Parents and Supporters

Many students live on campus in their first year in one of our residences, either self-catered or catered and all of our campus accommodation is within walking distance of the city centre.

A key aspect of living on campus is safety. We have live-in wardens, Resident Assistants and 24-hour first-aid trained security staff. Campus is such a convenient place to live, with laundrettes, the gym and catering facilities on site.

At Winchester, we guarantee University-Managed Accommodation to all full-time first year undergraduates who hold Winchester as their firm choice and apply by the deadline published on our website.

Find out more about our range of accommodation and the application process on our housing page.

Winchester has an active community of commuting students who travel in to their classes. They even have their own club, the Commuting Students Network with their own home-from-home facilities and social activities. Have a look at our Commuting Students page for tips and information and read our blog which has lots of advice on how your young person can get the most out of their commute as well as their university experience.

We understand that starting university is a big change for both you, as parents and supporters, and your young person. At Winchester, we ensure that your young person's health, happiness and wellbeing are our top priority. Winchester is a tight-knit community where we get to know our students as individuals providing a friendly and supportive environment.

Our Student Support and Success team offers a wide range of support, advice, information and guidance on every aspect of student life. This includes advice and support on Mental Wellbeing (we have a team of professionally trained counsellors and mental health advisors on campus); Disability Support (who ensure the provision of specialist support or facilities to meet the requirements of your young person) and Academic Success (who help and advise on academic skills to ensure your young person realises their full academic potential).

One of the most significant differences between college and university is that, once your young person turns eighteen, they are adults under the law. Decisions that you may have taken jointly with your child at college are now the responsibility of your young person. This means that all of our interactions must be directly with the student, and they are responsible for their life at university, including what they choose to tell you about. As a parent, carer or guardian, this can feel like quite a big change from life before university. If you have concerns that your young person may need some support, then please do encourage them to reach out to us. If you have concerns and don’t feel the person you are supporting is able to, or will, make contact with us directly, please do feel able to reach out to us. We will always listen to your concerns, and act where appropriate; however, it may not be possible for us to share information back with you.

We ask our students to nominate a ‘trusted adult’ as well as an emergency contact. This may or may not be the same person. A ‘trusted adult’ is someone who is nominated for the University to reach out to if there are concerns about a student’s safety or wellbeing. They may be contacted before an emergency occurs.  An emergency contact would typically only be contacted in the event of an emergency, such as when there is a serious concern for a student’s health and safety and consent to share information cannot be obtained.

We would encourage you to speak to the person you are supporting about who they would like to nominate as their ‘trusted adult’.  If a student has someone named as their ‘trusted adult’ we can, in some situations, involve that person in conversations with the student. It doesn’t mean that the individual then represents the student or talks on their behalf; however, it can provide opportunities for us to listen and answer any specific questions regarding support at Winchester and, if appropriate, provide updates (although this would not be on a regular basis). Respecting the confidentiality and privacy of the student remains a priority; therefore, only information necessary to manage risks and ensure the immediate safety of the student will be shared with the ‘trusted adult’.  

If you reach out to us, as a ‘trusted adult’ to share concerns about a student, we will be able to listen to those concerns; however, in order to maintain confidentiality, we may be unable to share information about the student with you.

To understand more and to learn more about the sharing of information, please have a look at the ‘Consent to Share’ section of this page Student Wellbeing.

At Winchester, our courses facilitate the development of a range of skills invaluable to employers. We offer guest lectures, work placements and other projects with organisations to support our students in gaining experience as part of the curriculum. In addition, our Careers and Opportunities Hub can support students in finding and applying for part-time work, placements, volunteering opportunities, graduate jobs and even postgraduate study. They can access one-to-one appointments in person or via MS Teams to explore career possibilities and get help with crafting a CV, writing job applications and preparing for interviews. All students remain entitled to this after they have graduated through our offer of Careers Advice for Life, meaning they can get back in touch with the team at any stage on their career journey.

For undergraduate study, eligibility for funding depends on an individual’s nationality, their residency status and if it’s their first time studying in Higher Education, as well as the course they’re intending to study. If your young person meets the eligibility criteria, they can apply for funding to pay for their course costs, as well as funding towards their living costs. Further information regarding eligibility can be found here: Student Finance: Who Qualifies. Eligibility and funding for postgraduate study is different, so please follow the link below for further information.

For undergraduate study, please see our Undergraduate Financial Information page for more information.

For postgraduate study, please see our Postgraduate Financial Information page for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact studentsandmoney@winchester.ac.uk.

Winchester is a beautiful cathedral city with a rich heritage and a vibrant contemporary culture. We have two campuses, West Downs and King Alfred Quarter and both are only a 10-15 minute walk from the city centre. Big enough to have a wide variety of things to do and see, but small enough to never feel lost, Winchester combines modern city life with historic roots and plenty of easy access to green spaces.

Travel connections to the city are really good, with Southampton Airport a 10-minute train ride away and London Waterloo only an hour by train. The University is close to the M3, with easy road access to both the M25 and M27. National Express runs a regular coach service from Winchester to a range of destinations. To find out more about the city, flick through our handy A-Z Guide.

Leaving home for university is a big step for parents and supporters, as well as students. With this in mind, we offer you some top tips to help you and your young person when making that transition.

1. Keep calm and stay positive

University is often the start of a different but positive relationship between you and your young person. Keep positive about the changes you will all be encountering and let your young person know that it is completely normal to feel nervous. Discuss any concerns that they may have and remind them why they wanted to study at university.

2. Help to prepare them for independent living

Continue to encourage your young person to be more independent. Build their self-confidence and help them to become more pro-active. They will soon need to organise themselves and make their own decisions, particularly when it comes to managing their student loan, their study time, and living in accommodation with people they have not met before.

3. Check they have key life skills

Make sure they are able to use a washing machine, cook a few simple dishes, and clean up after themselves! Talk through a budgeting plan to help manage their student loan, discuss setting spending limits and how to avoid common financial pitfalls. You can help them set up good habits for managing emails and university communications, as this will be important for them to keep up to date with university and programme news. Finally, encourage your young person to think about how they will balance their academic work, social life and self-care – they may find it useful to have a calendar or planner to help with this.

4. Keep in touch and offer encouragement

Leaving home is a big step and your young person may feel homesick at some point. It is important that they know you are there for them if they need some support, but also that you have confidence in them to get through this and make a new place for themselves at university. As tempting as it may be to invite them to come home whenever they are feeling unsettled, it might be better to encourage them to give it time, and remind them that they are unlikely to be the only person feeling homesick. They can always reach out to the university’s support teams via StudentSupport@winchester.ac.uk.

Some students will throw themselves into university life, and you may not hear from them as often as you would like. Usually, if you hear from them less often it is because they are busy studying and having a good time. Talk with your young person directly if you are concerned and let them know they can talk to you. If you are very concerned about your young person and would like to speak to the university about this, please take a look at our guidance above (Can I speak to Student Support and Success directly on behalf of my young person?).

5. Support is available

If your young person is struggling either personally or academically, please encourage them to take action and speak to someone – their personal academic tutor, relevant support team, or a friend. The University has processes and procedures in place for most circumstances, and staff will do their best to support every student. Please do encourage them to come and see us if you or they are worried – they can find details on our intranet (search for Student Support & Success), or they can visit us in the Winton Building.

Find out more at Wellbeing - University of Winchester.

Contact Student Support & Success

Get in touch with our Student Journey team for further advice on how to support your young person’s transition to University.

Tel: 01962 827341

Email: StudentSupport@winchester.ac.uk

Yes! In your young person's UCAS application they can select up to five courses, and more than one course at the same university. Be aware though that they only write one personal statement which will need to be suitable to cover their application for all five course choices.