Bursaries
Nescot’s bursary scheme supports students from households earning under £30,000 with costs such as travel, equipment and meals. Funding is means‑tested, limited, and processed on a first‑come basis. Applicants must provide evidence, and payments are made directly to students once eligibility is confirmed.
Bursary guidelines
Please read these guidelines before submitting your application
Income eligibility
The bursary is designed to help students whose take home household income is under £30,000 per year.
This income total includes :
- Universal Credit
- Tax Credits
- Any rent paid directly to your landlord through Universal Credit
How to apply
You can apply for a bursary here. You will need to upload evidence of your circumstances. We cannot process your application without this. Missing evidence will delay your application. Once registered on the bursary portal, you can :
- View messages from the team
- Check your payment information
- Upload documents
What happens next?
We will email you with the outcome of your application and explain how payments will be made. Please check your email address and mobile number regularly and update us if they change. If you disagree with a decision, speak to the Student Finance team first. If you would like to appeal, email studentfinance@nescot.ac.uk with the subject line ‘For the Attention of the Student Assistance Panel’.
Bursary fund
For students aged 16 to 19
You can use this information if any of the following apply to you:
- You are 16 – 18 years old on 31 August 2026
- You are 19 – 24 years old and have an EHCP (Education Health Care Plan)
- You are 19 and continuing the second year of a two year course that you started in 2025/26.
If none of these apply to you, please see our bursary information for students aged 19+.
Depending on your personal circumstances, you may be able to get help through one or more of our support schemes. We will look at the information and evidence you provide in your application to decide what support you are eligible for.
Criteria
You may qualify for support if you are aged 16 -19 and any of the following apply to you:
- In care
- A care leaver
- Receiving Income Support (IS) or Universal Credits (UC) because you are supporting yourself and/or a dependent child/partner
- Receiving Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credits (UC) AND you also receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
Important:
If you successfully claim for Employment Support Allowance, Income Support or Universal Credits and your parent or carer currently receives Child Benefit for you, they will no longer be able to continue to claim Child Benefit.
Criteria
You may eligible for this bursary if:
- Your household income is below £30,000 per year
- You are aged 16 to 19
- You are aged 19+ and continuing into the second year of a Level 3 course you started in 2025/26
- You are aged 19 – 24 and have an EHCP (Education Health Care Plan)
Criteria
You may qualify for free meals if you or your parent/guardian receives:
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Suport under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Criteria
You may be eligible for Care to Learn if:
- You are aged 20 or under on the date your course starts
- You are the main carer for your child and you receive Child Benefit for them
- Your course is publicly funded (most courses at colleges are)
- Your childcare provider is Ofsted‑registered
- If your childcare provider is a relative, they must:
– Not live with your child, and
– Provide Ofsted‑registered childcare to other children they are not related to at the same time
Bursary fund
For students aged 19+
This information applies if you are a Further Education student aged 19 or over on the 31 August 2026.
If you are 19 and continuing into year 2 of a two-year course you started in 2025/26, or you are aged 19 – 24 and have an EHCP, please refer to the Bursary Fund information for students aged 16-19.
Criteria
- for students with a household income of under £30,000 per year
Criteria
- for students with a household income of under £30,000 per year who have an approved Advanced Learner Loan
If your Job Centre referred you to your course, you must apply to them for help first. You are responsible for telling the Department for Work and Pensions about any bursary awards, as they may affect your benefits.
How will you be assessed and paid?
Please note, to receive payments, you must attend all your classes, keep up with your work and behave appropriately on campus. We check this through curriculum staff, college registers and progress & behaviour reports. If you do not meet these expectations, payments may be paused or stopped.
Travel support
Assessment
- Travel costs are worked out using the cheapest possible route, including any student fare card you can use.
- You can receive up to £50 per week, depending on your actual travel costs.
- If you travel by car, you may receive 25p per mile for journeys over 3 miles each way.
- Travel costs can be backdated if your completed application is received before October half term.
- Paid weekly, in arrears, directly to your bank.
- You must have at least 75% attendance in the previous week.
- If you miss a full week, you will not receive travel money, regardless of the reason
- In rare cases, authorised absences may still be paid if confirmed by your Curriculum or Welfare Team.
- We will reimburse you once for any student fare card needed to get the cheapest travel as long as you provide a receipt
- You must provide proof of purchase for travel tickets each term (email to studentfinance@nescot.ac.uk).
- Missing receipts will stop future payments.
Payment
Meal allowances
Arrangements for the Autumn Term 2026
Your free college meal allowance will be £6.50 per day and you can use it to buy most food or meal deals from the Refectory or Starbucks (on days you are timetabled to attend college).
It’s up to you when you decide to use your £6.50 allowance and what you would like to have. If you want to you can split this into more than one purchase (but you will not be able to spend more than £6.50 in one day).
We would like you to have a healthy and balanced meal so:
You cannot use your allowance to purchase: fizzy drinks, chocolate bars or bags of sweets.
The following items are only available when purchased along with food: bottled juice drinks, Starbucks (‘tall’) small coffee or tea (no syrups or toppings) and crisps.
If you take items that are not included in your allowance, you will be expected to pay for them at the tills.
Additional information
Meals are linked to your Nescot ID card so you must have this with you every day. You will not be served without this. The first time you use your card you will need to ask the Refectory staff to register it. Then each time you select your food, tap your ID card on the card reader to pay.
OPENING TIMES
Refectory – 10.15am to 2.00pm
Starbucks – 8.00am to 6.00pm
Financial support and funding for university-level students
You can apply for a student loan towards the cost of your tuition fees and living expenses. If you have another adult or child who is financially dependent on you or a disability then there are other grants that you might be able to claim too. Support available depends on your household income, residency and previous study.
Many students study part-time with the financial support of their employer. You can apply for a student loan for your tuition fees. There are part-time maintenance loans for students studying eligible courses (not all part-time courses qualify). Support available depends on your previous study and residency.
We have a limited amount of funds available to support higher education students who are experiencing financial hardship. Full-time or part-time students are welcome to apply. All applications are considered on a case by case basis following national guidelines, taking into consideration the proposed need and funds available. Any student who would like to apply should complete the Hardship Fund Application Form and send it with the supporting evidence to studentfinance@nescot.ac.uk
Funds are usually only available to students who have taken out their full student finance package from Student Finance England. If you are still waiting for your application to be assessed, please complete the form. We may be able to offer you a short term loan until your maintenance loan comes through.