DU Cares

What is DU Cares?

We are Durham University’s dedicated support network for care-experienced and/or estranged students (CEES). We provide pre- and post-entry support to all from a CEES background, to help them during their higher education journey. DU Cares provides multi-faceted support in different key areas that are; Pre-entry & Admissions, Accommodation & Colleges, Finance, and Careers. These key pillars of support are provided through multiple teams working collaboratively for each individual student but can all be accessed through DU Cares by contacting Megan Clark and Rebecca Duckworth at du.cares@durham.ac.uk. 

Durham have signed both the Care Leaver Covenant – in partnership with NERAP - and Stand Alone Pledge to support care-experienced and estranged students, respectively. In engaging with the Care Leaver Covenant and Stand Alone Pledge, we have committed to provide a level of support for students from CEES backgrounds. You can find more about each offer of support on the individual care-experienced and estranged students pages of our website. You may also be interested in the National Network For the Education of Care Leavers Website

What to do next?

Check out our specific care-experienced and estranged student support pages below. These pages will hopefully give a little more information about the specific support that we offer. Additionally, you can follow those pages to learn more about NERAP, the Care Leaver Covenant, and the Stand Alone Pledge. You can also reach out to us at du.cares@durham.ac.uk with any questions. 

Pre-Entry Support

CEES students are given priority consideration for our access schemes, which you can learn about on our Supported Progression, Sutton Trust, and STEP pages. Care-experienced and/or estranged students are also counted in our contextual offer criteria.

As part of our pre-entry support, we have a dedicated point of contact via our du.cares@durham.ac.uk email address who can support with any general queries on the UCAS application process, personal statement writing, and admissions support. 

The Atom Futures Fund (County Durham Community Foundation)

The Atom Futures Fund offers financial incentives to eligible Year 13 students who apply to undertake an undergraduate honours degree course at any of the 24 Russell Group Universities, and the potential of further support to those who subsequently take up their offer.’  - County Durham Community Foundation

If you meet the following criteria, you may be eligible for the Atom Futures Fund:

• You are currently in year 13.
• You attend a state school within the boundaries of Durham County Council.
• You are applying for undergraduate study at a Russell Group university.
• You are currently in care or eligible for free school meals.

For the first year of the fund (2024) applications for part 1 close on 29 April 2024.

You can apply for the Atom Futures Fund and read the grant guidelines on the County Durham Community Foundation website.

Offer-Holder Visits

If you are an offer holder you can book onto one of our DU Cares campus visits. These visits consist of a tour of our campus and facilities, where you will be accompanied by a member of the DU Cares team who can answer specific questions you might have. These visits are the best opportunity for you to see the campus again before joining Durham University while also being able to ask about the support we offer at Durham for care-experienced and estranged students. Please email: du.cares@durham.ac.uk if you have any questions.