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Financial Support

The College is offering four bursary schemes to enrolled students for the 2024/25 academic year, offering assistance with kits and other materials, travel to College, uniforms, college trips, etc.

Please note that the College has extended the thresholds for eligibility up to £28,000. You will, however, have to apply within 8 weeks of enrolment to be eligible for the bursary.

To view the Bursary Policy please click here.

Once you have enrolled you will be given a student number which you will need to apply for a bursary, please go onto our online bursary portal where you can register and apply for a bursary.

A group of learners next to the student support room

Bursary Schemes

  • When registering for a bursary please be aware you will need to register as a new student and that the login details will not automatically be the same as your college login.
  • Please ensure you have a valid email address when you use it to register as you will need this to activate your account through email verification.
  • Please allow 21 days for your bursary application to be processed. Once your bursary has been assessed you will receive a confirmation email. This will either be a breakdown of the payments that you are entitled to or a request for any further information as needed.
  • Please note that if you are uploading any information, we will require all pages which should be dated in the current tax year (dated no earlier than April). If you are uploading Universal Credits, we will need to see all pages of the most recent statement (you may need to upload several screenshots to achieve this).

If you want to apply for a bursary, you will need to apply for each academic year you are in college.

A close up photo of stationery and a pencil case

Meals allowance from the Bursary

If you have been approved a bursary and are entitled to meals then this will be added as a credit onto your Student ID card if you are going to the Ipswich Campus or Suffolk Rural.

There are currently no canteen facilities at Leiston or Halesworth but this may change in due course, at the moment students going here to study will have meal money paid into their bank account every half term to help them buy food from the college.

It can be spent on anything in the canteen at Ipswich Campus or Suffolk Rural. This includes meals, sweets or drinks up to the value of £3.75 per day you are in college. 

Former school leavers, now college students enjoying themselves in the Ipswich campus atrium at lunch time.

Tuition Fees

The bursaries cannot normally be used to pay tuition fees.

For more information about tuition fees please click here.

Care to Learn Scheme

If you are a young parent, aged under 20 (as of 31 August in the year in which the course starts), you can apply for a Government ‘Care to Learn’ grant.

The grant pays childcare of up to £180 per child per week, plus travel-related costs whilst you are learning.

Please visit their website (http://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn) for more information and to apply, or call the Care to Learn helpline on 0800 121 8989.

Advanced Learner Loan

Advanced Learner Loans are funded by the government and give individuals aged 19 or over a way to gain a level 3 to 6 qualification without paying a lump sum or any initial upfront costs.

A student support advisor talking to a school leaver or current learner

Bursary FAQs