{"id":72,"date":"2021-08-25T12:53:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T11:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/academic-transitions\/?page_id=72"},"modified":"2026-02-10T14:49:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:49:53","slug":"resources-and-guidance-on-supporting-our-diverse-student-body","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/academic-transitions\/resources-and-guidance-on-supporting-our-diverse-student-body\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting our different student groups"},"content":{"rendered":"

All students come to Reading with a unique set of prior experiences, which influences how they might transition or the support they might benefit from. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are a few considerations and areas of support that may be helpful to signpost students towards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Click on each heading to expand.<\/p>\n

\n\n

Socio-economic disadvantage and financial hardship<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting all students but the most affected are those from lower socio-economic backgrounds or those with additional financial burdens, such as students with dependents.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is likely to\u202finclude students who are\u202feligible for the Reading\u202fBursary<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Hardship funding<\/a> will be available again from November 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other sources of financial support include the\u202f\u202fDigital\u202fSupport Fund\u202f<\/a>which provides\u202fsupport specifically\u202ffor\u202f\u202fthe\u202fassociated costs of online learning and study.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is also a range of money advice and support\u202fincluding online and\u202fReading Students\u2019 Union specialist trained\u202fmoney advisors<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students can be signposted to the Financial Support team for tailored advice:\u00a0 <\/span>studentfunding@reading.ac.uk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Black, Asian and\u00a0M<\/u>inority Ethnic students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

A range of evidence indicates that marginalised Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students face a distinct set of challenges at university. These\u202fstudents may\u202fexperience a lower sense of belonging and a greater likelihood of financial strain when compared to their white counterparts.\u202fRacism and micro <\/span>aggressions\u202f can<\/span>\u202fsignificantly <\/span>affect\u202f belonging<\/span>\u202fand attainment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Resources include\u202f<\/span><\/span>harassment\u202freporting\u202fand\u202fsupport<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u202fthe racial equality webpages<\/a>, <\/span><\/span>student hardship appeal<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u202fand\u202f<\/span><\/span>R<\/span>eading SU<\/span>\u2019s identity and faith-based student groups.<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Neurodiverse students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

Transitioning to university can be stressful for all students but can prove especially challenging for neurodiverse students if welcome spaces and activities are not neurodiversity friendly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Neurodiversity is not the same thing as disability but the\u202f<\/span>support and wellbeing page for students with disabilities<\/span><\/a>\u202foffer a wide range of support that could be useful to students on the neurodiversity spectrum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clarity of expectations, details and guidelines are helpful to neurodiverse students.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Care experienced and estranged students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

Care experienced\u202fstudents include those who have spent any time in\u202fany time spent in local authority care\u202fand estranged students are those who\u202fdo have a\u202fcommunicative\u202frelationship\u202fwith either biological parent.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

University can play a transformative and empowering role in the lives of\u202fcare experienced and\u202festranged\u202fstudents.\u202fCommon obstacles to succeeding in higher education relate to disruptions to prior learning, financial hardship and poor mental health which may result from instability and trauma.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The university has\u00a0 support\u00a0<\/a><\/span>available <\/span>for care leaver and estranged students , which includes pre-entry guidance and financial support.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a student-led Care Experienced and Estranged Student social run during Welcome, with continued meet-ups throughout the year. The initial session in Welcome can be found on the UoR Welcome App. Please contact <\/span>welcome@reading.ac.uk<\/span><\/a> for more information or sign-posting towards later sessions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Disabled students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

Disabled students may have a wide variety of impairments, any of which\u202fcan create challenges or additional support needs in a university setting.\u202fStudents\u202fwith declared disabilities are\u202freceiving \u202f<\/span>lower degree results<\/span><\/a>\u202facross the sector and the cost of living crisis has increased the risk of\u202f<\/span>financial hardship<\/span>.\u202fSome disabled students require additional support to study from home or on campus & the <\/span>Disability Advisory Service<\/span><\/a> are best placed to offer support and guidance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Resources are available on<\/span>\u202faccessible teaching and learning materials<\/span><\/a>. \u202fFor funding support, accommodation services or advisory\u202fservice, information can be found on the\u202f<\/span>university\u2019s Essentials page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

International students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

International students face abundant barriers to a sense of belonging on university campus and the potential for marginalisation and hardship is high.<\/p>\n

Studying in the UK is an evolving situation with complex guidance regarding\u202ftravel restrictions, additional VISA regulations and adapting to a new country. International Students are also more likely to be the target of fraud.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Resources can be found in the university\u2019s\u202f<\/span>essentials website<\/span><\/a>, where you will find guidance on Visas and Immigration, Brexit Guidance and Finance.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Academic English Programme <\/a> helps students whose first language is not English to reach their full potential on their Reading degree programmes. We can offer advice and support on matters related to international\/EU students and any student whose first language is not English.
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Mature\u202fstudents<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

Anyone starting an undergraduate degree at 21 years of age or older\u202fis\u202fconsidered to be a mature student. This captures a huge range of student experiences, including those who will\u202fneed to balance study with\u202fhome and caring responsibilities.\u202f\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The university provides advice and resources\u202f<\/a><\/span>here<\/span>\u202fon personal and academic concerns, study advice or employment. The Student Union also has a\u202f<\/span>representative for mature students<\/span><\/a>\u202fwho can provide you with\u202fsupport.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The mature student social in Welcome Week is a useful opportunity for mature students to receive tailored advice and support.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Commuter students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

Commuter students are those who live locally in Reading\u00a0and in the surrounding areas\u00a0who do not move into University\u00a0or\u00a0privately owned\u00a0student accommodation, often opting to remain in\u00a0their\u00a0family homes and travel to campus for classes.<\/p>\n

Commuter students may feel a lack of sense of belonging and inclusivity because of their different student experience. For this, we provide help and guidance through\u202four\u202f<\/span>STAR mentors<\/span><\/a>, information on student socials and events in the\u202f<\/span>Reading SU website<\/span><\/a>\u202fand general support through\u202four\u202f<\/span>commuters website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The commuter student social in Welcome Week is a useful opportunity for commuter students to receive tailored advice and support.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

First Generation students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

First-generation students are the first in their family to attend or complete higher education. One of the biggest challenges for this group is that they may have limited knowledge of how university \u2018works\u2019 and what to expect once they arrive. Our first-generation students have described in focus groups the difficulty of navigating university without a parent or sibling to pose questions to.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

STaR mentoring is especially useful to first-generation students, as are the student-led guides published by RSU (awaiting link).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tackling the hidden curriculum by providing information on \u2018how university works\u2019 and explaining <\/span>higher education terminology<\/span><\/a> can benefit first-generation students who may not be as prepared for academic culture as their peers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A social is run during Welcome for students who are the first in their family to attend university. Details can be found on the UoR Welcome App available in App Stores.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

\n\n

Sanctuary Students<\/h2>\n<\/summary>\n

The University of Reading offers <\/span>scholarships<\/span><\/a> to sanctuary seekers (those with refugee, humanitarian protected or asylum seeker status). These students have likely dealt with extreme personal adversity or displacement from their home countries & will have scholarship confirmed prior to entering university.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The university runs socials for these students in Welcome and throughout the year to help them connect with one another and receive tailored support. The first session can be found on the UoR Welcome App & please email <\/span>welcome@reading.ac.uk<\/span><\/a> for details of further sessions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/details>\n

Becky Porter (Head of Transition & Retention)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mathew Haine ( Student Outcomes Manager) <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Socio-economic disadvantage and financial hardship The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":1833,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/nosidebar.php","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSupporting our different student groups - Student Academic Transitions Toolkit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/academic-transitions\/resources-and-guidance-on-supporting-our-diverse-student-body\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supporting our different student groups - Student Academic Transitions Toolkit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"All students come to Reading with a unique set of prior experiences, which influences how they might transition or the support they might benefit from. \u00a0 Below are a few considerations and areas of support that may be helpful to signpost students towards.\u00a0 Click on each heading to expand. 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