St George’s, University of London has signed the Stand Alone pledge - a national pledge outlining support for students who are estranged from their families. You can find out more about our pledges on the Stand Alone website.
An estranged student is a young person aged 25 or below, studying without the support of either parent due to a breakdown in their relationship. This might be biological, step or adoptive parents, or possibly wider family members.
To help us identify you as an estranged student, you can tell us this information at any time by completing this short online form.
Our Student Welfare Officer will be in touch and let you know what support is available to you. If you have any questions, please contact Hannah Jones (Student Welfare Officer) via welfare@sgul.ac.uk.
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Considering applying to St George's? We offer flexible and personalised campus visits for prospective students who are estranged from their family. These visits aim to answer any questions you may have, show you around the university and offer you a deeper insight to your course of interest and university life. If you would like to book a visit please email us.
Please feel free to come on your own or bring along a friend!
We have a contextual admissions scheme which is designed to support eligible students, including those who are estranged, to enter the university. It offers an alternative grade offer as well as access to pre-application and post-application support.
Estranged students have a named contact at St George’s. This makes things simpler for you, especially when you are just starting a course, and assists us in coordinating your financial and pastoral support. We can also let you know about external organisations who can help you during your studies.
Your named contact can also help with general information and can point you in the direction of any academic advice or support you might need once you are at St George’s. All students are also assigned a personal tutor who can help with this.
Our Student Welfare Officer, Hannah Jones, is currently our named point of contact for estranged students. You can contact her at welfare@sgul.ac.uk.
Estranged students are often designated as ‘independent students’ by Student Finance. This means that if you are eligible for student finance and don’t live with a partner or spouse you will usually be entitled to the maximum income assessed support. There are usually additional Student Finance forms that you need to complete to confirm you are estranged. If you are unsure about anything to do with your student funding, please don’t hesitate to contact our Student Funding Adviser, Helen Williams, at studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk.
Estranged students who are undertaking their first undergraduate course are automatically eligible for a £1000 grant from St George’s.
Estranged students are also a priority group for our Access to Learning Fund (hardship fund for home students) and may be eligible for additional financial support here. You can apply to the ALF once you are fully registered and enrolled on your course.
Estranged students studying an undergraduate course are given priority for housing in the St George’s Horton Halls of Residence and are eligible for year-round 365 day accommodation contracts if they need them. You can find further information and take a virtual tour of Horton Halls on our accommodation webpages.
A team of Resident Advisers live at Horton Halls and are available outside of usual office hours to provide support and to answer any questions you might have.
The University’s Counselling Service provides a non-judgemental, confidential setting in which to work things through in your own way. It is free of charge and available to all St George’s undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The Counselling Service is confidential and is separate from teaching and assessment processes. You can find further details on the Counselling Service’s webpages.
The Academic Success Centre team provide one-to-one support with a range of study issues, including effective study strategies, writing academic assignments and English language help. They offer appointments in person and online.
Enrolled students can visit the ASC Canvas page for more details, including opening hours and how to book an appointment.
Once you are enrolled you might wish to consider making an application to be a St George’s Student Ambassador. This is a paid role where you will represent St George’s in the community, and meet other students and staff. For more details please contact the Student Ambassador Scheme at ambassadors@sgul.ac.uk. Please mention in your email that you are estranged.
All students are encouraged to engage with Careers Support at St George’s. The Careers Adviser is available to support you at all stages of your career thinking: from planning your next steps, exploring opportunities, building and using your network, to making applications and impressing at interview. They offer one-to-one support in person and by phone, plus online information, and skills workshops delivered as part of your course.
Once you are enrolled with us, you can book appointments and access information online. For any other questions about careers support, please email careers@sgul.ac.uk
Further information
For more details about other support services at St George’s please visit the St George’s website. Enrolled students can visit the Student Life Centre.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact our Student Welfare Officer, Hannah Jones, at welfare@sgul.ac.uk.
N.B. We are collecting this information to provide you with support and services. Legal basis: To perform our contract with you. If you provide this information here or on your enrolment form, it will be shared with certain teams within the University but only for the purposes of providing you with relevant financial and pastoral guidance/support.