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Essential information for applicants who will be under the age of 18 at the point of enrolment on the UCL foundation year.
If you are under the age of 18, you are considered a ‘child’ under British law (Children Act, 1989). UCL recognises that it has social, moral and legal obligations to safeguard the wellbeing and safety of ‘children’ involved in any UCL activities and has a ‘Children and Vulnerable Adults Safeguarding Policy for Applicants and Current Students’.
The UCL safeguarding policy confirms that, if you are under the age of 18 at the point of enrolment:
You must appoint a guardian who resides in the Greater London area
Your guardian would typically be a family member, or a close friend of the family who has agreed to take on this role. If these two options are not available to you, another option is to approach an accredited guardianship service which will be able to provide this support on a privately-arranged basis. Here is the link to the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students (AEGIS).
As an example, students studying at CLIE have recently used the services of UKGuardianship and Bright World. You will need to provide the name and full contact details of your guardian to the UPC Administrator before enrolment in September.
Choosing accommodation
When you receive an offer of a place to study on the UPC, and confirm that you wish to accept the place, you have three options in terms of your accommodation:
i) You can apply to the UCL Accommodation Office and will be allocated to one of the three UCL residences which are designated for ‘under 18s’: Ramsay Hall, Ian Baker House and James Lighthill House. The Management and Wardenial teams of these halls have received the appropriate security clearance and training in supporting the needs of students under the age of 18. The UPC Administrator will provide you with details of the application process;
ii) You can stay with a family member or a close friend of the family in the London area (who is also likely to be your guardian);
iii) You can apply to a private student residence in the UCL area, Unite (in Bloomsbury) or Chapter House near King’s Cross. Both residences have a warden, secure access and liaise with UCL regarding support for students under the age of 18.
CLIE strongly advises that students who are under the age of 18 do not live in privately rented accommodation.
Complete code of behaviour form
After you have confirmed your place on the UPC course, you will be sent a ‘UPC Code of Behaviour’ form, which must be signed by both you and your parents, and returned to CLIE before you begin your course. This form outlines our expectations in terms of student behaviour and also lists a number of important rules and regulations that we will expect you to follow.
Off-campus / overnight trips
Please note that some study and social activities may also include off-campus and/or overnight trips. Due to the legal obligation to abide by safeguarding protocols, participation of students under the age of 18 may be subject to risk assessment and participation in some of these activities may not always be permitted.
Data protection
UCL is required by law to comply with The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). UCL is committed to ensuring that every employee and registered student complies with the Act to ensure that personal information is protected and handled appropriately. Please note that UCL has no obligation to disclose any personal information relating to students to relatives, or guardians and a disclosure without the consent of the student may be a breach of the GDPR.
Requests received from a relative or guardian will only be considered by UCL upon receipt of the student’s consent in writing.
Please note that this confidentiality policy applies to all UCL students, including those who are under the age of 18.
Safeguarding children and adults at risk - UCL's policy and procedure
This policy details UCL's approach to all safeguarding matters involving children and adults at risk and outlines the process which is followed when there is a safeguarding concern.