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If you're a student and have children that are with you, UCL can provide support and facilities to help you manage your studies alongside family life.
On this page:
- Specific support for student parents
- General support services
- Support for pregnant students
- Further reading
Specific support for student parents
UCL is committed to supporting all our students who are parents. We offer the following specific support during your time at university.
- Funding
UCL has no specific financial support available for students that are also parents. However, if you do experience financial difficulty during the course of the academic year, you are encouraged to apply to the Financial Assistance Fund – an emergency fund to help students in unexpected financial hardship, for which student parents are a priority group.
If you are experiencing more sensitive or complex funding issues or would like advice on budgeting your money, you can contact a Student Funding Adviser.
- Family accommodation
UCL has limited family accommodation which you may be eligible to apply for, offered subject to availability. Please get in touch with UCL Accommodation for more information.
- Childcare
The UCL Day Nursery is open to staff and students. Where possible, it is recommended that you apply for a place as early as you can as there may be a waiting list for places, especially baby places.
The Family and Childcare Trust also has a tool that allows you to search for childcare facilities close to where you live by entering your postcode.
- Breastfeeding and baby-changing facilities
If you wish to express breast milk or breastfeed your child, you can use the dedicated rest rooms which are also used by UCL staff members.
- International students
If you plan on bringing your family with you to the UK, you may need to consider accommodation, finances, and immigration. Read here to learn more about support for international students who are parents.
- Academic support
If you have found yourself with new or increased caring responsibilities that have impacted your ability to focus on your studies, there are a number of options available to you.
You can temporarily interrupt your studies if you need to and return when you are able to continue. If you would like to consider this option, please speak to staff in your department first, who will be able to discuss how this will affect your studies, and spend some time reading through the guidance on interruptions online.
You can apply for Extenuating Circumstances if you are affected by any sudden and unexpected disruption to your studies. Depending on your circumstances, Extenuating Circumstances might allow you to have an extension on assignments, deferral of assessment or other adjustments.
General support services
Student parents have full access to the same support services as any other student. We offer a range of support at UCL, but student parents may be particularly interested in engaging the following services:
- Seeing an adviser
If you are experiencing difficulties with your health or wellbeing, contact a member of our team to discuss your situation. To speak to an adviser about your options, or to make an appointment, you can get in touch through askUCL.
- Personal Tutors
At UCL, every student is allocated a Personal Tutor (or a Supervisor for research students). Your Personal Tutor will offer guidance on your overall academic progress, as well as your personal and professional development. They are typically a member of teaching staff, but not necessarily teaching courses on your programme.
If and when needed, the Personal Tutor provides a safety net for the students' physical, mental and emotional welfare, acting as a point of referral to avert crisis. However, the normal tutoring role provides facilitation and guidance on a more everyday basis, so that the student can independently integrate the academic and extracurricular elements of their learning and development.
- Support and Wellbeing Phone Lines
Should you have any questions regarding studying at UCL as a parent, you can get in touch with our team of friendly advisers on our UCL Support and Wellbeing Phone Lines:
- Student Support and Wellbeing Phone Line on +44 (0) 20 3108 8836. You can seek advice from the team about mental health, disability, counselling, registry and UCL East services.
- UCL 24/7 Student Support Line on +44 (0) 808 238 0077. Receive in-the-moment support in 35+ languages, including sign. The advisers reflect the diverse range of backgrounds needed from our students, and you can select to speak to a male/female adviser, a BAME adviser, or an adviser with additional training in LGBTQ+ related issues.
- Students' Union UCL
Student parents at UCL are represented in the Students' Union by the Officer for Students with Caring Responsibilities. The Officer represents the interests and concerns of student carers to both the Union and UCL. All student carers are welcome to get in touch with the Officer for advice and to raise any issues.
A Facebook community has been established to bring together student parents and carers across the university. The community aims to provide you with a network of peers who you can share your experience with.
Students' Union UCL offer support for student parents with a list of resources for parents alongside information about child-friendly spaces at the university, libraries and how to join the Parents and Carers Network on their website.
Support for pregnant students
We are also committed to supporting pregnant students throughout the course of their studies with us.
Further reading
- 'Studying as a Parent: A Handbook for Success'
Author: Helen Owton
Description: "Offers practical information and motivational support to help parents in higher education successfully deal with the challenges they face, and make juggling their parent and student commitments less arduous. Written by a recent student parent graduate, it covers issues from funding and childcare, to managing insecurities and future directions."