How to: Guarantor
‘A guarantor is someone who agrees to pay your rent if you don’t pay it, for example a parent or close relative.’* Most students require a rent guarantor to secure accommodation at university, but for the 16,000 university students who have been in care or are estranged from their families, asking a parent or relative isn’t an option.
We know universities want to rise to this challenge and put the support estranged and care experienced students need in place, but it’s not always a straight road. Join our series of webinars to work out How to: Guarantor.
In 2023 we launched our #BeOurGuarantor campaign to encourage universities to step up and support estranged and care experienced students with free guarantor provision. We quickly learnt that people didn’t need convincing, you get it – you know the risk is low and the reward is high – you just need a bit of support working out ‘How to…’
Last year Cardiff University and Imperial College London shared details of their successful schemes and we’ve spoken to universities taking other approaches. They’re all doing it slightly differently; in house schemes, covering commercial provider fees, building it into PBSA contracts… what’s important is the cost and stress is taken away from students who don’t have family support.
Sign up to our webinar series to share what you know, learn what you need to know, troubleshoot bumps in the road with other universities who get it – and contribute to our guide to help more people work out How to: Guarantor. Dates below.
This is for you if:
+ Estranged and care experienced students at your university don’t currently have a way to access free guarantor provision
+ You’re looking at ways to ensure that estranged and care experienced students can progress through university and complete their degree
+ You’d benefit from hearing from other universities about how they’ve done it and how they’ve overcome internal challenges
+ You’d benefit from access to other university’s scheme information and documentation
+ You’d like a chance to talk it out with other people in a similar position to you
+ You’ve done it! And you can share how.
Dates.
Click on the links for more info about each session and to sign up. All sessions are free and online:
(Don’t worry if you can’t make every session, we’ll always do a recap for anyone joining or rejoining along the way and can circulate any materials you’ve missed!)
Session 1: Assumptions Friday 29th November 2024
Session 2: Options Friday 10th January 2025
Session 3: Pros and cons Friday 21st February 2025
Session 4: Common barriers Friday 4th April 2025
Session 5: Overcoming barriers Friday 16th May 2025
Session 6: Success stories Friday 27th June 2025
Everyone wins when all students can stay at university and complete their degree.