Undergraduate
Advice for parents and carers
Read our guidance on how to support the young person in your care with their application.
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Choosing which university to study at is a big moment for anyone.
As a parent or carer, you will want to help the young person in your care to make the best decision for them.
This page offers some practical advice around how you can support them as an applicant while also helping them prepare for the independence of university.
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Discuss options
Spend some time discussing all of the options available to an applicant.
Encourage them to think about the courses they might like to study, the entry requirements they can aim for and what extra things (such as work experience) they could do to support their application.
Try to help them narrow down the area of study which best suits them and consider what career opportunities different qualifications may offer.
Research universities
UCAS fairs, university websites and prospectuses (which you can usually order online) are all good starting points to find out what different universities have to offer in terms of courses, opportunities and the student experience.
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Attend events together
The best way for an applicant to find out if a university is for them is to see it for themselves. This could be on an Open Day, a Decision Day (which they will be invited to after applying) or a campus tour. These events offer a great opportunity to speak to staff and students and find out everything they might want to know about the university.
It will be reassuring for them to have your support, but try to take a back seat and let them take charge of the day. Encourage them to ask their questions, approach the people they want to talk to and form their own opinions.
Help them prepare for independence
If they are moving away from home, this may be the first time an applicant has had to cook and care for themselves. If they don't already know how to cook or clean a kitchen, help them learn the basics and master a few meals before they leave.
The clean up after cooking can be a big source of arguments but students can avoid disagreements with flatmates in their first term by making sure they know how to do household chores like cleaning, taking the bins out and laundry.
Even if they are not planning on moving out, the move from school or college to university should represent a new level of independence.
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Talk about money
Talk with an applicant about how they are going to manage their finances and establish any extra financial support you are going to be giving well in advance.
As with cooking and living away from home, managing their own finances is an important part of establishing their independence, and the more practice they can get before they leave the better. There is support available to help students manage their finances while they are here, but you can help them to be prepared.
As a parent or carer, you are also able to access Blackbullion, a money advice service with plenty of tips on budgeting and managing money. Just go to Blackbullion.com and use our university code: YSJOD.
Find out more about student funding
Support from a distance
Parents and carers are advised to support from a distance. This means don't hang around too long on the first day since it's the time when everyone is in the same boat of meeting new people, so it's an easy time to start making friends.
Keep in regular contact while they are away from home and offer support in any way you can.
How the application process works
The UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) website contains lots of helpful information about how the university application process works, including key dates and a jargon buster.
UCAS Key dates UCAS jargon buster
You can also encourage an applicant to read about the York St John application process on our dedicated page. This contains information specific to us, including the application codes they'll need and details of our offer schemes.
Parents of Megan Journalism graduate
York St John has had an enormous impact on our daughter’s life, she could not have had a better time at university. As parents it can be daunting sending off your child to university no matter how far away, but with York St John we felt at ease. After attending an Open Day with Megan we immediately felt this was the place for her. From the supportive staff, stunning grounds, and welcoming atmosphere we knew we would feel comfortable sending her there.
Grandparents of Lydia History graduate
Our granddaughter has felt at home throughout her time at York St John University and she has loved every minute. She has excelled in her undergraduate degree, receiving the dissertation prize for her subject. Not only this, Lydia’s confidence, and independence since attending university has shone through. Graduation was an extremely rewarding day for us all. As grandparents, it was an emotional day seeing her in her graduation robes, we were very proud. York St John will always be home for Lydia.
Useful links
Accommodation
We guarantee accommodation for all UK, EU and international students in their first year of undergraduate study, as long as our application deadlines are met.
Wellbeing and welfare
Students can access free support to help them manage their wellbeing and welfare.
Student support
Learn more about the wellbeing and support services at York St John University.
Student life
University is about more than your degree. It's a time for new experiences, independence and self discovery.
Careers
Find out how we support career ambitions, professional placements, and study abroad opportunities.
Our values
At York St John University we fight for what we believe in. Find out about our work to make the world a better place.
Information for parents and guardians about student accommodation
Answering your questions about our student accommodation.
Wellbeing and welfare advice for a concerned parent, guardian or friend
Information for anyone concerned about a family member – perhaps a child – or a friend who is studying at university with us.
