Support from ARU before you apply/as an applicant
Whether you are just starting to think about higher education, seeking advice about student finance or writing a successful personal statement, the Outreach Team are here to help.
Our designated email address is [email protected] – if you have any questions, let us know!
Margot Broadbent-Yale is the named Schools and Colleges Engagement Officer (Outreach) for Care Leavers or Care Experienced applicants at ARU. Margot works with Year 6 – Year 13 students, supporting them explore their educational journey, career options and support them researching and applying to university too.
If you have specific questions for Margot please contact her via [email protected]
Other members of the Schools and Colleges Outreach team are:
- Georgie Long (Cambridge)
- Meenujah Logasounthiran (Chelmsford)
- Georgia Downs (Chelmsford)
- Katie Jardine (Peterborough)
Our Outreach Team offer a variety of activities and events which are open to all, as well as activities which are exclusive to care leaver/care experienced students in Years 6-13. Some of these events will need to be booked by a teacher or carer, and some you can book yourself.
We organise:
- Open days
- Subject and University taster sessions
- Campus tours and visits
- Conferences
- Talks about how to choose a course, student finance, personal statements and more…
We also visit schools and colleges to talk to students about applying to university and the support on offer. Find out more on our Schools and Colleges pages.
If you would like to attend an event, help with filling in your UCAS application or information and advice about anything related to higher education study, please email [email protected]
You may get special consideration in the admissions process, and Margot, our named Outreach Officer, can support you through the whole process, including preparing for interviews and submitting portfolios, in order to ensure that you are as prepared as you can be when applying to us.
If you would like any advice or support, please email [email protected]
It is extremely important that you tick the ‘in care’ box on your UCAS application to let us know that you have been in care for three months or more. This does not put you at a disadvantage, in fact, it puts you at an advantage as we will be in touch to advise you of all the support that is available to you once you start with us, should you want it – we do appreciate that everyone is different!
We welcome enquiries from carers, personal advisors, support workers and teachers who are helping young people to transition to higher education. We run an annual conference for foster carers, designated members of staff and other care professionals. For more information, please email [email protected]
If you’ve been in local authority care on or after your 16th birthday, you'll be eligible for University-managed accommodation throughout your studies in Cambridge and Chelmsford:
- University-managed accommodation in Cambridge (under ‘our properties’)
- University-managed accommodation in Chelmsford
As a Care Leaver you are also eligible for 365-day accommodation within University-managed accommodation throughout your studies (regardless of whether you are a September or January starter). However, this will be made up of two contracts each year – for example for a September starter, this would be made up of an initial let (September-June) and a summer let (June-September). Although you may be required to move rooms between lets, please be assured that you will not be left without accommodation at any point.
To ensure you are guaranteed a room in your first year, you need to apply for accommodation by 30 June, notify Residential Services that you are a Care Leaver and provide the relevant evidence, and have firmly accepted ARU as your first choice.
If you speak to Residential Services after this date, we will do our best to accommodate you. However, we cannot guarantee a place in ARU-managed accommodation in your first year.
To notify Residential Services of your Care Leaver status, you can either contact the team directly (for the Cambridge campus please email [email protected] and for the Chelmsford campus: [email protected]).
If you are struggling to pay the £300 to secure your ARU accommodation please contact Debbie on [email protected] or by calling 01245 684288 to discuss if we can defer payment until you receive your student funding.
If you are planning on moving into the private sector, we are unable to move the due date for any deposits, but in exceptional circumstances we may be able to pay any Care Leaver’s Bursary early.
To help support your transition from being an applicant with the Outreach Team, to being a full ARU student with the Student Experience Team, we collaboratively arrange an annual Welcome event. This is designed to introduce you to our team, explain the support that is available and to link you up with other students at ARU who are Care Leavers/Care Experienced.
If you ticked the box on your UCAS form, or have contacted the Outreach Team directly, you will be automatically invited to the event running just before you start at ARU. If you didn’t tick the box on your UCAS form but are soon to start your studies with ARU and would like to be included in our next event, please email us on [email protected]