The Government is committed to widening access to higher education (HE) for students who have left care. However, for unaccompanied children claiming asylum in the UK (over 3,000 in 2015) who fall under the care of local authorities, there is very little research on their progression rates to HE nor about the challenges they face. This report draws on the views and experiences of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) in HE, local authorities, third sector organisations, the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) and higher education institutions. The report identifies barriers to UASC progressing to HE and offers a number of recommendations for different stakeholder groups.
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