Join us at our Adult Learning Open Evening to discover our higher education and part-time courses.
We offer a number of financial schemes to help our students.
Depending on your age and the course level you are studying, you may have to pay tuition or registration fees before you can enrol.
All learners are asked to submit their applications for bursaries no later than 11th September 2023. The bursary has limited funds and the applications received even before this date may not be processed if sufficient funding is not available
The Bursary application process will not be open for new applications until the end of July 2023.
Financial Support and Bursaries
The bursaries for 2023-24 will not be open for new applications until July 2023.
If you have any queries about our bursaries then please contact the welfare office on 01256 306393 or 01256 306608 from Monday to Friday between 8.30am to 2.30pm or email us at welfare@bcot.ac.uk
What Financial Support is available?
There are several financial support packages available to help you come to college, based on your age, personal financial circumstances and level and type of course you are studying.
We want you to make the most of your time here and achieve your full potential. The Welfare Team can help you with:
If you would like to discuss or need further information on financial support please contact the Student Welfare Team via welfare@bcot.ac.uk or telephone 01256 306393/306608
Julie Paige (Senior Welfare Advisor)
julie.paige@bcot.ac.uk
Tel: 01256 306393
Linda Wake (Welfare advisor)
linda.wake@bcot.ac.ukTel: 01256 306608
How do I apply for Financial Support?
You can apply on line by clicking the link APPLY HERE or if you are unable to do an on-line application please contact the Welfare Office where we can help you with your application.
We recommend you apply early as funds are limited and we may not be able to process applications if sufficient funding is not available.
You will need to register for an account and you must have a student reference number, you can also apply using your college google account (student reference number@student.bcot.ac.uk)
All applications will be assessed on an individual basis. Assessments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
N.B. Bursary awards do not carry any monetary value and are not paid directly to the nominated bank account. We purchase the items on your behalf and deduct the cost from the bursary allocation.
PLEASE NOTE: Continuing and progressing learners need to reapply each academic year for financial assistance- There is NO automatic carry forward of any award given.
NOTE: Please download and read the Essential Information Guide here before you apply.
If you are a parent under 20 years old and are in receipt of Child Benefit you can apply for Childcare Funding through the Care to Learn online application portal.
The Government operates the Care 2 Learn scheme for those learners who are aged under 20 years (as of 31 August on the start of your course), have a child and are claiming child benefit.
Care 2 Learn will fund up to £160 per child per week to a Registered Childcare Provider.
All applications must be completed online via www.gov.uk/care-to-learn early application is recommended, care to learn will not back date payments if the form is received by them 30 days after the course has started.
Please be aware that if there is a shortfall in your weekly childcare fees then you will be liable to pay the shortfall. It is recommended that you contact Julie Paige on 01256 306393 to advise her that you are applying for childcare so that she is aware of you when Care to Learn contacts her for confirmation of your status.
If studying for a Level 1 or 2 course or are aged 19-23 and are studying for your first level 3 course, or you are aged over 20 and you have an advanced learner loan in place, you may be eligible for help with your childcare costs through the 19+ bursaries.
NOTE: Please contact Julie Paige 01256 306393 julie.paige@bcot.ac.uk to confirm you are applying or thinking of applying for Childcare as funding is always limited and is allocated on a first come first served basis. If your Childcare funding has not been approved before the start of your course then the costs for Childcare are the responsibility of the parent.
The Discretionary Bursary is a financially assessed award, to support students facing financial hardship during their studies. The award is dependent on you fulfilling the bursary eligibility criteria as shown below.
Your bursary award may include one or all of the following:
The Advanced Learner Loan is available to learners aged 19 years and over, wanting to study a Level 3 or 4 qualification, Access to Higher Education course, Vocational Diploma or Vocational Certificates.
For more information please contact Student Records StudentRecords@bcot.ac.uk
To be eligible for the 19+ Advanced Learner Loan Discretionary Bursary:
Your Bursary award may include one or more of the following:
The 19 + Discretionary Learner Support Funds are available to students from families on a low income.
To be eligible for Learner Support Funds :
NOTE: Students who are 19+ who are living with parents but are employed and earning money in their own right need only supply evidence of their income (not household income including parents).
Students who are not earning or claiming benefits in their own right will need to supply evidence of household income from parents.
Your Bursary award may include one or all of the following:
You must apply for a bursary to access the Free College Meal entitlement.
To be eligible for Free College Meals your parents must be in receipt of:
The Free College Meal entitlement is not a monetary payment paid directly into a bank account, it is loaded onto the student's ID Badge and the badge is swiped at the cafeteria for payment of food up to the value of £3.50.
The Discretionary Bursary may be able to help fund Kit and Equipment for courses, if it is considered essential by the course director and your household income is below £25,000 and there is sufficient funding available. The equipment is considered on loan and will need to be returned at the end of your course of study.
We allocate the funding to the faculty after the October Half Term holiday, they will then order the kit for bursary students. We realise that this may mean that students have to wait however this ensures that the funding is not lost due to equipment no longer being required due to students switching courses.
We cannot refund any cost of Equipment and Kit already bought by the student.
We will monitor attendance throughout and may delay releasing funding for kit and equipment if the attendance falls below 90% during that first half term. It is important to note that the allocation of any bursary funding is dependent on the attendance rate being maintained at 90% or more throughout the academic year unless there is a justified reason for non-attendance.
The bursary allocation is based on available funding and we reserve the right to withhold funding for kit or equipment if insufficient funds are available
If you are a full-time student, then you will be able to benefit from one of the college’s travel deals, these are available regardless of age or income. Please complete the attached application form on the link(s) below.
The college can only offer Stagecoach season tickets, if you need to use other bus operators then we cannot offer ticket options for those operators.
The Bus tickets are Smart cards and can be ordered directly from the Stagecoach unirider website here.
The College offer a 25% discount to the advertised price on the Stagecoach webpage for the StudentRider GOLD ticket ONLY, we do not offer further discounts for the local Basingstoke zone tickets.
If you are interested in obtaining a 25% discount then please complete the attached application form and return it to the welfare office along with your payment for the first term. We can offer 7 monthly instalment plans for the Student rider Gold tickets if this is preferred, we will then order your bus pass on your behalf and apply the discount at the time of purchase,
Please complete the attached application form and return it to the welfare office.
Links to Bus pass application form (to be added when we receive bus prices for 2023/24)
The College can offer a 40% Discount on Scholarly Season SWR season tickets.
We have an approved list of stations that the college use, if your nearest home station is NOT listed then please select the closest one. BCoT cannot support additional funding towards the costs of any unapproved station ticket costs.
The tickets are scholarly tickets so are only available from Monday to Friday TERM TIME ONLY between the approved station and Basingstoke
You will need to purchase a passport sized photo (printed not electronic) so that it can be attached to the required SWR photocard, we cannot issue the season ticket without this photocard so any delay in providing the photo may result in the college not releasing the pass.
Brookwood
Reading Stations
Eastleigh
Fleet
Winchester
Hook
Mortimer
Shawford
Andover
Bramley
Southampton Central
Farnborough Main
Grateley
Southampton Airport
Winchfield
Please complete the attached application form and return it to the welfare office along with your payment for the first term. We can offer 7 monthly instalment plans for the tickets if this is preferred
Link to Train pass application form (to be added when we receive train prices for 2023/24)
Alternatively, you can consider purchasing a 16-17 Saver Card from SWR which costs £30 per annum and you can claim 50% off your rail tickets – NOTE: but this cannot be used in conjunction with the 40% discount the college offers.
This may be a better option especially if you are only in college a few days a week.
There is a 16-25 railcard that can be purchased from SWR which costs £30 per year and entitles you to 1/3rd off the price of an adult ticket – This railcard is also available for mature students over 25 in full-time study.
NOTE: but this cannot be used in conjunction with the 40% discount the college offers
www.southwesternrailway.com/train-tickets/railcards-and-discounts
Students who meet one of the following criteria who have a financial need can apply for a bursary for vulnerable groups of up to £1,200 per year if registered on a programme of study that lasts for 30 weeks or more; or a pro rata amount if the course is less than 30 weeks.
The Guaranteed Bursary is released by the Government to 16-18 year olds who meet certain criteria. A Financial needs assessment is carried out to confirm the actual financial need and the amount of support required. No student should automatically receive £1200. The money is to enable a young learner to remain in education without facing financial difficulty.
Eligibility criteria for the vulnerable bursary are that you are:
Full-time students
Aged 16 to 18
You won’t need to pay any tuition or registration fees. There may be costs for equipment for your course, if so you will be advised of this at enrolment.
Aged 19 and over
If you are between 19 and 23 and are studying for your first eligible Level 2 or 3 course then your fees may be waived. If you are studying for an eligible Level 3 or 4 course you may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan. Otherwise tuition and exam fees may be payable – concessions are available for those on means tested benefits.
If you are unable to pay any of the fees you may be eligible to receive financial assistance from the Government Bursary Fund.
You may also be eligible also claim financial assistance towards childcare, travel, trips, equipment and materials, fees and exam costs. For more information call our Welfare team on 01256 306393.
Higher Education Loans may be available for our HNC, HND and Foundation Degree courses. Visit gov.uk/student-finance for more details.
Adult courses
An Advanced Learner Loan is a great way of covering the cost of your course. It’s not dependent on your income and you won’t need credit checks to apply. You can also apply for more than one loan if you are studying more than one course.* Repayment of your loan will not begin until you’ve completed or withdrawn from your course and once your income is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan. Please find further information here.
You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan if you are:
• Aged 19 or over on the first day of the course.• Studying an eligible course at Level 3 to Level 6.• A resident of the UK and have been for the past three years.
*Please note you can only apply once for an Access to Higher Education course.
If you have not achieved any Level 2 or 3 qualifications previously, you may be eligible for a government subsidy.
If you are receiving state benefits or your annual gross salary is less than £20,319, you may be entitled to reduced fees for your course.
Our GCSE English and Maths courses are free unless you already hold a Grade C/4 in English or Maths and wish to improve your grade. A fee of £400 will be payable.
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