About the Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme Guidance for Students What is the Unite Foundation? The Unite Foundation is a charitable trust, registered as a charity in England, Wales and Scotland. It is governed by a Board of Trustees and managed by a very small central team. The Unite Foundation was founded in 2012 by the student accommodation provider Unite Students. The company pledged to give a substantial donation each year to help young people go to university who might not otherwise have the chance. The mission of the Unite Foundation is to support young people for whom a secure home is of particular significance. What is the Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme? The Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme offers its Scholars free year-round accommodation at a designated Unite Students property plus a cash scholarship of 3,000 per year, for the duration of their course. Since 2012 there have been 125 Unite Foundation Scholars across the UK; in 2015 four of our Scholars graduated from university. The Unite Foundation does not offer Scholarships directly to students; instead we work with a network of university partners who allocate the Scholarships using an agreed criteria. All applications for a Unite Foundation Scholarship should come through your university. De Montfort University will be offering five new Unite Foundation Scholarships in September 2016. These Scholarships are designed for students who have previously been in Local Authority care or are estranged from their parents. Priority will be given to students who have been residing in Foyer or similar residential provision for young homeless adults in the UK, or who are living in temporary accommodation with friends before starting university. Am I eligible to apply? To be eligible to apply for a Unite Foundation Scholarship:
You should have applied to start your first full-time undergraduate degree at DMU in September 2016 You must intend to stay in your free allocated accommodation for the duration of your degree You must have given Student Finance England consent to share your financial information with DMU You should be a care leaver, young carer, estranged from your family or have other exceptional circumstances. What accommodation is offered as part of the Scholarship Scheme? The accommodation offered will be in a Unite Students building located close to your university. Scholars will be offered a single ensuite bedroom in a shared flat with a communal kitchen; the flat will be shared with a mixture of other students. Your accommodation will be available all year round including through the holiday periods for as long as you are still eligible for the Scholarship. What conditions are attached to a Scholarship? For each academic year that you live in the free accommodation provided by the Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme, you will need to sign the normal rental agreement for your room. You will not be required to pay rent, a deposit or supply a guarantor. However you must abide by all the other terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement. In particular you are advised that persistent antisocial behaviour or criminal activity within the accommodation is likely to result in the withdrawal of your Scholarship and eviction from the property. We would normally expect you to stay in your free accommodation throughout your time as a Scholar. However if you choose not to take up the free accommodation in future years, no alternative or equivalent accommodation benefit will be offered. The cash element of scholarship may continue to be paid. If DMU and the Unite Foundation agree, you may be able to opt out of the scholarship for an academic year and return to it the following year. This may be the case if you take an approved placement or study abroad year, or a temporary break in study due to personal circumstances. In some cases you may be permitted to repeat a year of study. You should obtain written permission to take a break from the scheme for any reason from Melissa Page at DMU. Any permitted break from the Scholarship Scheme cannot exceed one year.
Should you leave your course for any reason you should also notify Melissa Page to let them know that you are withdrawing from the Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme. No further cash payments will be made and you will be asked to leave your accommodation. However DMU and the Unite Foundation will be flexible and give you reasonable time to find alternative accommodation before you need to move out. In accepting the Scholarship, you agree to do the following which will help evaluate and improve the scheme, and promote it to future Scholars: Provide us with your first name or an alias, and a short 100-150 word profile that we can use on our digital platforms or printed materials Complete a short online annual survey (you can do this anonymously if you wish to) Submit a short update about the difference that the Scholarship has made to you by 1 August each year to Melissa Page.
Applying for a Unite Foundation Scholarship This guidance tells you how you can apply for a Unite Foundation Scholarship using the attached form. Please ensure you answer all questions and complete all sections of the form. The questions help us to assess if you are eligible for a Scholarship. If you would like any help in preparing your application please contact Melissa Page or Ryan Ward, email: transitions@dmu.ac.uk You should email the completed form to transitions@dmu.ac.uk together with scanned copies of any supporting documents and your supporting statement. Alternatively, you may post a copy of the form together with your supporting documents to: Melissa Page De Montfort University 0.80 Gateway House The Gateway Leicester, LE1 9BH Make sure you complete the form in full and attach your supporting documents; if anything is missing this could delay your application. The closing date for applications is Friday 24 June 2016. When will I know the outcome of my application? If you have completed all sections of the application form and sent all your supporting documents by the application deadline, you will be notified of the decision by Friday 29 July. Application Checklist Before sending the form, please ensure that you have done the following: Completed all sections of the application form If applicable, sent evidence that you have applied for your maximum UK government student loan, tuition fee loan and maintenance grant for 2016/17 Provided evidence that you have previously been in Local Authority care, or residing in a Foyer or similar residential provision for young homeless adults, or are estranged from your parents. This may be in the format of a letter confirming your circumstances from a teacher, social worker, carer or accommodation manager. If you are unsure of what evidence to submit, please contact Melissa Page or Ryan Ward before submitting your
application Ensure you submit photocopies only, as originals cannot be returned. Emailed your personal statement as word/pdf document to transitions@dmu.ac.uk
Part 1: Your Personal Details UCAS Number Surname Correspondence address Forename(s) (in full) Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) Age E-mail Address Please tick the statement (s) that best describes your circumstances. You may tick more than one box. I am irreconcilably estranged from my parents I am in, or have recently left, local authority care I am currently living in a hostel / supported housing I am a young carer Other exceptional circumstances, please briefly detail below: Part 2: Details of the course you have applied for Full Course Title : Qualification (e.g. BA, MBBS, BSc) : Length of Course 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years: Expected Course Completion Date: Part 3: Student Finance Did you apply for the full student finance package that you are entitled to? Yes/No If not, please explain why:...
Have you given consent to your relevant student finance authority (SFE/SAAS/SFW/SFNI) to share your financial information with DMU? Yes/ No Have you applied to live in Halls of Residence in 205-16? Yes/No If yes, please specify which hall or building:.. Part 4: Disability / Special Medical Needs This information will not be used to assess your application, but if you are successful it will help us to meet your needs. Do you have any special requirements for your accommodation or is there anything that it would be useful for your accommodation provider to know? Yes / No If yes, please give details below:.... Do you have any specific communication needs? (For example large print) Yes / No If yes, please give details below:.. Part 5: Supporting Statement Please give a description of your current circumstances in order to highlight any relevant information which may help us to understand why you are eligible for the Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme and would benefit from it (maximum 250 words). This statement should be saved as a word/pdf file, and the file should be named in the following format: Unite Foundation statement YOURSURNAME, YourFirstname. The file should be emailed to transitions@dmu.ac.uk
Part 6: Declaration I declare that the information that I have given on this form is correct and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that giving false information will automatically disqualify my application and disciplinary action may be taken. I understand that my application details will be passed on the Unite Foundation Trustees in order to review my application and make a decision on my award. I understand that the information provided in Section 4 of the form may be passed on to the manager of the relevant Unite Students accommodation if my application is successful. I understand that by signing this application I confirm I have understood and will adhere to the Scholarship conditions should I receive the Scholarship. Failure to do so may result in the removal of part or all of the Scholarship benefits. DMU would like to share additional data it holds about you with both the Unite Foundation and Unite Students. This is to help ensure that the accommodation provided fully meets your needs. The data would be held in the strictest confidence and would only be used for this purpose, and not for any other purpose whatsoever. If you do NOT wish DMU to share your data in this way then please tick this box. Your Name (in capitals).. Your Signature.... Date...