Learner Support
Fund

If your household income is less than £45,001 you could be eligible to access financial support to help with:

  • Travel costs
  • Kit and Equipment
  • Free college meals (if you are studying a full-time course)
  • Childcare

Who can apply?

Students who are studying on a funded full or part-time course.

Please note the eligibility criteria is updated each year, so it's worth checking the latest policy before you apply: Learner Support Fund and Bursary Policy

What evidence will I need?

You will be required to provide and upload valid evidence of your household's income - except siblings (e.g. pay slips, benefit evidence) when completing your application form, so please have this ready before you start your application.

Click the button below to find out the LSF evidence required for your application.

LSF EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS

When can I apply?

Bursary applications for 2026/27 are open now through our Learner Support Fund.

How can I apply?

  1. Register and activate

Go to the student portal and register with your student ID number, date of birth, and a new password. You and your next of kin will each get an activation email from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - click the link in that email to activate.

START YOUR LSF APPLICATION

  1. Log in

Once activated, log in with your student number, date of birth, and the password you created.

  1. Submit your application

On your home page, click 'Click here to proceed with your bursary application'. You'll then need to work your way though the application form, step by step - our policy and support tools are there to guide you through it.

It's that simple.

Jump to FAQs

Levels of Pay Awards

If your application is successful, the household income bands are as follows:
*Household income will need to take into account any benefit payments

Have a household income of up to £30,000

You will receive a 100% college contribution to travel and 100% college contribution to essential course-related kit and equipment.

Have a household income of between £30,001 - £35,000

You will receive a 75% college contribution to travel and 75% college contribution to essential course-related kit and equipment. Students will be required to pay 25% towards these costs.

Have a household income of between £35,001 - £40,500

You will receive a 50% college contribution to travel and 50% college contribution to essential course-related kit and equipment. Students will be required to pay 50% towards these costs.

Have a household income of between £40,501 - £45,000

You will receive a 25% college contribution to travel and 25% college contribution to essential course-related kit and equipment. Students will be required to pay 75% towards these costs.

Learner Support Fund FAQs

  • Do I pay for my course?

    If you are 16-18 your course is fully funded by the goverment. If you are 19+ your course funding is dependent on your eligibility. 

    If you are 19+ please discuss your eligibility with one of our Admissions on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us on 01582 569555

  • What evidence will I need to provide?

    We require one of the below types of evidence for your application to be considered, however it’s important that the evidence you do submit is dated within four weeks of your application for it to be processed in time.

    We require one type of evidence from the below:

    • Job Seekers Allowance
    • Employment Support Allowance
    • Working Tax Credit (with an annual income below £16,190 for tax year 2024/25)
    • Universal Credit
    • Income Support
    • Pension Credit Guarantee
    • Support under part VI of the immigration and Asylum Act 1999

    If no one in your household is in receipt of any of the benefits mentioned, we may still be able to help you. Your household income will need to be means-tested so you will need to provide the following evidence:

    Aged 16-24

    • Proof of income for your parents/carers - all payslips from the past 3 months or a P60, dated for the last financial year.
    •  All payslips from the past 3 months for all accounts in the household.

    • A tax return letter from HMRC, dated for the last financial year.

    Aged 25+ (or under 25 and living independently)

    • Proof of income for you and your partner - all payslips from the past 3 months or a P60, dated for the last financial year.
    • All payslips from the past 3 months for all accounts in the household.
    • A tax return letter from HMRC, dated for the last financial year.

  • Is there financial support for travel costs?

    If you are eligible for the Learner Support Fund (LSF) and are a student who lives over 2 miles away from your campus of study, then you are eligible to apply for support with transport costs. Support towards transport costs for is awarded based on actual costs/routes taken (up to a maximum of £50 per week) and receipts should be retained. 

    Awards for use towards public transport costs will be based on student/discounted rate tickets. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for this directly from the relevant organisation. Examples of discount cards you may be entitled to are:

    Please contact the Student Support team for further advice if you are unsure which discount card you should apply for.

    Where it represents best value for money, bus travel awards will support the purchase of a weekly student rate ticket rather than a daily ticket.

  • Is there financial support for kit and equipment?

    Yes, there is finanical contributions to support students enrolled on courses with essential uniform and equipment costs - view our kit and equipment lists here.

    Applications to support with these costs are therefore managed on a case-by-case basis via an application to our Learner Support Fund. 

    Where a student has purchased items upfront and their funding application is successful, a BACS payment will be made for the appropriate amount to refund the student. Please ensure all receipts are retained to support your application.

    If a student is unable to pay for any essential kit or equipment upfront to participate in their course, they can apply for financial support to cover the cost of related kit and/or equipment. Please note that this will not impact your ability to start or undertake your course and the college will provide the necessary support and equipment to help you begin your course. Applications for the College to order items directly from uniform suppliers must be approved by the Head of Student Support.

  • When will I get my payments?

    Once we have all your evidence, we will process your application form as soon as possible. Once processed, payments will usually be received into bank accounts on a Friday. This means that we will be refunding your travel money for the previous week.

  • Does my attendance matter?

    Yes! We do allow a time for changes in timetables, but after the October half term, your payments will be reduced depending on your attendance.

  • I claim Universal Credit (UC) and only receive online statements, how can I provide evidence requested to support my Learner Support Fund application?

    The best way to provide the Universal Credit evidence for the Learner Support Fund is to download your Universal Credit statement and save a copy to attach to our online LSF form.

    To do this:

    • Log into your Universal Credit account
    • Click on the Payments tab. This will take you to the statement summary page.
    • Click into the most recent monthly statement.  The date will be on the bottom left of the screen, under ‘View statement by pay date’
    • Once you can see the statement, click on ‘Print this document’ in the top right of the screen.
    • You will then have the option to “save as a PDF”
    • Save the document to your device (laptop, computer or phone)
    • You will be then able to upload this document to the our online form.

    Here is a video showing the step-by-step guide: 

Here to Help

If you have any questions, please contact us.

01582 569555

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.