At the UCO we are committed to supporting students who are care leavers, and recognise the challenges care leavers may face when considering participating in higher education.
We take pride in being a friendly, supportive community and being able to offer all our students the individual support they need to make their time with us a success. Our academic staff know all our students individually and our Student Services team are here to help with everything from an informal chat to academic support, access to counselling and referrals to other support services.
In addition to our open days we can offer tailored opportunities for care experienced students who would like to find out more about studying with us and osteopathy as a career. This may include one-to-one tours of our facilities, visits to our teaching clinic or opportunities to chat to members of our staff or students directly to discuss any questions or areas of concern. Please contact us for more details.
Care leavers can also access financial support for their studies at the UCO. Our Young Carers and Care Leavers Bursary supports care leavers on our undergraduate courses, covering full course fees for each year of study and providing an annual payment of £3000 to support other study and living costs. Visit our Financial Support page for further information.
Care leavers who are not yet academically ready to undertake our degree courses may be offered the opportunity to complete our one-year Access to Higher Education Diploma free of charge. This nationally recognised qualification prepares students for our osteopathy and nutrition degrees, but may also enable students to study other forms of healthcare with different Higher Education providers.
To find out more about how we can support your student journey or to request a visit or chat with one of our team please contact us at admissions@uco.ac.uk.
