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2023-24 Financial Support for Students

We realise that studying at college may involve some extra expenses and that you may need to reach out for financial support. The College holds Bursary funds for students, who meet the eligibility criteria, to provide financial support towards the costs related to attending college.

Students returning to the college must re-apply for a bursary each year, this application can be found HERE.

Bursary funds are limited, so priority is given to students with the greatest financial needs.

The funding available to you depends upon various factors such as age, course, household income and other government funding you are currently in receipt of.

If you are unsure and would like some assistance, then please contact the Student Finance team by emailing studentfinance@bpc.ac.uk and they will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

We also offer multiple bursaries for particular groups of students, coming to The College.

You'll be able to choose the relevant option when applying online.

For 16-18 year old students

If the student is still living at home and the parents/guardians receive one of the recognised benefits with an income of less than £20K, they may meet the criteria for the Discretionary Bursary.

  • If the student is currently in the care of the Local Authority or has recently left their care;
  • If the student is receiving Universal Credit or Income Support as well as PIP or DLA in their own right;
  • If the student themselves are receiving Universal Credit because they are financially supporting either a partner or child.

Then they may meet the criteria for the Vulnerable Bursary.

For students over the age of 19

If the student is studying a L1 or L2 qualification then they may be eligible for the 19+ Discretionary Learner Support Fund and Aspire Grant.

If the student is studying a L3 qualification, and is not eligible for a fee waiver, then they may be eligible for the Advanced Learner Loan bursary.

Details of the criteria for each of the bursaries can be found on the relevant application form, together with the evidence which needs to be provided. Please note that failure to provide all pages of the evidence will result in a delay in processing your application for student finance.

What can be covered by the Bursary?

Dependent upon the student’s age and the level of their studies, we may be able to help with a contribution towards the cost of travelling to The College, course equipment and course costs and so help students achieve their goals and successfully complete their course.

If you are unsure and would like some assistance, then please contact the Student Finance team by emailing studentfinance@bpc.ac.uk and they will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

You can apply for one of the following bursaries, through the online application HERE

  • 16-18 Discretionary Bursary
  • 16-18 Vulnerable Bursary
  • 19+ Discretionary Learner Support Fund
  • Advanced Learner Loan Bursary
  • HE Bursary
  • Apprenticeship Travel
  • LAC Apprenticeship Bursary

FE Student Finance Policy 2023-24

Adult Course Fee Concessions

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) sets the rules regarding student-eligibility for concessionary fees.

If you are not eligible for a reduced fee or have any outstanding fees payable, you will be expected to make payment as part of your enrolment process.  For the College Fees Liability Policy and our terms and conditions, please see our College Policies Information pages

Note: Fees for apprenticeship provision are paid by the employer and is covered in other college policies.

If you are aged 19 or over and in any of the following categories, you may be entitled to government funding to help pay your course fees (evidence will need to be supplied to the Enrolment Team when you enrol on your course): 

Progression Entitlement 

  • Student aged between 19-23 years at the start of the course 
  • Has no prior qualifications at Full* Level 2 or higher
  • Is studying an Entry Level or Level 1 course in order to progress onto a Full Level 2 qualification
  • Not applicable for English, Maths or ESOL qualifications 

Level 2 Entitlement

  • Student aged between 19-23 years at the start of the course 
  • Student’s FIRST Level 2 qualification 
  • Course must be a Full* Level 2 qualification and listed on the ESFA Level 2 Entitlement list 
  • Not applicable for English, Maths or ESOL qualifications 

Level 3 Entitlement

  • Student aged between 19-23 years at the start of the course 
  • Student’s FIRST Level 3 qualification
  • Course must be a Full* Level 3 qualification and listed on the ESFA Level 3 Entitlement list 

Level 3 Courses for Jobs Offer

  • Student aged 19+ years at the start of the course
  • Course must be listed on the ESFA Level 3 Course for Jobs Offer list
  • If student already has a Level 3 qualification (achieved before 1 April 2021) must also be
    • Employed/self-employed with gross annual salary of less than £18,525

OR

  • Receiving state benefit with take-home pay (from employment) less than £345 (individual benefit claim) or £552 (joint benefit claim)

Employment Prospects Entitlement 

  • No age restrictions for courses at Levels Entry, 1 or 2 only 
  • Student must want to be employed (if unemployed) or to progress into more sustainable employment (if employed) 
  • Student must be in one of the following categories: 
  1. In receipt of Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA), including National Insurance credits only
  2. In receipt of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  3. In receipt of Universal Credit and take-home pay (from employment) is less than £345 (individual claim) or £552 (household claim) a month
  4. In receipt of any other state benefit(s) AND either unemployed OR wanting to progress into more sustainable employment and take-home pay (from employment) is less than £345 (individual claim) or £552 (household claim) a month
  5. Released on temporary licence (RoTL), studying outside a prison environment and not funded by the Ministry of Justice 

Low Wage Entitlement

  • No age restrictions for courses at Levels Entry, 1 or 2 only 
  • Student must be employed or self-employed with a gross annual salary of less than £18,525 

 

*Please refer to the course information sheets on the College website to check whether your course is a full level 2 or 3 qualification.

If you are 19 years or older as of August 31st 2023 you may be eligible for a Course Fees Assessment. For more information on fee waivers please contact the enrolment team on 01202 205611.

If you are not eligible for our financial support or you still have further fees to pay, you can opt to pay your course fees in full at the time of enrolment or, if you prefer, you can choose to pay in instalments. In this event you would set up a Recurring Card Payment (RCP) Plan when you enrol (subject to conditions), which will allow you to pay equal monthly payments.

For more information or to set up your RCP please contact the enrolment team on 01202 205611. Alternatively, you can visit Pay The College once you have enrolled to set up your payment plan.

If a student is unsuccessful due to their household income being above the threshold and they live in Dorset, they may be eligible to apply for funding.

Two bursary funds managed by local charity the Dorset Community Foundation supports young people aged between 16- 25 who are looking to start or continue their professional and technical (job-related) courses.

The Superior STEM Bursary Fund (for Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths courses) and the Dorset Community Foundation Bursary scheme focus on supporting particularly disadvantaged young people.

Applicants will have to evidence financial need. More information is available by following the links below:

If you are aged between 19-23 and undertaking your second Level 3 qualification or are 24+ and undertaking a Level 3 course, you can apply for the Advanced Learner Loan.

This loan will pay for your tuition fees, and you will not start paying it back until your income is over a certain amount (the ‘threshold amount), please visit the gov.uk website: Advanced Learner Loan. If you take out the Advanced Learner Loan and you are studying an Access to HE courses, the loan repayments will be void if you go on to successfully complete a University degree.

For more information on eligibility and how to apply, please visit the gov.uk website. If you are unsure and would like some assistance, then please contact the Student Finance team by emailing studentfinance@bpc.ac.uk and they will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

Help with childcare costs: If you are under the age of 20 at the start of your course, please refer to Care2Learn.

For students over the age of 20, please see section on the online application form. To be eligible for childcare, you must have already met the criteria for the bursary.