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If you're a care leaver or you're distant from your family, we have specialist services and schemes that can support you throughout your time at university.
We understand that having little or no family support might make going to and staying in university harder. We're here to make sure you can make the most of your studies.
Support we can offer you
We're committed to supporting students who have been in local authority care, and/or are estranged from family.
The more you tell us during the application process, the more we can help. Sharing your personal situation in the 'notes' section on your application means we can offer you additional and advice and support.
We can assist you by:
- helping you find somewhere to live year round
- providing a dedicated and consistent member of staff who can support you throughout your studies
- signposting you to further support, like bursaries or guarantor schemes.
Help if you can't find a guarantor
Most landlords will ask for a guarantor when renting. A guarantor is someone who is legally responsible for paying rent if you can't or don't, and rent is usually paid in three instalments during the academic year.
Rent guarantors are often family members like parents, carers or other adults. We understand that having a trusted adult you can rely on or ask isn't always possible.
Our Rent Guarantor Scheme helps care leavers who don't have a guarantor to find accommodation.
If you have accepted a room in university allocated halls, can’t find a guarantor and can’t afford to pay your rent upfront, get in touch.
Email us at residentialsupport@shu.ac.uk and our team will be happy to help. You can also find more information about renting for the first time on our webpage with more guidance on how to pay your rent.
Advice for renting privately
If you are looking at private sector accommodation and are struggling to find a guarantor, you have options.
For advice, email residentialsupport@shu.ac.uk. The Students Union Advice Centre is also here to help.
Take care to not enter any legally binding contracts for a tenancy until you have a guarantor in place. Without one, you may be expected to pay a full year's worth of rent up front before you can move in.
Further support
