Preparing for university

We encourage students with long term mental health conditions to consider disclosing this information when applying for university. This in turn enables the Mental Health and Wellbeing team to contact you to highlight the support which is available to you whilst you are studying, and to answer questions you may have relating to this.

Applying to Birmingham City University

When you complete your UCAS form or an application form for Birmingham City University you'll be asked if you have a disability. You're not obliged to answer this question, but doing so makes the disability support team at the University aware that you have a disability or specific learning difficulty and enables them to give you information about the support that may be available. If you have a mental health diagnosis this information will be passed on to the mental health and wellbeing team.

If you have declared a disability relating to your mental health you will receive an email with further information on our services and will be offered the opportunity to attend a pre-entry appointment.

If you did not declare a long term mental health condition when applying through UCAS, but would now like to let us know, you can complete the online profile form. 

Support at university

For students who have a long term (12 months or more) mental health diagnosis, we are able to implement reasonable adjustments for coursework and examinations, through the means  of a document called a disability support summary. These are just examples of reasonable adjustments which may be made; what will be recommended for you will depend on your specific requirements. We use a document called a support summary to tell your school what support you'll need. You'll always get the opportunity to read and approve the support summary before it goes to your school. In order for us to implement this support we would need to receive medical evidence provided by your GP.

 We require medical evidence to meet ALL the following criteria.

1. State diagnosis and/or mental health symptoms (working diagnosis).
2. Confirm diagnosis/symptoms (working diagnosis) either has lasted, or is very likely to last 12 months or more
3. Letter must be on letter headed paper, stamped by the practice
4. Dated within the last six months.

Additionally, it is useful if the letter can explain how the diagnosis affects day to day activities.

Once the letter is produced it must be scanned and emailed to wellbeing@bcu.ac.uk by either the practice or the student/patient.

We can accept previous letters e.g. assessment letters if they include all of the information outlined and are dated within the last six months

If your practice is unable to write a letter that includes all of these points, we can also accept a DSA2 form completed by your GP. Download the form. This needs to be stamped by your GP practice after your GP has completed the relevant sections.

The other main part of your support is the practical assistance you may need. For example, you may require a note taker, lecture recording equipment or regular sessions with a mental health or other specialist tutor or a mentor. These types of support are usually funded via Disabled Students’ Allowances.

Pre-entry appointments

These sessions are designed to give you the opportunity to meet with a mental health adviser from the mental health and wellbeing team, at Birmingham City University, to discuss the support available from our team and the wider university should you become a student at BCU.

Within the session you may wish to discuss how you can be supported with your general wellbeing, your academic work, or regarding a specific mental health difficulty. We can also answer questions about the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA), or talk through about any specific concerns you have related to starting university.

If you have any recent medical evidence (e.g. a letter or report from a medical professional) confirming your diagnosis, please bring this along to the meeting if you feel comfortable to do so or email this to us in advance. This can help us to implement some support mechanisms prior to the term starting.

Open Days and Clearing

If you're planning to attend one of our Open Days then you will be able to find a member of the mental health and wellbeing team at the event. and you're also welcome to contact us beforehand via email or on 0121 331 5188.