What we do?
including identifying individuals with the greatest potential from disadvantaged backgrounds.
which include students from less advantaged backgrounds and students with protected characteristics, carers, care leavers and mature learners.
preparing students from underrepresented groups for higher education and to progress to employment.
in areas of low participation.
to promote the value/benefit of Welsh medium and/or bilingual study.
to provide educational opportunities locally for those with geographical barriers to accessing HE.
Young Carers and Care Experienced
Raising aspirations, attaining success.
Bangor University is committed to supporting students who are also young adult carers and care experienced to meet their aspirations in education and work.
A Carer is:
Someone who looks after a member of the family, partner or friend with a physical or sensory disability, learning disability, medical condition, mental health issues or someone addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling.
We understand you may have concerns regarding finance, balancing studying with your care responsibilities and leaving those who depend on you for care.
Care experienced:
Care experienced simply means that you will have been in the care of your local authority for at least 13 weeks at any time since the age of 14.
Young Carers Residential, 14-16 April, 2025
If you are a young carer interested in attending our residential this year, please contact your local care provider to book your place.
Bangor is Care Aware
Although caring can have a positive impact on carers and be a hugely rewarding experience, it can also impact on the physical and emotional well-being of Carers. Bangor University is carer aware and established it’s Carers Policy to help support staff and students with carer responsibilities.
Support for Young Carers and Care Experienced
We understand that balancing your academic studies may prove challenging. Whether you feel like you want to disclose your circumstances or not, we are here to support you in a holistic way.
- We have dedicated staff contact points for carers.
- Academic support including flexible deadlines, entry requirement considerations and assistance with workloads.
- Financial support including a £1,000 Carers Bursary.
- Health and wellbeing support.
- My Bangor Portal system allows you as a student to declare your carer status which will inform your personal tutor of your circumstances.
- Advice and guidance drop in service –we offer an informal advice and guidance service pre, during and post application where you can run through any questions you may have as a carer considering university.
- Carers ID card
At Bangor University, we place a high priority on caring for and supporting our students. We offer a comprehensive student welfare service. As a student entering Higher Education from care or as someone advising a Care Experience student, you can be assured that Bangor will provide you with the necessary support and information. This support is available while you’re still deciding what or where to study, continues through the university application process, and is on-going once you’ve started your course.
There is a named contact person for Care Experience students within the University’s Student Services, and that is the person you should turn to for help and advice at any stage of your journey into and through Higher Education.
At Bangor University, we can provide the following:
- Pre-entry guidance from our Skills and Employability Service, assistance with filling in your Student Finance application form and help and support during the university application and admissions process.
- Peer guide support for all students to help you settle in during Welcome Week and the first few weeks of term.
- Targeted financial support for Care Experience students through the University’s bursary and Hardship Funds. This means Bangor will provide you with a Care Experience Bursary of £1,000 a year, on top of any other University or state-funded bursaries which you may be eligible for.
- An integrated Student Services, offering easy access to money support, housing, disability, mental health and student counselling services.
- Regular meetings between the named contact and students to identify support requirements, with liaison between University departments and external agencies where appropriate (and with the student’s express permission).
- Guaranteed accommodation for all single first year undergraduate students and help planning and arranging your accommodation for both term and vacation time.
- Complete confidentiality for Care Experience students in respect of service provision and specific arrangements.
As a Care Experience student, or as someone advising a student, your first point of contact is: Wendy Williams, Student Adviser in Student Services. Wendy can give you more details on all aspects of the University’s support provision – both prior to admission and whilst studying here.
Contact Wendy on 01248 383637 or e-mail: studentsupport@bangor.ac.uk.
YOUNG CARERS RESIDENTIAL CONFERENCE
Each year, in partnership with Reaching Wider, Bangor University hosts a 3-day Residential Event, which give 16-24 year-old carers a taste of university life and the support offered to them here at Bangor. This is an extremely popular event where Bangor University welcomes between 50-60 young carers and their outreach workers on campus.
During the event, many academic schools deliver subject taster sessions. There is an opportunity to see the University, Pontio, the Students’ Union, Canolfan Brailsford Sports centre, meet academic staff and current students. Carers spend 2 nights in our Halls of Residence.
It's also a wonderful opportunity to share your experiences with other young carers.
Thank you so much for providing such an inspirational and rewarding residential. The young carers were really buzzing afterwards as were the staff! Roll on next year!
Carers Outreach Staff
UCAS have introduced a new section in the application so you can share more information about your circumstances with the university – including whether you have caring responsibilities. This information means we can connect you with support for your needs quickly and easily and ensure you have all the information you need.
If you provide unpaid care for another person or you are a care leaver, just select ‘yes’ from the drop-down box in the question that asks if you have any caring responsibilities in the ‘More about me’ section of the application.
Additional support and resources for carers attending university is also given by the Carers Trust and your local care providers. These include practical support such as providing bedding, utensils, and towels for your arrival at university.
The Young Carers ID card will give young carers a quick and easy way to inform lecturers, staff, and community services such as leisure centres and local transport, that they look after someone.
We partner with Reaching Wider to deliver various projects.
The Reaching Wider Partnership mission is to widen access by increasing the number of Reaching Wider priority groups who would not have otherwise considered entering Higher Education from the most deprived areas in North and Mid Wales.
Watch - Widening Access - Brandon
Young carers - they are most of their life cared for someone else. They have been what someone else wants them to be.
They don't actually be themselves and they need to just actually have that time to sit down, reflect and realise that they matter too.
It would be a struggle at first to realise that actually they have their own choice.
But once, especially once these start to happen, you've come into yourself,
feel more relieved and they realise actually they aren't bound to that caring responsibility.
It's they have a life outside of that caring role.
I am Brandon Horton. I'm doing a business management course with a foundation year.
I do think that sometimes carers do look at university and go, well, I'm too far away.
I can't. Who else is going to care for that person while I'm gone?
Especially young carers who've been brought up to feel that they are the only person that can care for that person.
There are support and systems out there to help, and while they're away, they can still give support over the phone.
And now at Bangor University,
there are people out here to support the young carers as well with their transition into university and away from that, the major caring role.
It does bring out your inner child in the fact that that person that you're caring for isn't there, and you can actually be yourself.
You get to have time to reflect on your life.
You do have great moments where the university is seen as this time where it's always busy, you're always on the go.
But actually, there's a lot of time in university where you have that time to wind down and reflect,
and actually you realise that maybe you didn't have a normal childhood growing up, but you get that time now.
You can mess around with new friends. You can go out and do the things that you've always wanted to do as a kid.
I think once they actually get here and realise how good the independence feels and how it enabled them for them to grow within themselves,
I think they would actually feel better within themselves and realise that they
actually have got more of a future than what they might originally realise they had.
The things I've picked up from my course is confidence.
There's a difference in managing people and and caring for people.
Almost two sides of the same coin, really, that you are as a manager and a caring.
You are caring for someone. But it's different in the fact that you are.
You have to have the confidence to tell people what's what.
Having that autonomy to push a business into the vision that you see getting and choose what I want to be and who I want to be instead of that.
And the people decide. Having them options available to be, um, it lifts a few weight off my shoulders.
It kind of gives me that drive and purpose of what to do in life and how to move forward.
And I can plan certain steps of my life around these goals and how to progress further.
Being a full-time carer and a full-time student is tough and it takes a special kind of person, but the University staff are extremely supportive and will do all they can to make it a little bit easier.
Mature Learners
At Bangor, we're proud to welcome students from all backgrounds. If you're over 21 years of age, you're classed as a mature student. Here's some information and advice to help on your new journey.
Our support for mature learners include
Our support for mature learners include
Watch - Widening Access - Ffion
Talk to us
Talk to us Book a Chat
Book a chat with our friendly and experienced Widening Participation Officer with any questions you may have.