UCL ACADEMIC REGISTRARS OFFICE

POLICY ON ADMISSION OF STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 Policy 1. Admission of any student aged under 18 must be carried out in line with the requirements of the policy below. Any queries relating to the policy or its component procedures should be directed to the Academic Registrar. UCL welcomes applications from people of all ages and regards all its students as independent, capable individuals. UCL is firmly committed to promoting equal opportunity as outlined in the UCL Equal Opportunities Policy Statement. Anyone under the age of 18 living in England is legally a child. Higher education institutions have a statutory and moral duty of care towards all of their students, regardless of their age. UCL recognises the particular need for a safeguarding culture in relation to students who are under 18 years of age. UCL advocates a holistic approach to safeguarding, through assessment and proportional management of risk, and integration of good safeguarding practice into all activities. UCL may insist upon certain arrangements being in place to support and safeguard the welfare of students aged under 18. Any special arrangements set in place for a young student will cease to apply when they reach the age of 18. UCL considers students aged between 17 years 3 months and 18 years of age to UCL to be nearly 18, as they will become 18 within their first year of study. Students in this age category will be subject to fewer safeguarding arrangements or restrictions than those who will be aged under 17 years and 3 months on entry. Students admitted to UCL are expected to have the necessary skills to study and live alongside others from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Whilst UCL makes particular provisions to support and safeguard the welfare of students aged under 18 it expects all students regardless of age to act responsibly, appropriately and in accordance with English laws and the regulations of UCL. UCLs regulations are applicable with full force and effect to all students regardless of age. UCLs main regulations are described in the summary of the UCL-Student relationship. UCL will not act in a parental capacity toward its students, nor will it unduly monitor or intrude upon how students spend their leisure time or manage their personal affairs and finances. Facilities and services for students at UCL are designed with a predominantly adult user group in mind. This includes computer facilities and UCL will not apply additional filters to limit the material which students under 18 are able to access via the internet from UCL computer facilities. Applicants and students under the age of 18 retain the right to privacy under the Data Protection Act, so their personal information cannot usually be disclosed to third parties (including parents or guardians) without their consent. UCL will correspond with applicants and students directly, unless an applicant or student has submitted a written request for their personal information to be shared with another named person.

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Academic departments should have the following measures in place so they maintain an adequate level of preparation to admit students under the age of 18. The Head of Department is responsible for ensuring these measures are in place. 8. At least one personal tutor per department must be qualified for allocation to students aged under 18. To qualify for this role the individual must: 9. Obtain a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure (Enhanced Level) via Human Resources Consultancy; Undertake basic NSPCC child protection awareness training, also available through Human Resources Consultancy; Maintain up-to-date awareness of the advice given in the UCL Guidelines on Working with Children or Young People.

The Head of Department should nominate an appropriate person to take responsibility for managing safety issues in relation to students aged under 18 participating in the programmes and activities of that department (including any off campus and/or overnight trips). The nominated person should familiarise themselves with the UCL Safety Services document Young People at UCL, carry out risk assessments and implement control measures accordingly. This process is not expected to differ greatly from that already used to assess and mitigate safety risks for students aged over 18 and it should only be necessary to carry out the process once per programme or activity. Further advice on risk assessment can be obtained from UCL Safety Services. Copies of risk assessments should be kept on file in the department for future reference and should be updated as required. UCL staff should be aware that it is not necessarily practical to identify in advance all individual students aged under 18 who are taking part in activities they supervise or who may otherwise be on site at UCL. UCL staff are therefore asked to consider the presence of under 18s as they go about their usual duties and to be mindful of the UCL Guidelines on Working with Children or Young People. Departmental staff should be reminded of the following at the start of each new academic year: Contact details for the personal tutor(s) within their department qualified for allocation to students aged under 18; Contact details for the person(s) within their department responsible for safety issues in relation to students aged under 18; The link to the UCL Guidelines on Working with Children or Young People.

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Applicants who will be aged between 16 and 18 years on entry are eligible to apply for a place in UCL accommodation via the usual procedures. Applicants who will be aged under 16 years on entry are not eligible to apply for UCL accommodation, as it is not deemed to be a suitable environment for independent living below the age of 16 years.

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Procedures Procedures for the admission of students who will be aged under 18 on entry to UCL are given below. The Head of Department is responsible for ensuring the appropriate procedure is followed in full, by delegating the tasks specified in the procedures to appropriate officers within their department. Procedure (A) should be used for applicants who will be aged between 17 years 3 months and 18 years on entry. Procedure (B) should be used for applicants who will be aged under years 3 months on entry. (A) Admission of Students Aged Between 17 years 3 months and 18 years 13. This procedure should be applied once an offer has been accepted. If prior to making an 1 offer the admission selector has concerns regarding the expectations or ability of the applicant in relation to living and studying within a predominantly adult environment, they should approach the Dean of Students (Academic) for advice. An offer may then only be made once the Dean of Students (Academic) is satisfied that the concerns raised have been adequately addressed. The admission selector should send a letter and enclosures to the applicant as specified at Appendix A, including a parental agreement form and emergency contact details form. Where reasonably practicable, it is expected that the applicant will be asked to share this information with their parent(s) or guardian(s) and to ensure they return the signed agreement 2 form and provide emergency contact details before enrolling at UCL . Where emergency contact details are provided by the applicant, the Faculty Office must record them on the PORTICO record of the applicant prior to opening of session. It is the applicants responsibility to record any changes to their emergency contact details via PORTICO (or via the admission selector in their Faculty if the change occurs prior to them being enrolled or receiving access to PORTICO). The applicant must be allocated a personal tutor who is qualified to work with students aged under 18 as per point 8 above.

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(B) Admission of Students Aged Under 17 years 3 months 17. 18. 19. This procedure must be applied before an offer is made. It is essential that the department obtain guidance and approval from the Dean of Students (Academic) before making an offer to the applicant. On receiving the application, the admission selector should contact the Dean of Students (Academic) as soon as possible. The Dean of Students (Academic) is likely to ask the admission selector to obtain certain additional information about the applicant, for example whether the applicant has previously lived away from home, whether they have family based within convenient reach of UCL, and so on. The Dean of Students (Academic) will consider the individual circumstances of the applicant and will determine, in consultation with the Dean of Students (Welfare) and other key

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The admission selector is whoever usually has responsibility for making invitations and recommending decisions to the Faculty with regard to admissions.
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If the applicant is unable or unwilling to return the parental consent form and/or emergency contact details, the admission selector should approach the Dean of Students (Academic) for advice.

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colleagues, what special arrangements should be set in place to support them and safeguard their welfare while studying at UCL, in addition to or instead of those outlined in for students aged over 17 years and 3 months, and will consider whether in all the circumstances it is feasible or reasonable for UCL to make those arrangements. Examples of special arrangements may include: 21. Meeting face-to-face or conducting a telephone interview with the applicant and their parent(s)/guardian(s) to discuss relevant issues and ensure they are fully aware of the predominantly adult nature of the university environment; Risk assessments; Supplementary tutorial or pastoral support; Guardianship or chaperoning; Any other such arrangements as are deemed reasonable and necessary to safeguard the welfare of the young student at UCL.

The Dean of Students (Academic) will, if necessary, obtain legal advice to inform the decision regarding the particular safeguarding arrangements proposed in relation to the admission of the applicant and whether in all the circumstances it is feasible or reasonable for UCL to make those arrangements. The Dean of Students (Academic) will, within a reasonable timeframe, notify the Faculty Tutor and Head of Department of the decision made regarding approval of the offer and the particular safeguarding arrangements to be set in place in relation to the applicant.

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Key contacts Academic Registrar +44 (0)20 7679 2047 Internal ext. 32047 aro@ucl.ac.uk Dean of Students (Academic) +44 (0)20 7679 4649 Internal ext. 24649 m.b.ewing@ucl.ac.uk Dean of Students (Welfare) +44 (0)20 7679 4545 Internal ext. 24545 Dean.of.Students@ucl.ac.uk Key Documents

UCL Safety Services +44 (0)20 7679 8855 Internal ext. 28855 safety@ucl.ac.uk Human Resources Consultancy +44 (0)20 7679 1710 Internal ext. 41710 nishant.aggarwal@ucl.ac.uk Director of Student Residences +44 (0)20 7679 6322 Internal ext. Residences@ucl.ac.uk

Summary of the UCL-Student Relationship Available via this link or on request from the Academic Registrars Office (aro@ucl.ac.uk) UCL Guidelines on Working with Children or Young People Available via this link or on request from UCL Human Resources Consultancy (+44 (0) 20 7679 1710) Safety Services Guidance on Young People at UCL Available via this link or on request from UCL Safety Services (safety@ucl.ac.uk)

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