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UCAS fee waiver for care leavers: who qualifies and what to do

From the 2027 cycle, eligible care leavers can have the UCAS fee waived. This guide explains who qualifies, what to upload and why the order of steps matters before you submit.

Check who qualifiesSee the steps before you submit

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  • Portrait of Robin GibbonsLead authorFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
  • Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition
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Current answer

Quick answer: what is changing?

Eligible care leavers can have the UCAS application fee waived from the 2027 cycle, but the waiver must be arranged before submission using UCAS’s care-leaver process.

From the 2027 cycle, UCAS says eligible care leavers can have the UCAS application fee waived before they submit their application. UCAS puts the main point simply:

“eligible care leavers will not have to pay the UCAS application fee” — UCAS

If no waiver applies, UCAS says “the undergraduate and conservatoires application fee is £34.50” for the 2027 cycle, covering up to five university or college choices, or up to six conservatoire choices.

The important detail is the word eligible. This is not a general fee waiver for everyone who ticks the care-experience question. To use the care-leaver waiver, you need to meet UCAS’s care-leaver definition, upload supporting information, contact UCAS when instructed, and wait until the fee has been waived before submitting.

Who qualifies as a care leaver for the UCAS fee waiver?

UCAS uses a specific care-leaver definition for this waiver. Its key wording is that a care leaver is someone who has been in local-authority care for “13 weeks or more spanning their 16th birthday” — UCAS.

The age limit depends on where you are applying from. UCAS says the waiver can be used up to the 25th birthday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and up to the 26th birthday in Scotland.

Starts

The care-leaver application fee waiver starts from the 2027 UCAS cycle.

Fee if no waiver applies

For 2027, UCAS lists the undergraduate and conservatoires application fee as £34.50.

Core care-leaver test

UCAS uses the 13-weeks-in-local-authority-care test spanning the 16th birthday.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

UCAS says eligible care leavers can use the waiver up until their 25th birthday.

Scotland

UCAS says eligible care leavers can use the waiver up until their 26th birthday.

If you are 16 or 17 and still in care

UCAS says you can apply with the fee waiver if you will become an eligible care leaver at 18, but you still need to upload supporting information and follow the same process.

Care leaver, care experienced and FSM waiver: what is the difference?

These terms can sound similar, but they do different jobs in the UCAS application. The care-leaver waiver is narrower than the wider care-experience question, and it is separate from the free school meals waiver.

Comparison of care leaver, care experienced and the separate free school meals UCAS fee waiver.

Term or waiverPlain-English meaningDoes it lead to this care-leaver waiver?What to do on UCAS

Care leaver

Someone who meets UCAS’s care-leaver definition: local-authority care for 13 weeks or more spanning the 16th birthday.

Yes, if you also meet the relevant age limit for your UK nation and complete UCAS’s process before submitting.

Answer “yes” to the care-experience question, upload supporting information, wait for UCAS instructions, contact UCAS and then submit after the fee is waived.

Care experienced

A broader UCAS term for someone who has spent time in care at any stage, including foster care, residential care, being looked after at home under a supervision order, or kinship care.

Not automatically. Some care-experienced applicants will meet the care-leaver definition; others may not.

It can still be worth sharing care experience because it may help universities and colleges understand what support could help you.

Free school meals waiver

A separate UCAS fee waiver for eligible applicants who have received UK government-funded free school meals during secondary education.

It is a different waiver. It explains the background to UCAS fee-waiver support, but it is not the care-leaver eligibility test.

The FSM waiver depends on UCAS’s FSM criteria and school, college or registered-centre verification, rather than care-leaver supporting documents.

How to claim the waiver before you submit

UCAS gives a clear order for eligible care leavers. The safest reading is: get the waiver applied before you submit, not afterwards.

  • 1. Answer “yes” to the care-experience question

    This is in the Diversity and inclusion section of the UCAS application.

  • 2. Upload supporting information

    Use UCAS document upload to add official and relevant information showing your care-leaver status.

  • 3. Wait for UCAS instructions

    UCAS says you will receive an email with instructions to contact UCAS to apply the waiver.

  • 4. Complete the application, but do not submit yet

    UCAS says to complete all sections and mark them complete, but not to submit the application at this stage.

  • 5. Contact UCAS to confirm eligibility

    UCAS says applicants can call Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 18:00, on 0371 468 0 468. UCAS also says it does not have an email address for this, but can be reached by direct message on Facebook or Instagram.

  • 6. Submit after UCAS waives the fee

    Once UCAS confirms eligibility and waives the fee, you can accept the terms and conditions and submit your application.

What supporting information can you upload?

UCAS asks care leaver students to upload official and relevant documents. These examples come from UCAS guidance; they are not the only possible documents in every case, but they show the kind of evidence UCAS expects.

Examples of supporting information for the UCAS care-leaver fee waiver.

Document typeWhat it should showWho might provide itNote before upload

Professional third-party letter

A clear confirmation of your circumstances and care background.

A teacher, doctor, charity worker, care worker, personal adviser, social worker or similar professional.

Ask for the letter to be signed and to include the writer’s role and contact details where possible.

Local-authority or school letter/email

Your name, date of birth and the dates you were cared for by the local authority.

Your local authority, leaving-care team, school or college.

This is often the most direct way to show whether your time in care spans your 16th birthday.

Pathway Plan or similar care-experience information

Information about your care history and leaving-care support.

Your personal adviser or leaving-care team.

UCAS lists a Pathway Plan as one example, but evidence needed for student finance may not be the same as evidence uploaded to UCAS.

Any uploaded document

Only upload information that is official, relevant and needed for the application question.

You upload the document in the UCAS application when the relevant upload option appears.

UCAS says uploads can be amended until submission, files must be 5MB or less, and there is a maximum of 30 documents per application.

Message to ask for evidence

Suggested wording: ask for proof of your care status

When this applies

You need supporting information for the UCAS application fee waiver and want the document to include the details UCAS says may be useful.

Suggested wording

Hello, I’m applying through UCAS and need supporting information for the UCAS application fee waiver for eligible care leavers. Could you please provide a signed letter or email confirming my full name, date of birth and the dates I was cared for by the local authority, including whether my time in care spans my 16th birthday? It would help if the letter could include your name, role and contact details. Thank you.

Why this helps

It asks for the details UCAS lists in its evidence examples: identity details, dates in care and a clear confirmation from someone with a professional role.

What other support might declaring care experience unlock?

The fee waiver is one part of a wider support picture. Declaring care experience can help the right teams notice your circumstances earlier, but support varies by university, college, local authority and UK nation.

In your UCAS application

Sharing care experience can help admissions staff consider your achievements more fully and look at available support.

With universities and colleges

Possible support may include a named support contact, contextual admissions, bursaries, grants, accommodation help or help with open days and interviews. UCAS says this varies, so check each provider you are considering.

For student finance

UCAS says students from a care background should apply for student finance as independent students, meaning household income is not taken into account when calculating what they can receive.

For Scotland-specific admissions support

If you live in Scotland and apply to a Scottish university as a care-experienced student, UCAS says you may be eligible for a guaranteed offer on your course if you meet the minimum entry requirements. Do not treat this as a UK-wide rule.

If you are unsure about your rights

The Department for Education support service is England-focused and says young people may have the right to care leaver support if they are aged 16 to 25 and have been in care or looked after by a local authority in England. It suggests asking a social worker, personal adviser, advocate, helpline or council for help with records and support.

Where to get help with the next step

Use these official pages to confirm the details that apply to your application, especially if your circumstances are complicated or your evidence is not straightforward.

Recommendation

UCAS care-experienced students guidance

Best starting point for the care-leaver waiver, eligibility, evidence examples, contact details and wider support notes.

Read the UCAS guidance

Recommendation

UCAS document upload guidance

Use this to understand what can be uploaded, upload limits, and what happens before and after you submit.

Check document upload guidance

Recommendation

UCAS 2027 application fee FAQ

Use this for the current 2027 UCAS application fee and the broad fee-waiver links.

Check the 2027 fee

Recommendation

Free school meals waiver

Use this only if you also want to understand the separate FSM waiver and how school or registered-centre verification works.

Read the FSM waiver page

Recommendation

England care-leaver support rights

Use this Department for Education service if you are in England and need help working out care-leaver support or finding records.

Check care-leaver support rights

Official sources used in this guide

The main eligibility, process and fee points in this guide come from current UCAS guidance. The Department for Education page is included only for England-focused care-leaver support rights.

  • UCAS: care leaver fee-waiver announcement

    Posted 22 January 2026. Used for the 2027 announcement and the link to the FSM waiver.

    Open source

  • UCAS: undergraduate care-experienced students

    Used for care-leaver definition, age limits, process, evidence examples, privacy and support caveats.

    Open source

  • UCAS: uploading documents to your application

    Used for document upload, evidence examples, upload limits and document-use wording.

    Open source

  • UCAS: students eligible for free school meals

    Used only to compare the separate FSM fee waiver.

    Open source

  • UCAS: 2027 application fee FAQ

    Used for the £34.50 2027 application fee.

    Open source

  • Department for Education: how to work out your rights

    England-focused care-leaver support service, published 5 March 2025 and last updated 19 February 2026.

    Open source

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Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Who can get the UCAS application fee waiver for care leavers?

From the 2027 cycle, UCAS says eligible care leavers can have the application fee waived. UCAS defines a care leaver as someone who has been in local-authority care for 13 weeks or more spanning their 16th birthday. The age limit is up to the 25th birthday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and up to the 26th birthday in Scotland.

What is the difference between care leaver and care experienced on UCAS?

Care experienced is broader. UCAS uses it for people who have spent time in care at any stage, including foster care, residential care, being looked after at home under a supervision order, or kinship care. Care leaver is the narrower definition used for this fee waiver.

How do I claim the UCAS fee waiver before I submit?

Answer “yes” to the care-experience question in the Diversity and inclusion section, upload supporting information, wait for UCAS instructions, complete and mark your application sections complete, but do not submit yet. Contact UCAS to confirm eligibility, then submit after the fee has been waived.

What evidence do care leavers need to upload to UCAS?

UCAS examples include a signed letter from a professional third party, a letter or email from your local authority or school confirming your name, date of birth and dates in care, or care-experience supporting information such as a Pathway Plan from your personal adviser.

I am 16 or 17 and still in care. Can I use the waiver?

UCAS says yes if you will become an eligible care leaver at 18. You still need to follow the same process and upload supporting information, such as a professional letter or local-authority or school confirmation of your circumstances.

How much is the UCAS application fee for 2027 if I do not get a waiver?

For the 2027 cycle, UCAS says the undergraduate and conservatoires application fee is £34.50. That single fee allows up to five university or college choices, or up to six conservatoire choices.

Is the care-leaver waiver the same as the free school meals waiver?

No. The care-leaver waiver is separate. The free school meals waiver has its own eligibility and verification through a school, college or registered centre. The care-leaver waiver depends on care-leaver eligibility, supporting information and UCAS confirmation before submission.

Will declaring care experience affect my UCAS application?

UCAS says care-experience information is treated sensitively and may help admissions staff consider your achievements in context and look at support that a university or college can offer. It can help you access support, but you remain in control of whether you accept that support.

Sources and references

Sources and references