City Cares
Supporting care leavers, estranged students, young adult carers and Sanctuary scholars.
City Cares is City's dedicated support network for care-experienced students, young adult carers, young estranged students, refugees and asylum seekers.
City Cares offers a range of support to help you navigate the ups and downs of your student journey from enrolment to graduation.
Providing you with the support you need
Here at City, we understand that some students need support for concerns that goes beyond exam stress and money worries.
City Cares aims to alleviate your worries by providing specialised individual support to students who need it.
Whoever came up with the idea of City Cares is amazing. I never thought anyone would understand my situation!
Second year Psychology student on the City Cares programme, 2021
Who we can help
We provide specialised, individual support to students in the following groups:
Care leavers/experienced
City, University of London is committed to supporting those who are, or have been, in the care of a local authority. We recognise that being a student with little or no family support may mean that you often face additional challenges whilst at university and we are committed to guiding you so that you can make the most of your time here.
To receive support from City Cares you must register at Support@City to disclose your status and provide some evidence. As a care leaver or care experienced, we will need to see a signed letter on headed paper from a relevant professional in your local authority to show that you were looked after. If you need support or advice to obtain this evidence, please contact us.
If you are a current City student and would like to disclose that you have spent time in care, please contact us via Support@City. We have a strict privacy policy and we will only talk to others about your situation if you have given us permission to do so.
Young adult carers
Caring responsibilities may have an impact on your financial situation, your own physical and mental health, your academic attainment (you may find yourself missing classes and deadlines) and your relationships. We recognise that juggling caring responsibilities with studying can be challenging and is likely to place additional pressures on you.
To receive support from City Cares you must register at Support@City to disclose your status and provide some evidence. As a young adult carer, we will need to see a copy of the carer's assessment or a signed letter from a GP or other professional body outlining your caring responsibilities. If you need support or advice to obtain this evidence, please contact us.
If you are a current City student and would like to disclose that you are a young adult carer, please contact us via Support@City. We have a strict privacy policy and we will only talk to others about your situation if you have given us permission to do so.
Young, estranged students
We recognise that students with little or no family support often face additional challenges whilst at university and we are committed to supporting you with difficulties you might have so that you can make the most of your time here.
To receive support from City Cares you must register at Support@City to disclose your status and provide some evidence. As a young, estranged student we will need to see confirmation that you have been assessed as independent on the grounds of estrangement by Student Finance England. If you need support or advice in obtaining this evidence, please contact us.
If you are a current City student and would like to disclose that you are a young, estranged student, please contact us via Support@City. We have a strict privacy policy and we will only talk to others about your situation if you have given us permission.
Refugees and asylum seekers
At City, we are proud to support equal access to higher education for forced migrants through our Sanctuary Scholarship consisting of full tuition fee support and a grant to help with the costs of living.
How we can help
- Providing pastoral support
- Financial assistance such as bursaries, emergency funding, scholarships and fee waivers
- Accommodation advice
- Access to a Designated Member of Staff who will respond to all your queries in a timely manner
- Priority for a range of City’s services and extra-curricular activities.
How to join
To receive support from City Cares you must register by emailing us at citycaressupport@city.ac.uk to disclose your status and provide some evidence. You can find further details of specific evidence required in the sections above.
Financial support
City offers a range of bursaries and scholarships to support you financially, including:
- City Cares Bursary – undergraduate care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers or young, estranged students who meet the eligibility criteria will be awarded up to £3,500 each year of their studies for up to three years.
- Hardship Fund – students who find themselves in financial hardship can apply for the Hardship Fund. Care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers or young, estranged students are eligible for support of up to £3,500.
- Emergency Summer Hardship Fund – care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers and young, estranged students who are struggling financially outside of term time may be eligible for up to £2,000 in additional support. Eligible students will be contacted by City Cares to apply.
- Graduation package – care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers and young, estranged students who complete their final year of undergraduate studies are eligible for a financial package to aid with graduation costs and life after City.
On-course support
During your time at City, we offer a range of practical services to support your studies including:
- A Designated Member of Staff to support you throughout your time at City by being your first point of contact.
- As a care leaver, care experienced student, young adult carer or young, estranged student you are prioritised for City's partner student accommodation throughout your undergraduate degree provided you have City as your firm choice by the UCAS deadline. We work closely with City's Accommodation Advisers to ensure you are allocated accommodation that best meets your needs, including out of term time.
- All care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers or young, estranged students receive priority access for counselling services.
- CityBuddies peer mentoring: First year undergraduate care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers or young, estranged students are prioritised when being paired with a second or third year student from the same course (where possible) to help with settling into student life.
- Support with academic skills, attend workshops and 1-1 sessions to make sure that you're getting the most out of your studies. City Cares students have increased access.
- Second and third year undergraduate care leavers, care experienced students, young adult carers or young, estranged students will be guaranteed an interview and given priority for the professional mentoring scheme, an opportunity to receive mentoring with a person in industry.
Contact us
If you would like to speak to the Accommodation Team, please email us.
Alternatively, you can contact us via Support@City.