Widening participation
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
Teesside University is committed to promoting equality and diversity and supports those with disabilities or special educational needs before and during study with us. If you, your child or a young person you work with has a specific support need and would like to find out more about the support we could provide, the resources available and how you access our service, please email studentrecruitment@tees.ac.uk.
We can also provide additional assistance to take part in any of our pre-entry activities, please let us know when you book, so we can discuss your requirements. For example, we can arrange quiet space at open days, private tours and talks and follow-up resources and materials.
We provide support to students who are:
- visually impaired
- hearing impaired
- wheelchair users or people with mobility difficulties
- presenting with medical conditions
- autistic spectrum disorders
- mental health services users and people with specific learning difficulties (for example, dyslexia).
This list is not exhaustive.
Funding and support
The fees, funding and support available at university is sometimes a perceived barrier for young people from widening participation backgrounds. We have a dedicated team of student advisers who can provide one-to-one information and advice relating to fees and financial support.
Find out more about funding
Looked-after children (LAC) and care leavers
We are committed to supporting young people in care or leaving care to progress to higher education.
We offer a range of activities and support to looked-after children, care leavers and their foster carers, and social workers to help raise aspirations, provide information and support, and to encourage care leavers to reach their potential.
Pre-application
We will always prioritise a place for a young person in or leaving care. We can also provide:
- bespoke visits to the University to discuss course choices, funding and support available
- advice on personal statement writing and interview preparation
- personal contextual offers to applicants
- free places on our residentials and winter/summer university modules
- a meeting with a dedicated Care Leaver Adviser, even before you have applied if necessary - to listen to you and your personal situation
Student support at Teesside University
In addition to support for care leavers including the care leaver bursary, 52-week accommodation contracts and tailored support.
More about the Care leaver bursary
Ethnically and culturally diverse groups
We welcome students from a diverse multicultural background and are committed to advancing opportunity, experience and outcomes helping students achieve their full potential.
Teesside University is home to students from many different cultures and to people of all faiths and none. We value the diversity of our students and recognise that being able to practise your faith is an important part of the student experience. We offer a range of higher education taster sessions which provide valuable insight into the options available at university.
Support for refugees and asylum seekers
In some cases, an individual's status can be complicated or prohibitive. If you are a refugee or asylum seeker living in the UK, entering higher education can be complicated due to a number of factors, including immigration status, eligibility to study, previous qualifications and funding eligibility.
For advice on eligibility for higher education and how your qualifications compare to UK qualifications, we run a number of refugee and asylum seeker open days with the British Red Cross, and we also have staff at our open days who can provide guidance.
As a refugee or someone with humanitarian protection, you may be eligible to apply for student funding through the Student Loans Company. Our financial advisers can help you understand your eligibility and make the application.
As an asylum seeker you would not be eligible for public funding and would therefore need to fund your own studies which is often prohibitive. We have a limited number of scholarships available each year.
Find out more about scholarships sanctuary
Find out more
To discuss any of the above, please contact the Student Recruitment team on studentrecruitment@tees.ac.uk.
