A free home at university continues to be at the heart of our work. Students on our scholarship say that having a safe and stable home at university means they can make the most of the full university experience, and the data says the same. What we do works.

In the 2025-8 period, we are continuing to build the evidence base for a #HomeAtUniversity and advocate for availability of student outcomes data across the sector. We are also developing a sustainable model for our scholarships, so that we are able to maintain the number we can offer as rent costs continue to rise. This includes giving choice to our university partners to utilise their own accommodation for scholarship students, and incorporating match-funding from university partners into our model.

We are working to grow the breadth and depth of support for a safe and stable #HomeAtUniversity for all care experienced and estranged students amongst universities and other accommodation providers.

This work is built around our Blueprint for a #HomeAtUniversity. We champion free accommodation as the only intervention currently evidenced at Office for Student Tier 2 level to impact on progression, completion and attainment of care experienced students. But there are other practices to be supported and evidenced around removing the guarantor barrier, extending accommodation and support for the periods immediately before and after any degree course, and ensuring universities are aware of bumps in their journey with accommodation at university that individual care experienced and estranged students are facing.

And we are here to help. We offer free access for all care experienced and estranged students to All of Us, the community for all estranged and care experienced students across the UK, supported by the Unite Foundation; and free online knowledge-sharing for higher education staff.

We believe purpose-built accommodation providers have an important role to play in ensuring a safe and stable #HomeAtUniversity for care experienced and estranged students. We are proud that our champion and founder Unite Students was the first signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant and we are continuing to support them as they roll out a pilot to remove the guarantor barrier for all care experienced and estranged students in their buildings.

If you would like to find out more on how we can support your journey to ensure a #HomeAtUniversity for care experienced and estranged students, get in touch with Kate at kate.brown@unitefoundation.org.uk

The experience of students of a #HomeAtUniversity is determined not only by the practice of accommodation providers but by national and local policy context across England and the devolved nations.

We work with partners across the sector to ensure that the needs of care experienced and estranged students are considered in decisions around data, student finance, wellbeing and more, and to ensure that Local Authorities are held to account in delivering their statutory duties to care leavers.

If you would like to find out more and collaborate in policy change, Fiona would love to hear from you. Drop her an email on fiona.ellison@unitefoundation.org.uk.