Supporting carers in higher education: a qualitative longitudinal study

Those students at university who have a commitment to providing unpaid support to a family member and/or friend who could not manage without their care are termed student carers. They are identified as a disadvantaged and under-represented group in higher education and therefore miss out on opportunities for educational attainment and the development of broader life skills. Yet little is known about the strategies that would best facilitate their inclusion in higher education. To address this, this research explored the experiences and support needs of student carers to establish how they can be better supported to engage in higher education and maintain their caring responsibilities. Qualitative longitudinal research in which twelve student carers were interviewed approximately eight weeks apart was undertaken informed by a steering group. Findings from a reflexive thematic analysis revealed friction between caring responsibilities and being a student, that student carers have an atypical university experience, and, as a result, flexible and formalised support is needed. Student carers’ views, steering group guidance, and existing literature were synthesised to develop recommendations for fostering student carers’ inclusion in higher education.