16 -18 Funding
Options
This area provides information on the funding options available, and links to application pages for those aged 16-18, those who are 19 but on the second year of a course they started when they were in the 16-18 age bracket, and anyone with an approved Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), who will be aged 24 and under on the 31 August in the first year of your study programme. Learners who are travelling from Wales will need to apply for the Welsh Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). If not eligible for this scheme or in need of additional support then you can apply for the 16-18 bursary.
Return to Main Financial Support PageWelsh Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
Am I Eligible?
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is for 16 to 18 year olds living in Wales, who want to continue their education after school leaving age. If you are eligible, you could get £40 a week, paid every two weeks.
Your household income must be below a certain level for you to get EMA. There are two different levels depending on your family circumstances:
- Household income must be £20,817 or less if you're the only young person in the household.
- Household income must be £23,077 or less if there is more than one young person in the household (this includes you).
As this is an external scheme, applications are only available via Student Finance Wales, who have full control over the outcome of your application.
Click here for further information or to apply.16-18 Bursary
Am I Eligible?
To be eligible, learners must:- Be aged 16-18 on the 31 August in the 1st year of a study programme, aged 19 but in the 2nd year of a study programme you started before turning 19, or be aged 19-24 with an approved Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
- Have settled status, have been an ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start date of the course, or are in one of the exception groups (contact [email protected] if unsure).
- Be studying an approved further education course (e.g. not an apprenticeship or any waged training such as a traineeship) AND
- Be able to demonstrate receipt of a means tested benefit or a house hold income of £33,000 a year or less.
- Learners who live in Wales, and who are eligible should apply for EMA. If not eligible, or if further support is required, a 16-18 bursary application can be submitted.
Being in receipt of a 16-18 bursary will have no effect on eligibility for state benefits, this is because the bursary does not support with payments towards living costs.
Did you receive a 16-18 bursary at SGS College in the 23/24 academic year? GREAT NEWS! Guidance for the 24/25 academic year states that as long as your financial circumstances have remained the same, we do not need to see your evidence again for the new academic year. We will need signature on a declaration form.
What Will I Get?
If awarded, your bursary will be based on your individual needs and will be constructed of 3 potential elements:
- Support towards the payment of any invoiced material fees - (A one off payment paid directly to the Department).
- Support towards the purchase of kit/equipment, professional membership fees and DBS checks for academic courses - (A one of payment paid directly to the Department, or if applicable paid into your designated bank account*).
- **Support towards travel if during term time you live 2 miles or more from the college site you are attending - (This could be an academic year buss pass (mTicket), a student railcard, and/or money paid into your account on a monthly basis).
* Please note that you may be asked to initially and at various points during the year produce receipts for any travel, kit and equipment that you have purchased with the bursary payment provided.
Monthly travel payments will only be automatically released if attendance in the 4 weeks prior to the date of the bursary payment run is 90% or above. Please click here to apply: Please click here to apply for Financial Support
Click below to see eligibility for FCM:
Free College Meals SchemeVulnerable Young Person Bursary
Am I Eligible?
To be eligible you must:- be in one or more of the vulnerable groups listed below
- be aged under 19
- be participating in an approved further education study programme.
- in care
- care leavers
- receiving Income Support (IS), or Universal Credit (UC) because they are financially supporting themselves or someone who is dependent on them and living with them such as a child or partner and having a Tenancy Agreement in their own name.
- receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance (DLA) or UC in their own right and having a Tenancy Agreement in their own name.
*Please note that all Q&A in 16-18 Bursary above, also apply to the VYP Bursary.
What Will I Get?
If you meet the criteria for a VYP Bursary, dependent upon your circumstances and needs you may get:- Support towards material fees, kit and equipment and travel as detailed in the 16-18 bursary above, plus support towards other essential items you may need to enable to you to attend college.
- The maximum award amount is up to £1,200.00 per learner, per year. Please be aware that any monthly monetary awards will be paid based on attendance (80%).
- If you are studying on a programme that is less than 30 weeks, a pro-rata amount will be awarded.
*Please be aware that any monthly monetary awards will be paid based on attendance (80%). Please click here to apply for Financial Support
Free College Meals
Am I Eligible?
To be eligible for this scheme:- At the start of the course you must be aged 16-18 or 19-24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
- You or a parent/ guardian must be in receipt of an approved state benefit.
- Or, if you are no longer in receipt of an approved state benefit, if you have been in receipt of free school/college meals since April 2018 then you may still be eligible for free college meals under protected status. You will need to provide evidence of this in the form of, for example: a letter/email from the local authority or from your previous school or college.
What Will I Get?
If awarded Free College Meals, (FCM,) for each day they are timetabled to attend College, learners can access up to £4.40 to spend in the College onsite canteens and coffee shops.
- To access the money learners can download the UPay App on their phones and pay using the QR code, or use their College ID cards to make their purchases. Please note that any money not spent at the end of each day will disappear (it will not roll over to the next day).
- If the learner is attending a College site with no canteen facilities then alternative arrangements will be made.
- If the learner has any dietary requirements that are not being met by the College menus then they can speak to the canteen staff who will arrange to offer a suitable alternative.
- If the learner goes on a work placement or trip, they can pick up a non-perishable packed lunch from an MMS office.
Childcare Support for Young Parents
Am I Eligible?
To qualify you must:- be a parent under 20 at the start of your course
- be the main carer for your child
- live in England
- be a British citizen or have the legal right to live and study in England
- your childcare provider must be either; registered with Ofsted, registered with a childminder agency or a school.
Please Note: You will not be eligible for Care to Learn funding if you are an apprentice who gets a salary.
As this is an external scheme, applications are only available via Gov.uk, who have full control over the outcome of your application. Click here for further information or to apply.
To apply, you will need the following information about SGS College:
- Education institution: The South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
- Contact name: Lynette Loughran.
- Email address: [email protected]
- Phone number: 0117 9092381
What Will I Get?
The Care to Learn scheme can support with childcare costs whilst you study at SGS College. You could get up to £180.00 per child per week. Care to Learn can help with the cost of:
- your childcare, including deposit and registration fee
- a childcare taster session for up to 5 days
- keeping your childcare place over the summer holiday
- taking your child to their childcare provider