This is a means-test discretionary fund that may assist students with a variety of course related costs. It will always be conditional on your attendance at college. Payments will be stopped if your attendance goes below 90% the previous week.
Whilst we recognise that students face financial pressures, the funding you are applying for is not a right and Buckinghamshire College Group has a duty to make sure the funds are awarded fairly and to the students most in need. The funding available to the college is to help you with the cost of studying and comes from a government body called The ESFA (Education and Skills Funding agency) and is public money.
Eligibility
Buckinghamshire College Group will calculate whether you will receive a discretionary payment, how much you could get, and what it should be used for once you have applied.
To apply, you must be at least 16 years old and under 19 years old at the start of the applicable academic year (this is the 31st August). You must also be taking part in full-time or part-time further education or training and your family income must be under £45,000 per year.
How to Apply
Firstly, visit our new Online Bursary Portal. (Please only apply once you have enrolled.)
You will need to register using your eight digit student reference number/ID number and date of birth, if you are a new student and do yet have an ID badge, your student reference number can be found on any letters or e-mails that you have received from the College.
Once you have registered and activated your account, you will be able to log in to complete a bursary application.
· Please make sure to choose the academic year Sep 2024 / Aug 2025 option.
· Please complete all questions
· Please make sure you upload the correct evidence, for example; if you have selected Universal Credit we will need the full statement (all pages), for 3 consecutive months
· You will need a parent to sign the declaration if you are completing a 16-18 Bursary form
Once you have submitted your application it will be submitted to Student Bursaries. We aim to complete the initial assessment within 3 weeks and if there is any missing information this will extend the time the assessments take to complete. If you have any questions please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bursary applications for September 2024 are not currently open. Please come back once you have completed enrolment
Go to the Online Bursary Portal
Evidence
Gather your evidence – Assessments for the Vulnerable 16-19 Bursary will be based on different evidence depending on your circumstance.
All assessments for the 16-18 College Support Scheme will be based on household income and evidence will need to be supplied. An application will not be accepted if it is incomplete.
If you are on benefits or are working, we will need proof of the total household income. All documentation should show your present address and evidence for all adults receiving benefits or working should be supplied.
Benefits
If you claim Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit then you must supply a copy of all six pages of your Award Notice for this year for the relevant benefit. If the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) in receipt of any of the following benefits your award entitlement letter/Benefit book from the benefit authority dated within three months of application date. Please upload documents to your application in the Online Bursary Portal
· Job Seekers Allowance
· Employment & Support Allowance (income related)
· Income Support
· Universal Credit (3 months consecutive full statements)
· Pension Credit (minimum guarantee)
· National Insurance Credit
Employed
If the students parent(s) or guardian(s) are employed with a total household income below £45,000 in the most recent full financial year then please supply the following evidence for all working adults.
Please upload documents to your application in the Online Bursary Portal
- P60 for April or March wage slip for the most recent year, showing total income to date.
If you are self-employed, we need to see an Accountants Letter stating projected earnings for the most recent full financial year or the relevant pages of your Self-Assessment Tax Return along with any additional evidence for your partner’s earnings.
Pensions
If the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) is receiving pension(s), please contact Student Services to discuss what evidence is available and how to proceed.
See our Contact Us page to find out how.
What Happens Next?
Once submitted an application takes three weeks to process. During this time we ask you not to contact us as we are processing many applications. Once the application has been assessed, the student will be informed by email of any funds that have been awarded and by when they should have been received or transferred to the relevant department.
Additionally, if the student is to receive Free College Meals they will be notified at this time.
Payments
In general most course related payments will be sent directly to the relevant departments. However, occasionally students may be paid directly, so where appropriate; course costs will be transferred to your department or the assigned bank account.
If you are unhappy with the decision please complete this Funding Appeal Form.
Appeals will not be reviewed until after 31st October 2023 as this will enable us to give everybody an opportunity to initially apply for financial support.
