At King’s we recognise that any time spent in local authority care can have a significant impact on educational opportunities and outcomes. We are therefore committed to providing support for students who have spent any time in local authority care throughout their time at King's.
Important to know: In order to access the support available, we strongly encourage students to disclose that they have been in care as part of the King’s enrolment task.
Verification process at King’s
As part of your enrolment/re-enrolment at King’s you’ll need to verify your care-experienced/care leaver status with us. For more information on how to complete the verification process, visit our Social Mobility & Widening Participation pages, and for guidance on:
Our definition of Care-experienced/Care Leaver
The evidence you’ll be required to submit during the verification process
What to expect after you’ve completed the verification process
Financial support
At King's, we offer several bursaries which care experienced students from the UK are eligible for:
Care-experienced and Estranged Student Bursary
Worth up to £1,000 per academic year, the Care-experienced and Estranged Student Bursary is available for undergraduate students who are under 25 when enrolling, and have been verified by King’s as having experience of local authority care. Please contact your Faculty Wellbeing Advisor for further information.
King's Living Bursary
You do not need to apply for the Bursary and will be contacted automatically if you meet the eligibility criteria.
King's Student Fund
The King's Student Fund is a limited discretionary fund to assist students on low incomes who may need financial support for their course and to stay in higher education. Students can apply to this fund when facing financial hardship. To find our more information about the fund, visit our King's Student Fund page.
There is also external funding you can apply for, such as the Quinlan Scholarship. For more information on additional funding opportunities, please read our article How can I find scholarships, bursaries and grants?
Accommodation support
52-week accommodation
Guaranteed accommodation in King’s residence for all years of undergraduate study
We offer care-experienced and care leaver students the option to secure guaranteed accommodation in a King’s residential hall for all years of their undergraduate study. Find out more about our King's accommodation on our residences webpage.
Important to know: You must ensure your hall fees are up to date and have no conduct issues before you can book a room for the next academic year. If you are experiencing issues with payment, please contact your faculty wellbeing advisor for support.
King's Affordable Accommodation Scheme (KAAS)
Care-experienced students are also eligible for the King’s Affordable Accommodation Scheme (KAAS) in which eligible accommodation is capped at £169 per week. If you have been verified by King’s, you will automatically be assigned the KAAS rate. For more information on KAAS, visit the King's Affordable Accommodation Scheme page.
Important to know: All KAAS students are not required to pay the pre-payment of rent.
Unite Scholarship
Available to care leaver students, King’s has partnered with the Unite Foundation, which affords care leaver students the opportunity to apply for the Unite Scholarship. Being awarded this scholarship allows care leaver students to reside for free in one of the Unite halls of residence for up to 3 years of study, including the holiday periods.
Please visit the Unite Foundation website for further information.
Pastoral support
All care-experienced and care leaver students are assigned a designated Faculty Wellbeing Advisor who can assist you with initial inductions into the university, and can help to connect you to any additional support you may need during your studies.
Your Faculty Wellbeing Advisor will contact you via email to introduce themselves at the beginning of the academic year and will regularly check in with during your studies. You can also arrange follow-up appointments as you need.
Your Faculty Wellbeing Advisor can also act as your first point of contact if you’re unsure who else to speak with at King’s. You will need to attend an initial appointment with your Faculty Wellbeing Adviser to initiate your care-experienced bursary payment.
If you are unsure who your Faculty Wellbeing Advisor is, you can contact studentwellbeingandwelfare@kcl.ac.uk.
Academic support
All students at King's are allocated a Personal Tutor from within their Department or School. To learn more about this, visit our article Who is my personal tutor & what do they do?. Personal Tutors are provided with additional training to better support the needs of students with experience of care and can provide further support with academic struggles, if required.
Care-experienced students also have access to a Senior Tutor who will act as a consistent tutor throughout their time at King's, and can give further support with academic work if required.
Careers support
- Longer careers guidance appointments with specialist Careers Consultant including via Skype and phone call (30 minutes)
- Advance booking for careers guidance appointments (two weeks in advance)
- Extended access to King’s Careers & Employability two years after graduation
- Dedicated KEATS resources
- Exclusive access to career development opportunities such as internships and mentoring
- Termly newsletters
- Drop-in sessions with a Careers Consultant
- Exclusive workshops (including online sessions)
To sign up for Careers+, visit our King's CareerConnect webpages.
Personal support
Advice and Guidance Team
Advice Services provide free and confidential advice on a range of topics, including money and housing. Take a look at our article What student support services are available? for more details on the support they provide.
Mental health and wellbeing support
The Counselling and Mental Health Support Service offer free, confidential support to all students at King's. For more information on how the Counselling and Mental Health Support Service can support you during this time, read our article Top tips on managing your mental health & wellbeing.
Care-experienced and Estranged Student Network
KCL Car.es is a network for care-experienced and estranged students which is focused on creating a safe place for all care-experienced and students who identify as estranged. This is a community where these students can feel visible and empowered, while building of connections with students from similar backgrounds through the facilitation of events.
Your first term at King's
At King's, we recognise that the first term is particularly important in transitioning to university life. There are a range of bespoke events and programmes at King's designed to help you settle in:
Officially King’s - Bespoke Induction
We host a social welcoming event at the beginning of September where you will have the opportunity to hear from different support services and connect with people from widening participation backgrounds.
Care-experienced and Estranged Welcome event
The Buddy Scheme
The Buddy Scheme is organised by King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU) to help incoming Widening Participation students form friendships and find communities by matching them up with experienced undergraduates. Buddy Mentors are there to answer their questions and signpost to useful resources. Everyone on the scheme can choose whether or not they’d like to be matched based on shared interests and/or experiences.
The scheme offers regular virtual events for Buddy Mentors and Mentees to connect with one another and meet others in a similar situation. Visit the Buddy Scheme webpage to find out more about the scheme and to sign up.
Opportunities & wider support
Bespoke 'Ahead Together' newsletter
Each month, care-experienced, care leaver and estranged students receive a bespoke newsletter, which contains a comprehensive list of internal and external opportunities and events that they are prioritised for, and practical information needed to support their academic, professional, and personal development.
Bespoke events
We believe that a sense of community is crucial for care-experienced, care leaver and estranged students' wellbeing and academic success. We organize exclusive, tailored events that bring together students with shared experiences, which help create a supportive environment where they can connect and thrive. You will be notified about events through the monthly Ahead Together newsletter.
Broadening Horizons Bursary
Care-experienced care leaver and estranged students are prioritised for the Broadening Horizons Bursary (up to £900), which aims to increase the number of care-experienced, care leaver and estranged students who can access global mobility (study abroad) opportunities.
Graduation Support Package
We understand that attending graduation is a significant milestone for care-experienced, care leaver and estranged students. We offer a complimentary graduation support package that removes any financial barriers to attend this celebration, including free gown hire, free guest tickets, and a free photography package.
External resources for help & support
Below you'll find a list of useful external links where you can find more information about support and advice for care-experienced and care leaver students:
- Unite Foundation, This Is Us Community: The foundation provides a platform for care-experienced and estranged students in Higher Education to connect with each other and join a social network with other people from similar backgrounds.
- EaCES (Estranged and Care Estranged Students): A resource space that signposts to higher education support and guidance in an accessible way to care experienced, care leavers and estranged students.
- Become (former The Who Cares Trust): This charity provides help, support and advice to children in care and young care leavers.
- The Catch 22 National Care Advisory Service (NCAS): delivers holistic support to looked after children and care leavers through their nationwide network.
- The Rees Foundation: this charity supports young people and adults with foster care and residential care experience, they provide mentoring and a network for people with care background.
- NNECL (National Network for Education of Care Leavers): provides Higher Education activities and resources for care leavers, children in care and those who support them.
- Drive Forward: Drive Forward is a charitable organisation that provides employability support to young adults with experience of care.
- Care Leaver Covenant: is a national inclusion programme that supports care leavers aged 16 to 25 through meaningful opportunities in five key areas: independent living, education employment and training, safety and security, mental and physical health, and finance.