These bursaries are for Home/UK undergraduates ordinarily resident in England who have experience of being in local authority care, are irreconcilably estranged from their family or have unpaid young adult carer responsibilities.
If you are a Home/UK undergraduate student at City St George's and can provide evidence that you fall into any of the following three categories, you may be eligible for a UniCares Bursary:
- You are a care leaver or are care experienced
- You are irreconcilably estranged from your parents
- You have young adult carer with unpaid caring responsibilities.
In all cases, you must also:
- Be ordinarily resident in England
- Have a residual household income of £25,000 a year or less as assessed by Student Finance England (SFE) by the last day of the first term of each academic year. Priority is given to students with the lowest household income
- Be 25 years old or younger on the 1st September in your first year.
Value
Students who started on or before the 2025/26 academic year
If you meet the eligibility criteria and began your undergraduate degree (excluding foundation years) in the 2025/26 academic year or earlier at either the Clerkenwell or Moorgate campus, you may be eligible for a bursary of £3,500 per academic year, for up to a maximum of three progressive years.
Please note, students in receipt of the £3,500 UniCares Bursary are not eligible for the City Education Grant.
For students who study at Tooting and began their students in the 2025/26 academic year or earlier would be eligible for the Tooting Access to Learning Fund.
Care-Experienced and Estranged Student Bursary
parents, you may be eligible for a bursary of £2,500 per progressive year of study.
Students across the City St George’s campuses are eligible for this bursary as long as they meet the eligibility criteria and the below terms and conditions.
Please note, students in receipt of the Care-Experienced and Estranged Student Bursary are not eligible for the City Education Grant.
Young Adult Carers Bursary
If you are a young adult carer, you may be eligible for a bursary of £1,000 per progressive year of study.
Students across the City St George’s campuses are eligible for this bursary as long as they meet the eligibility criteria and the below terms and conditions.
Students in receipt of the Young Adult Carer Bursary are eligible for the City Education Grant.
How to apply
There is no formal application form for this bursary however eligible candidates must register with UniCares.
Receipt of the bursary is dependent on students attending an induction meeting with UniCares and submitting relevant evidence. In addition, students must consent to share their household income with us via Student Finance England by the last day of the first term of each academic year.
Please see further instructions below. After this, please arrange a meeting with UniCares to discuss any mitigating circumstances.
Get in touch with the UniCares team by filling out the form. A member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
How to share your household income
When applying for student finance through Student Finance England (SFE) you must give your consent to share your financial information with City St George's. Please follow the three steps below:
- Apply for Student Finance through Student Finance England (SFE)
- Provide your household income to Student Finance England
- Both you and your sponsors/parents/partner/guardians must give consent to share your household income with City St George's, University of London.
Income assessment without taking a maintenance loan
To ensure we receive household income information you will still need to apply for and have your household income assessed by the Student Loan Company (SLC) even if not taking a maintenance loan out. We can’t assess household income for you.
How to apply for an income assessment
You will need to submit a maintenance loan application to the SLC and pass their eligibility checks. However, you will be able to specify in your application to them that you do not want a loan and enter £0, so you won’t borrow any money.
- Create an online Student Finance account and select that you would like to apply for a maintenance loan. Follow the steps of the application as if you were applying for the loan and provide all the necessary information.
- When asked ‘Do you want to apply for the higher amount of Maintenance Loan? select ‘Yes, I want to apply for a higher amount of Maintenance Loan’. This lets the SLC know to assess your household income.
- Later, when asked ‘How much Maintenance Loan do you want to borrow?’ select ‘I want to borrow a specific amount’.
- When you are asked to input the amount, type ‘NIL’ or £0. This lets the SLC know that you are not taking out any loan.
- When you have completed the application, your parents/guardian or partner will be asked to submit their household income information, as applicable.
The SLC can then carry out your household income assessment and the outcome of this will be shared with City St George's, University of London.
You may need to call them and make sure they have sent the PFF2 Assessment of Financial Circumstances form to your parent/guardian or partner to be completed.
For any queries on giving your consent please contact Student Finance England directly on 0300 100 0607.
Notification and payment
Students in receipt of the UniCares bursary will be notified of the upcoming payment by January via their City St George's email address. Payments will be made in three instalments in January, April and June each academic year.
Students given the UniCares bursary may be eligible for The Lord Mayor of London Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
Terms and conditions
- Students must be full time entrants to City St Georges.
- Students must be aged 25 years or younger on 1st September at the commencement of study.
- Eligible students must have had their household income assessed by Student Finance England by the last day of the first term of each academic year. After this date, please arrange a meeting with UniCares to discuss any mitigating circumstances.
- Eligible students must attend an induction meeting with UniCares and submit relevant evidence.
- There are a limited number of bursaries that will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis while prioritising students with active safeguarding risks, and students with lower household incomes.
- Only students who receive a bursary upon registration with UniCares will receive a bursary in successive years. If you did not receive a bursary upon registration with the service, you will not be eligible in progressive years.
- Bursaries are is available to undergraduate students who are ordinarily resident in England. Students who normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are not eligible.
- Students whose tuition fee status’ are reassessed in the middle of their degree or who restart a degree will not be eligible
- Students awarded the UniCares Bursary are not eligible for Sanctuary Scholarship or the City Education Grant.
- Bursaries do not need to be repaid.
- The bursaries are payable for the length of your course and will be paid in three instalments in January, April and June each academic year.
- You must be enrolled full-time.
- In each subsequent academic year your household income must remain within the eligible threshold, which is £0 to £25,000, as assessed by Student Finance England (SFE), to retain the grant.
- If you experience a change of circumstances, including a change of household income, it is your responsibility to inform UniCares.
- Bursaries will not be paid during part-time or full-time repeat academic years, during any dormant/suspended periods, during a placement year or study aboard year.
- The following categories of students are not eligible:
- Students directly continuing from one course to another (for example, from a foundation degree or HND on to the final year of an honours degree)
- Students must not hold an undergraduate/postgraduate degree awarded in the UK and/or abroad
- Students on a foundation year
- Students undertaking a postgraduate qualification
- Part-time students
- Any other students whose fees are paid or part-paid through a sponsorship arrangement.
Access and Participation Plan
The Access and Participation Plan (APP) are plans set out by higher education providers to improve equality of opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.
The university submits an APP to the Office for Students in exchange for funding for initiatives and intervention strategies that aim to reduce the gap in access, attainment, and success.
The UniCares service receives its funds for the bursary via the university's APP, which means that we have to abide by the Office for Students' definitions and requirements while distributing the award.
Details can be found on City St George's APP.