Estranged students
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Who are estranged students?
Estranged means that you no longer have contact with your parents or legal guardians due to a permanent breakdown in your relationship.
If you are under 25 and estranged from your parents or legal guardians, you will not be asked for their income when working out what funding is available to you
If you have had any one-off contact with your parents or legal guardians while you have been estranged, this will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
Why do estranged students require additional support?
The Independent Review of Financial Support for Students in Scotland published in 2017 identified estranged students as a disadvantaged group and highlighted that estranged students are distinct from independent students because they have been permanently estranged from their parents and do not have parental support.
The Scottish Government commissioned ScotCen Social Research in 2022 to undertake research on the experiences of estranged students in Scotland and published Estranged students in Further (FE) and Higher Education (HE) – experiences: research and its associated literature review. This research found that being estranged impacted on students’ experiences of further education and higher education in Scotland in many ways, including lack of money to afford living essentials, concerns about accommodation and on their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Interviewees highlighted to the researchers that estrangement had adversely impacted on their experiences of school, college and university in terms of attainment, transitions and progression.
Research published in 2019 by the University of Strathclyde, Estranged Students in Higher and Further Education, found that estranged students often encounter the same issues as those with care-experience. Estranged students reported on their experiences of severe financial hardship, accommodation and the fear of homelessness, the impact on belonging and stigmatisation, mental health issues and disrupted study.
Estranged students have no experience of being in care and do not have a corporate parent responsible for them.
Local authorities have no statutory responsibility to look after their welfare as estranged students are most likely to remove themselves from damaging family relationships between the ages of 16-19 (Stand Alone 2015).
SFC support
Stand Alone legacy pledge
Stand Alone and its stakeholder group closed in 2024. SFC is proud to have worked with Stand Alone to drive forward the visibility of and support for estranged learners.
We have supported estranged learners through various mechanisms including our previous Outcome Agreement guidance to the sectors, prioritising estranged FE students for financial support within discretionary fund guidance to colleges, working closely with Stand Alone and other partners on their Scottish stakeholder group and, since 2020-21, reporting annually on numbers of estranged students at colleges and universities within our Report on Widening Access publication.
We are very grateful to the team at Stand Alone for their work to raise the profile and needs of estranged students. It has been a privilege to work with them. Looking forward we will continue to work to:
- Ensure inclusivity of estranged students within our data collections and publications which are continually reviewed and enhanced.
- Support and elevate the work by our sectors to support estranged students.
- Work in partnership with our sectors and stakeholders to support estranged students as part of our wider priority to protect the interests of current and future students, including enabling students to access tertiary education and receive the services and support they require to flourish and succeed.
Estranged Students Working Group (ESWG)
The Estranged Students Working Group was established in spring 2025 by the widening access sector in Scotland. The group aims to address some of the inequalities that exist for estranged students in the further and higher education landscape. SFC have representatives on the ESWG.
For more information on the group please contact the current Chair Alison Train at atrain@ed.ac.uk
Useful links
Student Information Scotland student guide on financial support.
Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) estranged students quick guide.
UCAS students without parental support (estranged).
Unite Foundation A charity supporting estranged and care experienced students.
SFC Strategic Plan 2022-27
Building a connected, agile, sustainable tertiary education and research system for Scotland.