The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is committed to supporting care leavers in accessing Higher Education and succeeding at University. We are a small specialist University with a strong close knitted student community, and student support, advice and guidance is at the heart of our remit. We have dedicated teams available to help care leavers with all elements of the transition to University, including pre-application support, application support, and on course support throughout all years of study.
Going to University is a big decision, so RAU’s Outreach team is available to offer care leavers advice, information and guidance on all aspects of Higher Education in general, and studying at RAU in particular. We offer a wide range of events and activities on and off campus, as well as virtually, to raise aspiration and attainment, and cover topics such as course choices, funding and support available, advice on writing a personal statement, and UCAS applications. We host multiple events on campus throughout the year, and offer funded places for care leavers.
We will be happy to talk to you on the phone, by email, on zoom or in person at one of our Open Days to discuss the support available, and you can also chat to our current students either online (on our website) or in person at an Open Day about student life and their own university experience. Please get in touch with us ([email protected]) to find out more about our events, or if you require financial support to attend one of our events as we have a number of travel bursaries available. If you would rather prefer an individual visit to RAU, we can offer you an individual campus tour upon request.
RAU offers a number of scholarships, awards and bursaries that are available to care leavers, including University Core Bursary (£1,000 per year), RAU Support Bursary (£1,000 per year for up to a maximum of three years); and Widening Access Financial Support Bursary (£1,500 per year plus reasonable travel costs). Please visit our website for the full list of financial support available: https://www.rau.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/funding-your-time-at-university/bursaries-awards-scholarships
Our Support, wellbeing and counselling teams are there to assist care leavers in all aspects of academic and pastoral needs, including peer support initiatives, counselling, disability support, and academic study support. Further information about student support offered is available on our website: https://www.rau.ac.uk/university-life/support-and-wellbeing/wellbeing-and-counselling. Care Leavers are given priority for student support services appointments, as well as for the on campus accommodation at RAU. In addition to this, 365 year round accommodation is available upon request.