Mature Students

Regardless of age, starting at university can be an exciting venture but it may also be a bit of a daunting experience. If you are returning to learning after a gap in education then you may have other personal, family and financial considerations to think of as well.

Mature Students' Induction

To help with the transition to study and being at university a mature students’ induction is held in the third week of September just before most students enrol. It’s been run since 2005 and has been very popular with participants. Up to 90 students have attended each induction to date and the event involves several days of activities related to studying at university.

The induction includes sessions on study skills, confidence building, how to use the Resource Centres and the IT facilities and generally eases you into University way of life. Staff will also be on hand to provide information or answer any questions about additional funding and support services at the University. There is also a social evening, a guided tour of the main facilities and of course it’s a great opportunity to meet other students. If you would like to know more about the induction please contact Patricia Owens at the Lifelong Learning Centre at the University via her email OwensP@cardiff.ac.uk or Tel: (029) 2087 6182.

Financial Support

If you would like to know about financial support that relates to your personal or family circumstances as well as the course you are undertaking then follow the ‘finances’ links on the Student Support Centre web pages. As well as general information on funding according to the course you are studying we have also produced specific funding guides for students with dependants.

If you are looking for additional funding then you may like to look at our information on Educational Trust Funds and the Financial Contingency Fund (FCF). 

Students with dependants

• Help with Childcare Costs [59.0 Kb]

If you are looking for childcare near to the University then we have a Day Care Centre for children between 10 weeks and 5 years old. More information is available on the Day Centre web page.

• Pregnancy [140.2 Kb]

Student Parents.org is a useful website with lots of financial information and hints and tips about balancing family life and study.

Queries and help

If you have any query about studying at University and you are not sure who to ask please contact us at the Student Support Centre and ask for a Student Adviser, if we don’t know the answer we probably know who would!