Support for your circumstances
If you have a disability, medical condition or learning difference such as dyslexia, you can get confidential advice and guidance from Disability Advice.
Services you can use include:
- Confidential advice from disability professionals
- Guidance on disability-related support costs and funding, including Disabled Students' Allowance
- Discussion on reasonable adjustments (e.g. exam arrangements)
- Referral to health professionals for diagnosis or obtaining diagnostic evidence
- Specialist study skills tuition
- Assistive technology tuition and guidance
- Liaison with external services and support (e.g. Autism Hampshire and Clear Links)
Support available
You can get support and guidance from Disability Advice before you apply and during your studies.
Contact us any time, by email on disabilityadvice@port.ac.uk or by calling +44 (0)23 9284 3462.
To get care leaver support, you just need to declare your care status on your UCAS application.
If you haven't applied yet or you've already submitted your application, you can contact us to let us know you're a care leaver by email at independent@port.ac.uk or by phoning 023 9284 3076.
We'll only use this information to give you the support you need it won't affect how we assess your application.
Support available
You may be entitled to the Care Leaver Bursary.
You'll get a designated member of staff who'll advise and guide you on your support needs the whole time you're at university. Our named adviser is Paula Bailey who can be contacted at independent@port.ac.uk
When you start your course, they'll make sure you have all the information you need to access the student support services including help with academic, disability and wellbeing needs.
If you've lost touch with your parents, you might find it more difficult to get the personal and financial support you need at uni — so we offer you additional help, guidance and support for estranged students.
If you're aged 18–24 and have had a breakdown in your relationship with your parents that's unlikely to change, you're considered an estranged student.
Support available
You could get a Stand Alone Bursary of £1,000 to help you cover your study costs.
You'll get a designated member of staff who'll advise and guide you on your support needs the whole time you're at university.To find out how to get support, contact us by email at independent@port.ac.uk or by phone on +44 (0)23 9284 3076.
We'll only use this information to give you the support you need — it will not affect how we assess your university application.
The University of Portsmouth Autism toolkit is the result of a collaboration between the Autism Centre for Research on Employment at the University of Portsmouth and Autism&Uni at Leeds Beckett University. This Autism at University toolkit is not merely informational, it is a toolkit to help you make the most of your time at University. It is based on the following principles:
- Less is more: We have selected and summarised, from the generic student toolkit, the most relevant information for you
- Empowerment: We list questions you may want to ask yourself to help you take control and make the most of the resources available
- Support: We give you useful tips and links to find out more about each topic
- Participatory design: This toolkit is the result of a close collaboration between researchers, professionals and undergraduate students on the Autism Spectrum.
A carer is anyone who cares, paid or unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, mental health condition or addiction cannot cope without their support (Carer's Trust, 2017).
To find out how to get support, contact us by email at studentmoney@port.ac.uk or by phone on +44 (0)23 9284 3014.
Support available
You may entitled to the Young Carer Bursary of £500 a year.
You could tell us about your caring responsibilities in your personal statement, or give us a call after you apply.
It's your choice whether you want to tell us about your caring responsibilities when you apply — but if you do it can help us make sure we've got all the support in place you need to start your studies. Our support ranges across financial, academic, and personal support.
A mature student is anyone going to university who is over 21 years of age at their beginning of their undergraduate course, or 25 at the beginning of their postgraduate course.
You'll find our entry requirements on every course page. But as a mature student, we understand you might have different academic qualifications as students who just left college. We accept various qualifications on our courses and can potentially take other factors into account such as your work experience.
Student loans
As a mature student, you can apply to Student Finance for a tuition fee loan for your undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the same way as any other student.
Your undergraduate tuition fee loan is paid directly to the University, while a postgraduate tuition fee loan is paid directly to you.
If you're over 25, your parents' income isn't considered when your maintenance loan allowance is allocated. However, if you're married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner then your partner's income will be taken into account.
Find out more about applying for a student loan or maintenance loan.
Looking to make your money go further?
We put together a handy guide to commuting and cutting costs as a student.
Learning and academic support
As a University of Portsmouth student, you have access to the main campus library based in Portsmouth. You also have access to the e-library, which contains a wealth of resources online. To help you make the most of our library resources, you can get support from library staff in person or by email, phone or online chat.
You can check out the range of services available to you as a distance learner from main campus, including postal service options, on the library website. The IT service desk can also give library IT support at a distance if required.
You'll get access to LinkedIn Learning – an online library of more than 15,000 courses, covering hundreds of skill areas. You can use it to develop your study skills and learn transferable skills to enhance your CV.
LinkedIn Learning usually costs £15–25 a month but it's free for all our students and staff.
Some of the most popular courses include Excel Essentials, Programming and Coding, Project Management, Data Analysis Software, Virtual Design Software, and Critical Thinking.
Not a tech boffin? Don't worry – you can get help with all your computer issues face-to-face with our IT support on campus in Juniper House.
You also have access to:
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laptops on short-term loan
- Computer suites with the latest specialised software and equipment
- Free Microsoft Office 365 download on your own devices and access to other essential software and apps such as Adobe Creative Cloud
- Open access areas, printing facilities and group working areas
