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Accessibility statement
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The Open University Care Experienced Scholarship offers ten full undergraduate scholarships to care-experienced young people aged 30 and under.
It has been designed in collaboration with The John Lewis Partnership as part of the Building Happier Futures initiative to offer young people with experience of being in care an opportunity to study an undergraduate qualification for free.
We know that young people with experience of care are significantly less likely to continue into higher education than their peers. Being in care can impact your school progress and the opportunity to attend university at the usual time.
At the OU, we’re here to help put higher education back within your grasp with our open-access courses and flexible study arrangements. OU study means you do not have to move away and can study from the comfort of your own home.
The Open University’s Care Experienced Scholarship, in conjunction with The John Lewis Partnership launched for the first time in the 2023/2024 academic year, offering four undergraduate scholarships. In the 2026/27 academic year, we’re offering ten further undergraduate scholarships to care-experienced young people aged 30 and under.
A scholarship covers OU undergraduate credit-bearing qualifications, paying for the full tuition cost of your qualification, up to 120 credits each seasonal academic year and 360 credits in total.
To be eligible, you’ll need to meet all the following criteria:
Full details about the scheme are available in the scholarship terms and conditions.
You will need to provide evidence of your care experience. This could be a letter from your Local Authority confirming your care leaver status or a letter from a GP, social worker, care experienced support service or other professional person from the local authority in which you were looked after. You’ll also need to provide evidence of your personal income or qualifying benefit.
The Fund wouldn’t be possible without the support of our generous donors. The scheme has been kindly supported by:
If you would like to support the fund, please email us to discuss donating.
We’re now accepting applications for the 2026/27 academic year. To apply, you’ll need to download the full scholarship terms and conditions and the application form.
Once completed, please email your application form and supporting evidence to our Student Fees team. Their contact details are on the first page of the application form.
To ensure funds are allocated fairly, eligible applicants will be reviewed by a panel, which will assess the impact of each applicant's caring responsibilities.
Applications close at midday on 1 July 2026. We’ll email you by 17 July 2026 to confirm if you’re successful. We’ll also contact you to ensure you’re ready to study and, if needed, help you choose your course.
If you've got any questions about the Care Experienced Scholarship, our advisers are here to help. Don’t hesitate to call us on 0300 303 5303 or email us at [email protected].
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