Care Leaver and Estranged Bursary

If you're a new or continuing undergraduate or postgraduate student who was in UK local authority care prior to starting your course, or are estranged from your parents, you could be eligible for a bursary of up to £1,000.

In order to apply you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• You are a new or continuing full time or part-time registered student at the University of Essex in academic year 2020/21
• You are undertaking Undergraduate or Postgraduate study
• You were aged under 25 at the start of your current course

AND

• You have been ‘looked after’ for at least 13 weeks by a local authority at some point since you were 14 years old, and were in care on or after your sixteenth birthday.

OR

You are estranged from both parents/carers. By estranged we mean that either:

• You have not communicated with either of your biological or adoptive parents for a period of time before your course began
• Your parents cannot be traced or it is not possible, practical, or safe to make contact with them
• Your parents have significant mental or physical health problems which prevent you from contacting them
• Both of your biological or adoptive parents are deceased