Mature Learners
at University
Centre Leeds

At University Centre Leeds around 50% of new students each year are at the age of 21 and over. In very few cases, some courses may recruit less mature students than on other courses, but it is rare. There are also opportunities, activities, and groups outside of the classroom where mature students can socialise and support each other.

Our student community is diverse and our students welcome this. Students typically interact with each other very well, regardless of age. All students have access to the same opportunities and activities and there are many ways that students connect with each other and bond with those in their class as well as across University Centre.

We understand that it can be very daunting as a parent to consider taking on the commitment of studying for a degree; many of our staff have experienced it themselves. A large volume of our students are also parents and we have a lot of support in place to help you through your journey.

It is important that you tell your tutors about your parental or caring commitments as soon as possible so that they understand if you face difficulties. Many other students face similar concerns and so you will find that there is great support for each other. It is also important that you make your family and friends aware of assessment submission dates and times so they can support you at home.

Every student’s circumstances are different and some mature students may have to make sacrifices such as reducing their hours at work. Some may not. It is likely that you will need to budget your finances more than you maybe did before, especially if you are going from full-time employment to full-time study but there is lots of support available. There is financial support available through Student Finance England tuition and maintenance loans, our bursary, our care leaver and estranged student financial support, and other support from the Government such as:

• • Childcare Grant – full-time students only

• • Parents’ Learning Allowance – full-time students only

• • Adult Dependants’ Grant – full-time students only

• Universal Credit

Need more information?

Our timetable makes it possible to work alongside your studies, full-time programmes typically being timetabled to 2 days per week. It is important for your wellbeing to balance independent study time, work and other commitments.

Our 2 day per week full time timetable makes it possible to work alongside your studies and it is often encouraged to be undertaking paid or voluntary work while you study, preferably in a role relevant to your course.

Students starting at University Centre Leeds come from a wide range of backgrounds, with all sorts of previous qualifications, and some with no formal qualifications. We are very experienced at supporting students in their journey and have lots of support on offer to build the study skills needed to succeed. No student starting a degree is expected to have all the study skills they need on day one.

Each campus has its own Learning Resource Centre (LRC), where librarians can help students with a variety of tasks including academic skills support. The LRCs have online and paper based learning resources, study areas to work on your assignments and a full-time HE Librarian to help you develop your research and referencing skills. They can help you improve your academic writing and note making skills as well as helping you sort out your dissertation ethics. Students can arrange sessions online or simply drop in and arrange them face-to-face, either one-to-one or in groups.

We are dedicated to making sure you receive personalised one-to-one support as often as you need it. The University Centre’s mental health counsellors provide mental health support to any students who feel they need it during their time studying with us. This includes offering short term confidential counselling support, the sharing of relevant resources and signposting students to the appropriate mental health organisations.

Our additional learning support team, offer advice, guidance and support. For those students that need it, the team can help arrange alternative assessment arrangements, including extra time, a reader or a scribe. Students can access assistive technology such as TextHelp and Mind Genius, and if you need to record your sessions, we can arrange to loan you a digital voice recorder. We can help you improve your study skills, from managing your time more effectively to developing your essay planning and proofreading skills. The team can also support any applications for the disabled students allowance.

If you feel this might be beneficial for you, we can arrange contact with the team at application, so we’d recommend you declare any additional learning needs or disabilities during your application to help make your transition into higher education easier and time at University Centre Leeds even better!