Queens' College welcomes applications from prospective students who are care experienced or estranged from their family. If you are considering applying to us, we would encourage you to make contact with our admissions team via admissions@queens.cam.ac.uk as early as possible, to find out more about how we would be able to support you as a candidate, offer holder or student at Queens'.
Support available to care-experience or estranged students, depending on individual circumstances, might include:
Prospective applicants:
- The CAO Looked After Children Travel Bursary to help care-experienced young people travel to Open Days and other similar events.
Applicants:
- There is a space for individuals to declare that they are care experienced, or are estranged from their family, on thier UCAS form. We would strongly encourage any individuals who have these experiences to disclose this information.
- Care experienced and estranged students are eligible for the Interviewee Travel Fund if they are invited to an in-person interview at Cambridge. Interviews at Queens' take place on-line: we will work with care experienced and estranged applicants to ensure that you have the necessary support and resources.
Offer holders:
- We would encourage you to meet with us as soon as possible to discuss your needs and circumstances and establish the level of support that you will need. For example, this may include accommodation requirements, to highlight any additional financial support that is available from the College or the University, and if possible, to give you the chance to meet your Personal Tutor or a member of our Health and Wellbeing Team.
Undergraduate Students:
- Access to year-round accommodation if needed and/or free accessible storage outside of term time, if required.
- The Enhance Cambridge Bursary to provide additional financial support to cover living costs outside of term time: http://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/cambridgebursary/what-you-could-get
- An advance of the first instalment of the Enhanced Cambridge Bursary before the start of term, to help with travel costs and other essential items needed ahead of the start of term.
The Cambridge Foundation Year
Queens' is proud to be one of the 12 participating colleges of the Cambridge Foundation Year. Care-experience applicants are eligible to apply for a place on the Foundation Year. For further information see:
https://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/applying-here/undergraduate-applications/foundation-year
Further information and support
Information about support available to care-experienced and estranged students across the University can be found at www.cam.ac.uk/why-cambridge/support/care-leaver-support.
For further support or guidance related to study at the University of Cambridge, contact the Realise Team via realise@admin.cam.ac.uk.