Young people estranged from family or leaving care and planning to go to the University of Plymouth are being urged to apply for scholarships from the Unite Foundation.
The programme includes three years of free accommodation, but the clock is ticking for potential applicants, as the closing date for this year is May 31.
Twenty-eight universities, including Plymouth, will be awarding a total of 70 Unite Foundation scholarships. Applicants must be under 25, a care-leaver or estranged from their family, and have a place at the university starting this September.
Helen Arber, Manager of the Unite Foundation, said:
“Too few young people estranged from their families or leaving care realise their full potential at university. We want to change that. A Unite Foundation scholarship means a rent-free university home for three years of degree studies. It also brings other benefits, such as work placements and activities that support successful study and future careers.”
This is the third year Plymouth has offered the scholarship, and Student Support & Development Specialist Louise Baker, who manages the University’s dedicated Care Leavers Service, said:
“Plymouth is proud to be a Unite Foundation partner university. The Scholarship Scheme complements perfectly the work of our dedicated Care Leavers Service, which provides exemplary support and guidance to our students, and identifies and enables a variety of opportunities to help individuals enhance their university experience and realise their ambitions. They undoubtedly help those students who lack family support and who, we know, face some very considerable challenges, and we are very much looking forward to working with the growing network of universities now involved with the Foundation to help level the playing field.”
Since 2012, the Foundation has supported 179 university students with scholarships, and with the inclusion of an additional 18 partner universities for the coming academic year, that number is set to grow substantially.
The accommodation will be within a Unite Students building, with Unite Students also being the Foundation’s principle donor.
