The University of Roehampton is delighted to announce that, in partnership with the Unite Foundation, it will offer three Unite Foundation scholarships from the 2027/28 academic year.
The scholarships will provide three care experienced or estranged students with up to three years of free, year-round accommodation, with the same three students supported across the three years of their degree.
Unite Foundation scholarships provide care experienced or estranged students with up to three years of free, year-round accommodation. These scholarships are currently the only intervention evidenced at Office for Students Tier 2 level to significantly improve progression, completion and attainment outcomes of care experienced students.
The scholarship scheme is a partnership between the University of Roehampton and the Unite Foundation, with both partners contributing funds to provide a stable home at university for up to three years.
Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Roehampton, said:
"Having a secure place to call home can provide an important foundation for students throughout their time at university. We are proud to partner with the Unite Foundation to provide three care experienced or estranged students with free, year-round accommodation throughout their degree.
"This partnership is an important commitment to supporting their academic success and providing the stability of a secure home at university for the duration of their studies. We look forward to welcoming our first Unite Foundation scholars to Roehampton from the 2027/28 academic year."
Kate Brown, Unite Foundation Co-Director, said:
"We are proud to be working with the University of Roehampton and welcome their important commitment to the academic success of care experienced and estranged students."
The University of Roehampton will be part of the Unite Foundation's largest ever network of university partners: 41 higher education institutions across England, Scotland and Wales. Together, these partners will support the largest ever cohort of Unite Foundation scholarships, with a record 110 scholarships available for the 2027/28 academic year.
Department for Education official statistics from 2024/25 indicate that, at a national level at age 19, only 12% of statutory care leavers are in university, compared with 45% of the wider population. This means that care leavers are nearly four times less likely to be in university at 19 than the wider population.
The Student Academic Experience Survey 2025 found that 43% of care experienced students and 44% of estranged students have considered withdrawing from university, compared with 28% of their peers.
Office for Students outcomes data for 2022/23 shows that 18% of care experienced students drop out within the first year of study, compared with just under 10% of non-care experienced students.
The Unite Foundation provides scholarships of free student accommodation to young people in the UK from care or estranged backgrounds. To date, 950 scholarships have been awarded.
Established in 2012, the Unite Foundation was founded by Unite Students, the UK's largest manager and developer of student accommodation. The Unite Foundation is a CIO registered in England and Wales (1198601) and Scotland (SC051987).
Find out more
For information about support for care experienced students at the University of Roehampton, visit our support for care leavers page.
You can also find out more about Unite Foundation scholarships and the #HomeAtUniversity campaign.