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 no backdated payments will be made. Once your application has been approved you will receive a letter of approval outlining your award.
Who can apply for this support?
Anyone with a gross household income under £30,000 (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). If you received free school meals you may still be eligible to receive this entitlement at college.
How much will I get?
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.
How will I be paid?
Bursary support is based on individual circumstances and will be allocated to best suit your individual needs. Bursary support will be based on financial need of individual students to cover college related costs such as transport, meals, course equipment and uniform. Payments may be direct or indirect. Any direct payments awarded can only be paid to your (the students) bank account.
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 other College related costs could I get help with?
Depending on your course you may be eligible for help towards the following college costs: Equipment, uniform, materials, course fees (students aged 19+). Once you have received your bursary award from the Student Finance Team please provide your proof of purchase at your earliest opportunity following enrolling on and starting your course. 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 new 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.
Financial support payment 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 no backdated payments will be made. Once your application has been approved you will receive a letter of approval and a payment schedule.
The online application for financial support is available above. The accompanying guidance documents are available above on this page. 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 2024, you may be eligible to receive help with the cost of childcare and transport (up to £180 per week) whilst you are learning. Your child must attend an Ofsted registered childcare provider.
For further information and details of how to apply please visit www.gov.uk/care-to-learn or telephone their Student Support Helpline on 0800 121 8989.
Who can apply?
You can apply for this bursary if one or more of the following applies to you:
- Students who are in, or have recently left, local authority care.
- Students who are in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit because you financially support yourself (the evidence must confirm that you are allowed to participate in further education or training).
- Students who are 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.
How much will I get?
You can receive up to £1200 in total each academic year. 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.
How will I be paid?
Bursary support is based on individual circumstances and will be allocated to best suit your individual needs. Allocated support will be based on financial need of individual students to cover college related costs such as transport, meals, course equipment and uniform. Payments may be direct or indirect. Any direct payments awarded can only be paid to your (the students) bank account.
When will I receive my first payment?
Once your application has been approved you will receive a schedule of payment dates.
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 new online application form. You will need to submit supporting evidence at the time of application and please be aware that there may be a delay in your application being processed if your form is incomplete, or evidence is missing.
Once your application has been approved you will receive a letter of approval and a payment schedule.
The online application for financial support is available in the ‘How to Apply’ section on this page. The accompanying guidance documents are available in the ‘Downloads’ section on this page. 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.
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