Financial Support for Full-Time Students Aged 16-18
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group is pleased to be able to offer financial support to help students meet the costs of attending College.
There are two types of financial support: College Maintenance Allowance (CMA) and Vulnerable Student Bursary (VSB). Both allowances include support for food, travel and essential course costs. If you are aged 16 to 18 and received Free School Meals whilst at school you may still be eligible to receive this entitlement through one of the two allowances. You can check to see which allowance you may be eligible for by reading the guidance below.
Financial support start dates will be based on the date that the fully completed application form, with the correct supporting evidence, is received in Student Services and support will not be backdated. Once your application has been approved you will receive an email to your college email account outlining your award.
Who can apply for this support?
Anyone with a gross household income under £35,000 (excluding students enrolled on an apprenticeship, a self-financing course, a higher education (HE) course or students enrolled on a course with another education provider where funding is being claimed).
What can I receive?
Bursary awards are based on individual circumstances. Please provide as much information about your circumstances in your application as possible. We will use the information provided in your application form to allocate bursary funds to best suit your needs. Please see the Student Financial Support Guidance document above for more information.
What evidence will I need to provide?
You will be required to provide evidence of all current household income. We may request up to date evidence at any point during the academic year. Please see Evidence Guidance document for more information.
What College related costs could I get help with?
Eligible students can get help with the costs of travel and food. Depending on your course you may be eligible for help towards the following college costs: Equipment, uniform, materials, course fees (students aged 19+). If you are aged 19+ and not eligible for automatic fee remission, you may be able to receive help with course fees for level 1 & 2 courses through discretionary fee remission. Please ask the Student Finance Team for more details.
How do I apply?
You can apply for the College Maintenance Allowance (CMA) using our online application form above. You will need to submit supporting evidence at the time of application. Please be aware that there may be a delay in your application being processed if your form is incomplete, or evidence is missing.
If you require the application form in a different format, or need assistance completing it, please contact the Student Finance Team.
Please read the Financial Support Guidance before completing the application for financial support.
Care to Learn is a Government scheme whereby if you are aged 19 or under on 31st August 2025, you may be eligible to receive help with the cost of childcare and transport to childcare provider (up to £180 per week) whilst you are learning. Your child must attend an Ofsted registered childcare provider.
For further information please visit www.gov.uk/care-to-learn.
To apply for the Care to Learn scheme please complete the application for Childcare Support. You can download the application form for Childcare Support from the College website or by contacting the Student Finance Team on 01782 254188 or studentfinanceteam@nscg.ac.uk to request a copy.
Who can apply?
The Vulnerable Student Bursary is available to students who are:
- In care.
- Are a care leaver.
- Receiving Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves.
- In receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right.
What can I receive?
Bursary awards are based on individual circumstances. Please provide as much information about your circumstances in your application as possible. We will use the information provided in your application form to allocate bursary funds to best suit your needs. Please see the Student Financial Support Guidance document above for more information.
What College related costs could I get help with?
Eligible students can get help with the costs of travel and food. Depending on your course you may be eligible for help towards the following college costs: Equipment, uniform and materials.
What evidence will I need to provide?
You will be required to provide a local authority care status letter/email or your current benefit evidence.
How do I apply?
You can apply for the Vulnerable Student Bursary (VSB) using our online application form above. You will need to submit supporting evidence at the time of application. Please be aware that there may be a delay in your application being processed if your form is incomplete, or evidence is missing.
If you require the application form in a different format, or need assistance completing it, please contact the Student Finance Team.
Please read the Financial Support Guidance before completing the application for financial support.
To apply for Student Financial Support, please complete our online application form.
Please ensure that you read the Financial Support Guidance and Evidence Guidance documents available on this page before completing the application.
You will need to upload your supporting evidence within the application. Failure to do so will result in the application process being delayed. You will need to complete all compulsory fields in order for your application to submit successfully. Compulsory fields are marked with a red asterisk.
You should receive a confirmation email if your application has been submitted successfully.
If you need any help or assistance in relation to any of the information on this page, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Finance Team. We are happy to give advice and guidance over the phone, or to arrange appointments on a one to one basis.
NEWCASTLE COLLEGE
Tel 01782 254188
Email studentfinanceteam@nscg.ac.uk
STAFFORD COLLEGE
Tel 01785 275494