Overview
This is a means-tested capped discretionary fund that may assist students with a variety of course related costs and travel.
The funding available to the college is to help you with the cost of studying and comes from a government body called ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency) and is public money.
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
Eligibility
You can apply for the 19+ College Support Scheme, if you need financial help to stay on in further education or training and you are not in receipt of the 19 + Advanced Learners Loan.
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 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 拢45,000 per year.
How to Apply
Firstly, visit our new Online Bursary Portal.
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.
路 Please make sure to choose the academic year Sep 2024 / Aug 2025 option.
路 Please complete all questions
路 Please make sure you upload the correct evidence, for example; if you have selected Universal Credit we will need the full statement for 3 consecutive months
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.
Go to the Online Bursary Portal
Evidence
All assessments for the 19+ 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.
Please upload documents to your application in the Online Bursary Portal
Benefits
If you claim Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit then you must supply all six pages of your Award Notice for this year. If the Student鈥檚 partner is in receipt of any of the following benefits, we need evidence of this.
- Job Seekers Allowance
- Employment & Support Allowance (income related)
- Income support
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit (minimum guarantee)
- National Insurance Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
Employed
If the student鈥檚 partner is employed with a total household income below 拢45,000 in the current financial year then please supply the following evidence for all working adults.
- 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 latest full financial year or a photocopy of the relevant pages of your Self-Assessment Tax Return along with any additional evidence for your partner鈥檚 earnings.
Pension
If the student鈥檚 parent(s) or guardian(s) is receiving pension(s), please provide evidence of this.
Acceptable documents are:
路 Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions.
路 Letter from the Jobcentre Plus.
路 Letter from the Pension Service.
路 Letter from H M Revenue and Customs.
路 Pension advice slip.
路 Recent bank statement showing the pension paid in.
What happens next?
Once an application has been submitted it will take up to 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.
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.
Where appropriate travel costs will be regularly transferred to 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 2024 as this will enable us to give everybody an opportunity to initially apply for financial support.
