Bursary Support – complete your 2025/26 bursary application here!

You can now apply for your bursary online and can even upload your evidence directly to the Helpzone Funding Team. This means no paperwork, no relying on post and you can track your application progress!

 Please note: 14-16 Home Educated students, Apprentices and students undertaking ‘full-cost’ courses, do not qualify for Bursary Support. Please contact [email protected] to discuss travel support.  

Bursary Fund Eligibility: 

We have a variety of Bursary Funds, to support a wide range of student types and ages!

Eligibility depends upon age, course and household income.  

We offer a range of support for students who are either starting or continuing their College studies with us from September. You may be entitled to support towards things such as; course kit/equipment, uniform, meals, tuition fees, childcare and travel/bus passes.

If you are having issues applying online please email [email protected] to ask for assistance. 

Please Note: There is a limited amount of funding available, and applications are assessed on a first-come first-served basis. Your application will be means tested and proof of household income must be provided at the application stage.

If you apply at the end of August/ beginning of September please expect applications to take up to 20 working days to be assessed. Until your application has been assessed will be your responsibility to fund your travel into college.

16-19 Discretionary Bursary Support:  

Students aged between 16 and 18 at the start of their academic year may be eligible for bursary support. The student must be studying a full-time college course (not apprenticeship) and their household income must be below £30,000 per year (after tax). By household income, we refer to the parent(s)/carer(s) whom the student lives with.  

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit, as stated on the government website, we must now include the Universal Credit monthly figure in addition to the monthly take-home pay to assess the household income. Households with an income of between £30,000 and £25,000 per year will receive travel support only. For those with an income of below £25,000 per year, the student may be eligible for travel support along with course kit/equipment, uniform and Free College Meals. This support is dependent on the course and student’s individual circumstances.

16-18 Vulnerable Bursary:

Students may be eligible for a Vulnerable Bursary with up to a maximum of £1,200 Bursary Fund allowance. This is for students who are either…

• In care/are a care leaver
• Living alone and named on the Tenancy Agreement and are in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) or Income Support, as they are financially independent on themselves.
• Receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment, in their own name, AND ALSO Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit (UC), in their own name.

Payments are awarded depending upon personal circumstances and needs.

19+ EHCP Bursary Support:  

Students aged between 19 and 24 who hold an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan) at the start of their academic year may be eligible for bursary support. The student must be studying a full-time college course (not apprenticeship) and their household income must be below £30,000 per year (before tax). By household income, we refer to the parent(s)/carer(s) whom the student lives with.  

Households with an income of between £30,000 and £25,000 per year will receive travel support only. For those with an income of below £25,000 per year, the student may be eligible for travel support along with course kit/equipment, uniform, and Free College Meals. This support is dependent on the course and student’s individual circumstances.

Free College Meals / Meal Credits

If you are aged between 16-18 years old at the start of your full-time course and you or your parent/guardian meet any of the following criteria, you may be entitled to meal credits:  

• In receipt of Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. 
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190 as assessed by HMRC)
• Working Taxi Credit run-on- paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including benefits they get)

You could also be entitled if you are 19 years old and studying the second year of 2-year course that you began at 18, or if you are aged between 19-24 and have a current Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and meet any of the above criteria.  

Childcare Support

• Aged Under 20: Should you require childcare support you can apply for this through the bursary application form. This would be then funded through the Care to Learn government scheme.

• Aged 20+: Students aged 20+ can apply to our Adult Bursary Fund for help towards childcare costs.  

Find out more about the help you can receive with childcare costs by using the Childcare Choices calculator. 

19+ Adult Bursary Support

We recognise that Adults need as much support as possible when coming back into education, therefore our Adult Bursary offer is assessed on the student’s earned income. Therefore, if your earned income is below £35,000 per year you can apply for Bursary Support.

For full information regarding Adult Bursary and course funding options, including University Centre South Devon, please see the Adult Funding Page.  

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I have applied to the 25/26 Bursary Fund, when will I hear back? 

Once we have received your fully completed and signed application form, along with sufficient supporting evidence of income, we will email you as soon as possible with the result. Please apply early to avoid delay. If you apply at the end of August/ beginning of September please expect applications to take up to 20 working days to be assessed. Until your application has been assessed will be your responsibility to fund your travel into college.

2. How much will I get if I am eligible? 

It will depend on your personal circumstances and household/earned income. The bursary is used to support towards contribute towards support of essential course materials, travel, meals, tuition fees and childcare (If applicable). Not all bursary awards will be paid direct to you in cash as some awards may be paid as a voucher, travel pass or if applying for childcare, this will be paid directly to the provider. 

3. Do I need to be on a full-time course to be able to apply for this fund? 

If you are aged 16-18, yes you need to be on a full-time course to be eligible for a bursary. 

If you are aged 19+, you do not need to be on a full-time course but your bursary award will be assessed dependent on how many hours you are studying.  

Please note: 14-16 Home Education, Apprentices & Higher Education/University students are not eligible for this bursary and if you are a 14-16 High School student you will only qualify for a SDC Travel pass from the bursary. 

4. I don’t know how much money I will need for course books, equipment, materials, and course visits. Where can I find this information? 

If you have not already been informed of these costs at your interview, you will be notified before you begin your studies. In some cases the Bursary Fund will contribute towards them, but unfortunately not cover them in full.

5. What does ‘household income’ and ‘means-tested’ mean? 

14-18 year olds, your household income is as follows: 

• If you live alone – your income 
• If you live with a partner – your income and their income combined
• If you live with parents (including step-parents/carers/guardians) – their combined income 

Note that by income we also need to know about any benefits being received by any of the above and we will need to see evidence of this.

19+ year olds, your earned income is as follows:

• Your earned income 

Note that by income we also need to know about any benefits being received by any of the above and we will need to see evidence of this.

Once we have the above information we are able to means-test the application, this is where we make an award based on the income. This allows us to make sure that we are helping those that need it the most. 

6. What evidence can I supply in order to support my Bursary Application?

In order for us to correctly assess your eligibility for Bursary, dependant on your circumstances we ask you provide sources of your household/ earned income dated within the past 6 months:

Employed	*P60 for 2024/25/ *3 months wage slips
Self-employed	*Self-Employed earnings/profit or Official Accountants’ letter
Universal Credit	*Full Breakdown of the 3 most recent monthly Universal Credit payments
Employment and Support Allowance	*Employment Support Allowance Award Letter
Job Seekers Allowance	*Job Seekers Allowance letter
Child/ Working Tax Award Letter	*Full Tax Credit Award Letter
Income Support	*Full Income Support letter
Pension or Pension credits	*Pension or Pension credits award letter
(16-18 ONLY student receives) PIP/ DLA and UC/ Income Support	*PIP/ *DLA Letter and either *Full Breakdown of the 3 most recent monthly Universal Credit payments and Tenancy agreement/ *Income Support Letter
In Care or Care Leaver	*Proof of care status (Section 20 letter from social worker/local authority)
Support under the immigration and Asylum Act-	*Letter from Home Office showing Immigration Status/ *ARC Card
No Income (not working or on benefits)-	*3 Months’ worth of Bank Statements

7. As I was at the College last year, do I have to provide any evidence for this year? 

Yes, you will need to re-apply and provide recent evidence of income each year. This is in case any circumstances have changed. We are not allowed to assess based on last year’s evidence. 

8. I need to provide evidence of proof of income for my Bursary Fund application, how do I do this? 

The evidence you need to provide is outlined in the Bursary Fund application. If you have a query, please feel free to contact the Helpzone on 08000 380123 or email [email protected] 

Helpzone Opening Times: 

Monday – Thursday: 0830 – 1700 
Friday: 0830 – 1600

9. Is there a deadline to send in my Bursary Fund application? 

To ensure your funding is in place for when you start in September, we advise you submit your application as soon as possible. We will accept applications all year however there may be a delay in you receiving your bursary and funds may be fully allocated. Please note: funds are limited and we recommend you apply as soon as pos

Bursary Fund Policy

Please use the button below to view our Bursary Fund Policy: