If you identify as an estranged student then we can provide you with extra support.
Estranged Students are students studying without the support of a family network, due to a breakdown in those relationships. Students in this position often have no contact at all with their family or sporadic and challenging contact. Causes of a breakdown of familial relationships could include (but are not limited to): emotional or physical abuse, mismatched expectations about family roles and relationships, or a clash of personality or values. Estranged students do not necessarily have experience of being in care.
If you identify as an Estranged Student then we can provide you with extra support.
NESCol has signed the Stand Alone Pledge. The pledge underlines our determination to ensure the specific challenges that estranged students face are acknowledged and acted upon through bespoke support.
We can help you choose a course that sets you on the right path to reaching your career goals.
Our Student Support team can help and advise you in making your transition to College as smooth as possible. Once enrolled, we can continue to help you with Study Skills Support and Additional Learning & Assessment Support where required.
Students at NESCol will have a dedicated Academic Tutor who can support with pastoral or academic issues.
The Students’ Association can assist you with peer support and advice on clubs, societies and social experiences that could enhance your NESCol experience.
NESCol also supports the This Is Us student-led community. This Is Us is a dedicated and safe online space for estranged HE students (and recent graduates) in the UK to connect, share info, arrange meet-ups and more! It’s free, national, and open to all ages & years of study.
All our students can leave College with a CV, and advice on navigating volunteering and job markets.
If you identify as being an estranged student, then it is important that you let us know as soon as possible.
The easiest way to tell us is to do so when filling out an application or funding application for a full-time course or at the point of enrolment on your course. Alternatively, contact the team directly by dropping into your local Student Advice Centre, or by emailing studentsupport@nescol.ac.uk.
For Estranged students at Altens Campus, Fraserburgh Campus or the Scottish Maritime Academy your key contact is Aimee Ridgeway: A.Ridgeway@nescol.ac.uk.
For Estranged students students at City Campus your key contact is Lianne Marriott: l.marriott@nescol.ac.uk.
Don’t take our word for it! Find out what our students think about studying at NESCol.
“I enjoyed learning more about the fashion industry, studying topics such as fashion history and visual merchandising.”
“Whether you’re coming straight from school or returning later like me, NESCol opens doors.”
“NESCol is perhaps the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I found my spark there, and it set me on a creative path that I know is absolutely where I want to be.”
“The Creative Industries facilities are second-to-none. I’ve toured several universities, and NESCol’s professional-grade equipment and spaces are far superior to anything else I’ve seen.”
“College was the best thing. If I had stayed on at school and not come here, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“The support was really good. Everyone was always there to help.”
“I liked being able to expand my knowledge of childcare and experience what it was like to work in a nursery setting.”
“We were a close-knit community that would help each other out, and I’ve made lifelong friends that I still speak to every day.”
“It was great to be able to share knowledge and bounce ideas off each other. The course was really interesting, challenging at times, but the lecturers were fantastic and explained everything so well.”
“NESCol has been more than a college to me; it has been a constant in my life, a place of opportunity and transformation.”