Financial Support
Please note: Information is subject to change each academic year
College will help students overcome any financial barriers for them to successfully complete their studies. There is the 16-19 Bursary Fund that students can apply for from low-income families to help students with essential costs of participating such as travel to and from school or college, contribution towards meals or to buy essential books, equipment, or specialist clothing (protective overalls, for example) that are required for their study programme. Students who are 16+ will need to apply for financial support for themselves but will need the parent/carer’s support in providing the required evidence to support their claim.
Families that have a household income below £35,000 will mean a student can apply for financial support. Students can also claim for Free School Meals if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Free School Meals will only be awarded if you meet the government’s criteria for Free School Meals in further education:
- Your family receives Universal Credit and your family’s working salary is less that £7,400 per year
- If your family are still on a legacy benefit i.e. Income Support, ESA, JSA
- Your family receives Child Tax Credit only and their annual gross income is below £16,190 (if they also receive Working Tax Credit you will not be eligible for free school meals)
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Important - Being on Universal Credit does not automatically award Free School Meals unless the Governments’ criteria are met – if a student does not meet the criteria and their family’s household income is below £35,000 a discretionary allowance for meals will be awarded
Universal Credit
Many families will be changing from the legacy benefit to Universal Credit and any new claims will automatically be placed on Universal Credit. The College calculates Universal Credit household income set out by the Government Guidelines for assessing eligibility by adding the total amount of Universal Credit received i.e. Your Payment this month is £1,343 for example plus the total of salary paid after tax (Earning’s reported by your employer) e.g. £1,045.42 this would give a monthly household income of £2388.42
We ask for three statements as advised by the Government's policy as salaries can fluctuate between months and this can allow us to calculate an average monthly salary.
For self-employed families, they may be set a Minimum Income Floor. An example is earnings from self-employment is £675.00 but the Minimum Income Floor is set at £1,410.89 – the £1410.89 would be the total take home pay and we would use this to calculate household income.
For more information on Universal Credit please follow the link (Many families are often entitled to Universal Credit and not aware so you can also check your eligibility):
https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit
How can I know as a student if I am eligible to apply for financial support?
If you are a new or returning students and not sure if you are eligible, need more information on the criteria, or if you need information on what proof of household income is required from your family/carers, please do not hesitate to contact student services who will be able answer all your questions and give you the help that you may need.
All applications are online only, and students are responsible to register and complete their application with the support from a parent/carer.
Students and parents/carers can also download any of the more detailed documents listed for more information on the different eligibility criteria. Alternatively, you can contact student service direct by email or phone.
How to apply for financial support
A text will be sent out to all new applicants and returning students when the application for financial support for September 2025 is available.
Please note: the application MUST be completed by the student and not by a parent/carer. All bank details must be the student’s own account information.
If you have any questions, please email studentservices@s6f.org.uk or call 01723 380726