New accommodation scholarships to support care-experienced and estranged students

From the 2027/28 academic year, the University will offer three Unite Foundation scholarships, providing eligible students with up to three years of free, year-round accommodation during their studies.

Unite Foundation scholarships are currently the only intervention evidenced at Office for Students Tier 2 level to significantly improve progression, completion, and attainment outcomes for care-experienced students.

They build on the University’s sector-leading support for care-experienced and estranged students, which includes dedicated guidance, financial assistance, wellbeing support and specialist advice throughout the student journey.

Professor Gavin Brown, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, said: “Care-experienced and estranged students remain among the most under-represented groups in higher education. The University of Liverpool has a long and proud history of supporting these students, both before they join us and throughout their time at the University. Through significant investment in bursaries, tailored services, and specialist staff support across the student journey, we work to ensure that students can access the opportunities, stability, and encouragement they need to achieve their potential.

“We are therefore delighted to join the Unite Foundation partnership, which will provide eligible students with accommodation throughout their studies and further strengthen the support we offer to care-experienced and estranged students.”

The University will become part of the Unite Foundation’s largest-ever network of university partners, comprising 41 higher education institutions across England, Scotland, and Wales. Together, these partners will support the Foundation’s largest-ever cohort of scholarship recipients, with a further 110 students benefiting from a home at university.

Kate Brown, Co-Director of the Unite Foundation, said: “We are proud to be working with the University of Liverpool and welcome their important commitment to the academic success of care-experienced and estranged students.”

The announcement follows the University’s recent reaccreditation with the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers and Estranged Students (NNECL) Quality Mark, recognising the support it provides to care-experienced and estranged students both before they join the University and throughout their student journey.

In particular, NNECL recognised the University’s support for students prior to entry as “exceptional”, noting that the University has “very well-established practices and a very clear, structured approach to the support of care-experienced and estranged applicants”

The University’s admissions processes were also highlighted as an area of exceptional practice, with assessors commenting that “a strong and well-established approach is evident”.

Denise Rawls, Executive Director of NNECL, said: “NNECL is delighted that the University of Liverpool has successfully been re-awarded the Quality Mark following its renewal submission. The University demonstrated how it had carefully considered and acted upon the feedback from its initial submission. The positive impact of these improvements was clearly reflected in both enrolment and outcome data for its cohort.

“This re-award is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all those involved, and everyone at the University should be incredibly proud of what has been achieved.”

Find out more

For more information about support for care experienced and estranged students at the University of Liverpool, visit our widening participation webpages.

Find out more about Unite Foundation scholarships and the #HomeAtUniversity campaign.