The academic year has started once again, which means The University of the West of England will be welcoming thousands of new students. For most students university is the best time of their lives, as they get to move to new cities, and meet new people, as well as studying for their future career. However, all this excitement comes with a lot of responsibility, especially regarding finances. Students are expected to pay tuition loans, accommodation rent, as well as their living costs. To help make the transition to university a bit easier here is how to get help at the University of West England…
For Help
Accommodation
Email: accommodation@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 32 83601
Childcare
Email: nursery@uwe.ac.uk.
Phone: 0117 32 86290
Disability & Dyslexia
Email: spld@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 328 3396
Faith & Spirituality
Email: Chaplaincy@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 07824 460 958
Fees & Finance
Email: sms@uwe.ac.uk
Health
Phone:0117 965 3102
International Students
Email: globalstudents@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 32 86195.
Student complaints & Academic appeals
Complaints
Email: complaints@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 3283371
Appeals
Email: academicappeals@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 3283371
Volunteering
Email: volunteering@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 3285353
Wellbeing
Email: wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk
Phone: 0117 32 86268
Accommodation
One of the most exciting things about starting university is choosing where you are going to live, as your choice will also determine who you will live with. This decision can be really overwhelming, but there are two main choices that most students decide between, which are university-managed accommodation and private student accommodation.
The University of the West of England has over 10 different university-managed accommodations. It’s best to look at all the different types of accommodation to make sure you make the right decision, such as if you want to share a bathroom or have an en suite. If you have a question about any of the university-managed accommodation or even if you would like some advice on finding private student accommodation you can email the accommodation team at accommodation@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 0117 32 83601.
Childcare
On the Frenchay Campus, there is a nursery with a large garden and outdoor play area that looks after the children of the university staff and students, as well as the general public. Halley Nursery is run by the university’s student union and is also conveniently located near public transport stops and a car park, as well as the main entrance of the university. The nursery also has a secure entry system as well as a dedicated drop off/pick up points.
Halley Nursery prices vary depending on the number of sessions, times, and age of the child/ren. If you want your child to go to Halley Nursery you need to fill in one of their expression of interest forms.
To get in touch with the university you can call them on 0117 32 86290 or email them at nursery@uwe.ac.uk.
Disability and Dyslexia
The University of the West of England want to make sure that all of their students have equal access to support, and can provide students with disabilities with one to one specialist support to help them develop their study skills. The university can also provide assistive technology, equipment and software to students with disabilities, as well as book, printing and photocopying allowances.
The university can also help students book screenings and assessments for a variety of disabilities, such as dyslexia, SpLD, ADHD and Autism. They are also committed to making reasonable adjustments to a students course/assessments to help them not be at a disadvantage, such as allowing additional time, the use of a computer, or an alternative assessment.
Students with a disability can also apply for the disabled student’s allowance, which can help them pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, as well as travel and any other study-related costs that students face due to their disability.
To get in touch with the disability team you can call them on 0117 328 3396 or email them at spld@uwe.ac.uk.
Faith & Spirituality
The University’s Chaplain, Julie Nicholson, is available to support all students and staff of any or no religion. She is available on different campuses on different days of the week and offers informal one to one pastoral care appointments. Julie helps students adapt to university life, as well as bereavement, and coping in times of crisis.
The University of the West of England also has prayer rooms and reflective spaces available across their campuses for students and staff to use. There is also a range of faith-based student societies at the university, including for the Bahá’í community, the Buddhist community, the Christian community, the Hindu community, the Jewish community, the Muslim community, Sikh community, and Paganism.
To get in touch with the University of the West of Englands chaplaincy you can email them at Chaplaincy@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 07824 460 958.
Fees and Finance
Starting university can be a really expensive time, and students are expected to pay tuition fees, accommodation costs, living costs, as well as travel and study costs. For most students, this is the first time you would have had to deal with all this financial responsibility and it can seem like a lot. This is why most students apply for a student loan before they start university, to cover their tuition costs, and some also apply for a maintenance loan to cover their living and accommodation costs. The university has a money service team, where students can get advice from their money advisors on funding and financial support.
If you would like some financial guidance or advice you can get in touch with the finance team at the University of the West of England by emailing them at sms@uwe.ac.uk.
Health
The University of the West of England health centre is based on Frenchay campus and works in association with The Old School Surgery, where many students are registered. The surgery is open weekdays during term time. It’s best to register with them when you start university, rather than to wait until you are ill.
To get in touch with The Old School Surgery you can call them on 0117 965 3102.
International Students
The Global Student Support team are available to help all international students at the University of the West of England, from the application stage right through to the end of their studies. The team also organises social events to help students adapt to their new environment in Bristol and meet new friends. They have also moved this year’s international student events online as well as the team’s other support services.
To get in touch with the Global Student Support Team you can email them at globalstudents@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 0117 32 86195.
Student complaints and academic appeals
The University of the West of England want all of their students to have a great university experience, however, sometimes things can go wrong and students may wish to make a complaint. This may be about student accommodation, teaching, facilities, welfare, research supervision, etc. The university has a three-stage complaint procedure to make sure they are able to deal with all complaints effectively.
To get in touch with the student complaints team you can email them at complaints@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 0117 3283371.
If a student has reasonable grounds they are able to make an academic appeal against a grade/mark they received. However, you can not request an academic appeal due to a retrospective complaint about teaching, because you feel you deserve better, or personal circumstances (formerly known as extenuating circumstances). You can however appeal if there was a lack of agreed reasonable adjustments, the marks were calculated in a different way described in module specification, or they have been recorded wrong.
To get in touch with the academic appeals team you can email them at academicappeals@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 0117 3283371.
Volunteering
If you want to use your free time to boost your cv volunteering could be the perfect option for you, as you get to learn new skills whilst also making new friends and helping the community. Each year the University of the West of England hosts a volunteering fair so that all their students can see the volunteering opportunities available and get involved. The university is also in partnership with local organisations whom they run volunteering projects with.
To get in touch with the volunteering team you can email them at volunteering@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 0117 3285353.
Wellbeing
It’s really important to look after yourself at university, and remember to eat properly and take care of your physical and mental health. The University of the West of England has a wellbeing service available which offers students counselling, mental health and resilience support. The wellbeing service also has plenty of self-help resources available for students.
To get in touch with the student wellbeing team you can email them at wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk or call them on 0117 32 86268.
