Support and Bursaries

To qualify for Free College Meals, you must meet the following criteria:

You must be aged 16 or older, but be under 19 on August 31 2023.

You, or the parent/carer with whom you live, must receive one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided the parent/guardian is not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income below £16,190, as assessed by HMRC
• Working Tax Credit run-on
• Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 a year (after tax and excluding any benefits received)

If you are aged 19 or older, you can apply for Free College Meals if you are continuing a Study Programme you started between the ages of 16 and 18, or if you have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).

All bursary applications will be assessed for Free College Meals.

If you are eligible for Free College Meals, you will be allocated £5.00 credit to use in the Hard Brock Café for each day you attend college. If you are studying at Ultima or Marchwood, we will transfer the money directly to your bank account.

To qualify for the Discretionary Bursary, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must have lived in the UK for at least three years before starting your studies.
• You must be over 16, but under 19 on August 31 2023.

The Discretionary Bursary is also available to you if you are 19 or older and have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). In addition, it is available to you if you are aged 19 or older and are continuing a Study Programme they started between the ages of 16 and 18.

You must live in a household whose take home pay is less than £23,000 per year. This means take-home pay of less than £1,916 per month. Importantly, we do not include any benefit payments in our calculation.

The Discretionary Bursary will cover:

• Essential Course Costs including trips, uniform, course resources, trips and books.
• A £25 stationery purse will be available to use at the Brockenhurst College online store.

Travel

Bus

College bus passes may be purchased through our online store, available to bursary students at a heavily subsidised rate of £40.00 a month. Details of our 2023/24 bus provision can be found by clicking here.

Train

Sixteen and seventeen year olds can apply for a 50% discount on all rail fares by clicking here.

The Discretionary Bursary will contribute £10.00 a week towards adult train fares for students aged 18 and over.

To qualify for the Vulnerable Bursary, you must meet the following criteria:

• Over 16, but under 19 on August 31 2023.
• In care – i.e. children who are voluntarily looked after by a local authority (under section 20 of the Children Act 1989) or under a care order (under section 31 of the Children Act 1989). Or care leaver – i.e. a young person aged 16 or 17 who were previously looked after for a continuous period of 13 weeks (or multiple periods totalling 13 weeks), starting after the age of 14 and ending after the age of 16; or a young person aged 18 or above who was looked after for a continuous period of 13 weeks (or multiple periods totalling 13 weeks) prior to turning 18, starting after the age of 14 and ending after the age of 16.
• Receiving Income Support or Universal Credit in your own name, while financially supporting yourself or supporting yourself and a dependant living with you. Or receiving Disability Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in your own name, along with Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in your own name.

If you are eligible for a Vulnerable Bursary, you can receive up to £1,200 per academic year. Please note that you will only receive the amount you actually need in order to participate in your studies. This means we will not automatically award you £1,200 if you do not need the full amount.

To qualify for the 19+ Bursary, you must meet the following criteria:

• You have lived in the UK for at least three years before starting your studies.
• You are 19 years old or older on August 31 2023.
• You live in a household whose take home pay is less than £30,000 per year. This means you (and your partner) must have take-home pay of less than £2,500 a month. Importantly, we do not include any benefit payments in our calculation. If you live with a parent, we do not include their income.

Please note that students enrolled on apprenticeships and Higher Education courses are not eligible to apply for this bursary.

The 19+ Bursary will cover:

• A £25.00 stationery purse to use at the Brockenhurst College online store.
• £10.00 per timetabled day towards travel to college and a free car parking permit.

Childcare funding

Childcare funding may be available if you are aged 20 or over. To qualify for childcare funding, you must use an Ofsted registered childcare provider and use childcare support from other sources, such as two-year-old and three-year-old funding, and any Tax Credits or Universal Credit contribution.

This funding is intended for scheduled classes and does not support independent study. Bursary funds will be paid directly to the childcare provider upon receipt of a monthly or termly invoice.

CLICK HERE

Please note that during the peak application period in August and September, it may take up to four weeks to process your application. Therefore, we suggest you apply as soon as possible. Once your application has been processed, usually within ten working days, we will send you full details of your award.

Please consider the following factors when applying:

• You can only apply for a bursary, once you have applied for a course and have a student ID number.
• You will need to provide your bank account details.
• You will need to upload supporting evidence of household income.

If you require assistance with the application process or are unable to complete it online, please contact the Bursary team by emailing bursary@brock.ac.uk