Young Carers Statement.
If you have any questions about the verification process or require further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Carer Support Co-ordinators, Denise Hooper and Heather Wells.
Once at the University, students who are carers are entitled to a Carers’ Plan – a document which outlines adjustments or mitigations to be put in place to help the student balance their studies alongside their caring responsibilities.
Carers' Policy and Supportive Arrangements for Student Carers
The University of Glasgow recognisies that Carers will be balancing additional responsibilites with their studies. The University has a dedicated Carers' Policy which outlines the Support available for Carers as they manage their studies alongside their caring roles.
The University also has a Policy on Reasonable Adjustments & Supportive Arrangements for Students which provides guidance for what sort of accomodations can be made for Student Carers as part of a Carers' Plan.
Carers Plans
As outlined by the Carers Policy and Policy on Reasonable Adjustments and Supportive Arrangements for Students, the University is committed to providing as much flexibility as possible to facilitate students’ success, making sure no student is disadvantaged whilst ensuring academic standards are not compromised.
Carers may require supportive arrangements to help them balance their caring role alongside their studies. In order to put these arrangements in place, you should get in touch with your Advisor of Studies or Advising team who will help you set up a Carers Plan. This document allows you and your Advisor to agree any of the arrangements you need, and to put them in place across your courses.
Arrangements included in the Carers Plan can be things like:
- Coursework extensions
- Having placements arranged close to home
- Arrangements to help you attend appointments
- Phone use in class
This list is not exhaustive, and can include many other things which may be more course specific. Not every arrangement will be possible across every subject or course, but Students and Advisors should work together to find arrangements that are suitable for all parties.
Financial Support
Those with caring responsibilities are a priority group for our Talent Scholarships. These can provide £1,500 for each year of your degree.
Other financial support may also be available through the University's HEI Discretionary & Childcare Fund, as well as a variety of other scholarships and educational loans which you can find out about on our student finance pages.
Please make sure to indicate that you are a Carer on the application form.
Other Useful Contacts
For more information on other support available please visit Carers Trust Scotland.
You can find your nearest Carer Centre by typing your postcode into the ‘Find local care and carer service’ search bar on the Carers Trust Scotland website. Your nearest Carers Trust Scotland Network Partner Carers Centre will be able to give you more information on what support is available in your local area, including respite and your entitlements under the Carers Act (2016).
Carers Trust Scotland Going Higher Award
In 2019 the University of Glasgow was awarded the Going Higher for Student Carers Award in recognition of the support and provision that we have in place for student carers.