Next week is Estranged Student Solidarity Week, and we want to raise awareness of the support that Edinburgh College can provide to anyone who is studying without the support or approval of their family.
What is an ‘estranged student’?
An estranged student is generally defined as a student who has no communicative relationship with either of their living parents or guardians. These students are pursuing their education journey alone, without the traditional support network many others rely on.
We know that estranged students face significant and unique challenges when coming to college, including financial instability, conflicting access to funding and accommodation, lack of understanding from staff and limited mental health support. All this can have an important impact on their academic performance, progression and well-being. Sometimes, students are hesitant to tell others that they are no longer in touch with their family, but we want to make sure that all our estranged students are accessing the support available to them.
Mireya, one of our Student Support Advisers, summed up the college’s approach for us: Our team works hard on identifying students with no parental support and providing the right support pre-entry and during the academic year. This includes offering them a safe place to talk about their circumstances, helping them to put their college funding in place, and establishing a network of support with other departments and external organisations. We contact students directly to introduce ourselves, giving them a named contact and explaining what support they can access to has been positively valued by our students over the last years. It is rewarding to see repeating students coming for support, an increased number of students contacting and trusting us and a growing willingness to work together. Still, we are certain that there is a lot of work to do to support our estranged students, and we believe that creating awareness promoting the support we can offer to them is the right path to walk. |
So, what support is available?
- UCAS Support and Information: If you’re applying to university, UCAS offers specific advice for estranged students, acknowledging their individual needs during the application process, including when writing their personal statement. Stories like Chloe's story highlight the experiences of estranged students successfully pursuing undergraduate education. Head to the UCAS Hub on MyEC Lite (in Teams) to find out more.
- Funding and Financial Aid: SAAS provide specific information on funding for students on HNC/HND/Degree courses who are estranged from their parents or legal guardians. You can find out more here. Students on non-advanced courses can apply for funding as self-supporting students, and will be required to provide relevant supporting evidence. Sometimes understanding what evidence is required can be a little confusing, so make sure you speak to one of the Student Advisors in Student Services. Student Advisors can help students to navigate their way through out their journey as a student and offer guidance and advice with ensuring students apply for maximum funding, understand their housing options, access employability support and understand how to access other supports within and out with the college.
- College Support: If you think you’re an estranged student, we encourage you to let the college know. That could be chatting with a trusted lecturer or your LDT, speaking with student services or the Students’ Association. Estranged Students Solidarity Week is a good opportunity to do this if you haven’t yet.
If you’re an estranged student and you’d like to share your story and experience with us, you can do so anonymously in the box below. We’ll use the stories to share with staff to make sure that future estranged students feel seen and supported throughout their time at college. You can also opt in to be contacted further about your experience if you would like to help us develop our understanding of how to help estranged students in the future.
