Support for Care Experienced Students

University of Galway encourages students with care experience to link in to explore pathways into higher education and supports for your time studying here. We understand that navigating the application process and adjusting to life at university can be particularly challenging for care experienced students and want to support you and ensure your time at university is as stress free and successful as possible. 

‘Care experienced’ may be defined as any individual who has lived in alternative care (i.e., not under parental care) for any amount of time before the age of 18. Being care experienced means you will have spent time with foster carers, in residential care, in special care, or you were adopted. It can also mean you lived with relatives or friends in a formal or informal arrangement because you were unable to live with your parents; this is called kinship care. 

If you are leaving care or have previously spent time in care and are thinking of applying to the University, there is a range of services and provision that the University can offer you. For example, we may be able to provide financial support, prioritised accommodation for first year students and or advice and guidance from our dedicated advisor.

Please find below a guide to the supports available for Care Experienced Students:

All enquiries are treated confidentially. We look forward to hearing from you.

Helpful Links

• Student Services 
• Student Advisors 
• 1916 Bursary 
• Financial Aid Fund