Care Leaver and Estranged Student Fund

Financial help at University of Northampton

For students identified as care leavers or those who have been assessed as an estranged student by their funding provider (i.e. do not have any contact with parents) may be eligible to receive financial support to help with course and living costs during their studies.

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• are under the age of 25 on the first day of the first academic year of their course (1 September for courses starting in the autumn term)
• are a ‘Home’ student enrolled on a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate course at the University of Northampton. International students are not eligible to apply for this award
• must have been in care, or under a care order, for a period of at least thirteen weeks since the age of 14, or  are estranged from their parents. (Students must provide a supporting letter from their Local Authority, support/ social worker, or evidence of estrangement to confirm this)
• must not be living with parents or receiving any financial support from parents. Care leavers who are the responsibility of the Local Authority but live with parents, may still be able to apply for support but this support will be reduced to reflect the circumstances

How to Apply for the award

To apply, students will need to complete a short Care Leaver/Estranged Student Fund application form and include supporting evidence to confirm their status as a care leaver or estranged student before funds are paid direct to their bank account.

Application forms are available on the Care Leaver/Estranged Student Fund page of the Student Hub (username and password required. This is provided once enrolment is complete).

For details of the fund available to entrants for previous academic years, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

2025/26 Entrants

Students who are commencing study in the 2025/26 academic year, may be eligible for the following support:

• £500 payment into qualifying students’ bank accounts to help with course and living costs during their studies AND 
• A further £500 available in early summer to support with accommodation costs/other planned spending and/or emergencies.

A member of the Student Services Team will be in touch with applicants to discuss their financial situation.

Application Deadline and Further Information

Please refer to the Student Hub for full details of the deadline to apply for the Care Leaver and Estranged Student Award.

If you have any queries, please contact the Financial Guidance Team at money@northampton.ac.uk.