Further Education Funding

FE funding can cover any full-time course at SCQF Level 6 or below such as:

• National Certificate (NC)
• Introductory
• Access
• Certificate
• National Progression Award (NPA)
• Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) up to level SCQF 6
• SVQ Level 3 Professional Cookery (Patisserie and Confectionery)
• Diploma (VTCT)
• Any full-time course at SCQF level 6 or below

If you are undertaking a full-time FE course we advise you to complete the online EMA/Bursary application to allow us to identify if you are eligible for living costs, travel and/or course expenses allowance.

Funding to help with childcare or housing costs may be available.

• Childcare
• Housing

Click the following link for information about travel assistance.

An EMA is usually awarded to students who are under 18 years of age at the official start date of the course. You cannot receive an EMA until you have reached your school leaving age. In some circumstances, a student who is under 20 years of age may be awarded an EMA instead of a Further Education Bursary.

How much will I receive?

EMA awards will be paid according to the total taxable household income. Provided your attendance is 100% each week, we will pay you every two weeks, in arrears into the bank account stated on your application.

EMA is not paid during the holiday periods.

* Dependent children are all those up to the age of 16 and those over the age of 16 and up to the age of 25 if they are in full-time education and training.

** Although you may not be eligible for EMA, you may still be eligible for assistance with course expenses. You must complete the online application in order for us to assess this. You are only required to provide us with proof of identification, e.g. birth certificate.

If you live away from the parental home you may be eligible for an additional means-tested allowance of up to £49.91 per week (subject to change). This will be assessed based on the information you supply on your online application.

A Further Education Bursary is usually awarded if you are 18 years of age or older at the official start date of the course. This type of funding is a discretionary award and is not a loan.

If you have previously received funding for any full-time course and you were 18 years of age or older, please contact our Student Services Team at [email protected] to check your eligibility for further funding before starting your course. The amount of money you receive is based on your personal circumstances, e.g. age, where you live, your dependents and your parent(s)/guardian/partner income.

How much may I be entitled to receive?

The maximum rates for bursary are:

How much you may receive is calculated depending on the household income for the complete tax year 2022/23, before the start date of your course (please see Household Income section). The tables below are examples of income and amounts that would be deducted from the weekly allowances (shown above).

Further Education Bursary is paid during all scheduled holidays with the exception of summer break.

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit, and are eligible to continue to receive this whilst at college, you will be considered for a weekly allowance of £28.00 instead of the above weekly allowance.

Do you receive unearned income?

Your award may be affected if you receive any unearned income during the time you are studying. Please note that Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit are not taken into consideration, however, Working Tax Credit and other benefits can affect your award. Any unearned income over £24.19 per week will impact on your weekly Bursary.

Do you qualify for self-supporting status?

To qualify for self-supporting status you must be able to provide evidence for one of the following conditions:

• You must be married or living with a partner or
• Have no parents living or
• Estranged from your parents or
• Caring for a child dependent on you or
• Have supported yourself for periods totalling no less than three years

What is Dependents’ Allowance and do I qualify?

This is an allowance for an adult dependent who is not eligible to claim any benefits. The weekly amount is £67.55. This allowance is means tested against household income.

You should apply as soon as the funding link appears on your Online Application home page.

You can apply for funding via your online application account. Click the following link to login to your online application account.

You must select the Bursary/EMA tab from your Home Screen and click new application

If you require assistance to complete your online application please contact our Student Services Team at [email protected] or visit your local campus help point.

You should apply as soon as the funding link appears on your Online Application home page.

Failure to submit your application and all requested documentation before the start of your course will result in a delay in any funding for which you may be eligible.

Applications and all correct documents must be submitted no later than six weeks after the official start date of your course.

To be considered for funding you must satisfy the residency requirements, which are set out in the Further Education Bursaries (Scotland) Direction and the Education Maintenance Allowance (Scotland) Direction.  In most cases, if you have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for the three years immediately before the official start of your course and are resident in Scotland on the official start date of your course, you are likely to be eligible.  Eligible students do not pay tuition fees.

Students from the European Union (EU) can apply to get their fees paid but may not be eligible for a bursary or other college funding if you do not meet the above residency requirements. Students from the EU or the EEA (European Economic Area)  must have either settled status or pre-settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) by 30 June 2021.  You will be asked to provide your share code to enable the college to check your status.

For Bursary/EMA Candidates

To be treated as a Scottish home student you must meet all three of the following conditions:

1. Ordinarily live in Scotland on the relevant date (this is usually the official start date of your course) and
2. You’ve been living in the UK for 3 years before starting your course (we will ask you to provide evidence of this from the Local Authority or HMRC) and
3. You’re a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

If you do not meet all three of the above conditions, you may still be eligible for some elements of support if you meet the requirements of one of the other UK residency categories listed:

• You’re an EU national, or family member of an EU national with settled/pre-settled status
• You’re a refugee
• You’re under humanitarian protection (as a result of a failed application for Asylum)
• You’re a migrant worker or a family member of a migrant worker
• You’re a child of a Swiss national
• You’re a child of a Turkish worker
• You’re a Syrian Refugee
  Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) Fact Sheet
• You’re under the Ukraine Schemes

Please be aware that there are exceptions to the above therefore please contact our Student Services Team for further help to arrange an appointment email [email protected]

Estranged mean that you are not in contact with your parents and that there has been a permanent and irrevocable breakdown in your relationship and there is no sign of this being resolved in the near future.

We will require evidence of verify that you are estranged.  This may be from someone in authority who knows the family well enough to confirm the position but it must not be a family relation.

Where you are estranged and receiving Universal Credit and you are under 21 years (or you turn 21 on your course) you can remain on your Universal Credit.

What Care Experienced Means

Students with experience of being in care may receive a different funding package.

You will be considered as Care Experienced if you have ever been looked after by a UK local authority on a compulsory or statutory basis.  You will be required to submit a letter from your social worker confirming you have had, or currently have compulsory social work support.  The social worker will have to confirm which legislation and the section of the legislation that applies to you.

If you are unsure if this applies to you and wish to discuss this further please contact guidance@dundeeandanguscollege.[/alert]

Local Authority Care can be provided:

• in the student’s own home
• in their parent(s) home
• in the home of relatives
• in a foster home
• in a care home or a residential unit
• it also includes students who are living independently and students who are cared for under a kinship order

Students who are subject to a “private fostering arrangement” are not included as care experienced as the local authority is not providing the care. The Care given must be/has been under a compulsory order.

As a general rule full-time students do not qualify for payment of benefits.  However, certain students are eligible to continue to claim benefits even when they become a full-time student.  You must check with the Department for Work and Pensions to find out whether you will be allowed to remain on your benefit while attending college.

If your benefit is to continue when you are attending college you can apply for assistance with course expenses, travel costs and childcare (if appropriate) but you will not be granted any living allowance.  Students who can remain on Universal Credit may be considered for a £28.00 allowance but this is means tested against household income.

If you are unsure of your benefit eligibility you should seek advice from your local Department for Works and Pensions office.

Full-time students who may be entitled to remain on benefits include:

• Lone Parents on Income Support who are not required to register for employment
• Disabled students in receipt of certain disability related benefits
• Certain students in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance
• Certain students in receipt of Universal Credit

You will need to provide various types of information to support your application.  A checklist of this is provided on your submission email and a copy of the required evidence is stored within your online application under “Required Evidence”.

See also:

• For help uploading documents to the Online Applications website please visit, Using the Online Application Website
• Download the Get Prepared for your Funding Application quick reference.
• Check the Examples of Documentation page.

If your parents live together we will use both their incomes

If your parents are separated, divorced or no longer live together, we will use the income of the parent you normally live with.

If your parent lives with a partner or you have a step-parent, we will use their income as well as the parent you live with

If you are married or live with a partner, we will use their income

If you no longer live with a parent but are unable to provide information to show that you have been self-supporting, we will use the income of the parent who last claimed Child Benefit for you.

We do not take any earned income you have into account, however, if you have any unearned income, such Working Tax Credit, income from property etc, we will take this into account as part of the student’s income.

On receiving your documentation a member of our team will review your application.  An award or request for further information will emailed to you, please ensure you check your emails.

Copies of all emails are stored within your Mailbox tab on your online application account.

Our current processing date is displayed on your Online Applications Home page for information.

We will require all requested documentation to be uploaded before we can make an accurate assessment of award.

During May – September we experience high volumes of applications, it could take up to 6 weeks to process your application.  Please ensure you submit your application and documentation as soon as possible.

Our current processing date is displayed on your Online Applications Home page.

You may be eligible for other funds when you start your course.  Please refer to the page   “What other funding is available?”

Log back into your online application account to view the status of your application.

As the Funding team assess your application against the documents received, the status of your application will change.  The current status can be viewed on the HOME screen of your application under the Bursary/EMA Section.

We may request further documentation to progress with your application, please ensure you check your emails regularly.

The Assessment status is found on the Status Screen.  Each student should have a status.

We will only communicate with you by email and/or text.

You should check your email messages regularly to see if we have contacted you.  You can also see any messages we have sent on your Online Applications Home Page and view them in your account Mailbox.

Any change to your circumstances must be notified in writing along with supporting evidence to Administration Services at [email protected] or can be handed in to any campus Help Point.

If you have any questions please email [email protected].

Childcare –   apply for this through the childcare tab on the funding application.  Please remember your childcare provider must be registered with the Care Inspectorate.  The College cannot assist with non-registered childcare.  Childcare funding is means tested and paid direct to the childcare provider.

Click the following link for more information on applying for childcare assistance.

Housing –   If you have a commitment to pay housing costs (your name must be on the lease/mortgage) you may be eligible for help with housing costs.   This assistance is means tested and paid direct to the student.  You can apply for this through the housing tab on the funding application.  Please note that some students can still claim housing benefit and therefore will be asked to claim housing benefit instead.

Click the following link for more information about applying for Housing Assistance.

Financial Assistance –   The College has access to a small fund that can help students who may find themselves in extreme hardship while they are a student. If you feel this is the case once you have started your course please arrange to see a member of Student Services Team through the Advice Centre at your campus. The staff will help you to complete an online form to apply for a one off award. Staff will also check that you have applied for all your funding and if there is any other type of support that could help your particular circumstances.

Council Tax –  You are regarded as a “student” for council tax purposes if you are under 20 years old and on a non-advanced course of more than 12 hours a week and the course lasts more than three months.

If you are aged 20 or over you on either a non-advance or advanced course you are regarded as a “student” for council tax purposes if the course requires you to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience of at least 24 weeks each academic year, for an average of at least 21 hours a week.

If you are studying full time in Scotland and meet the residency conditions, we will pay your tuition fees. If you do not meet the residency conditions you will be liable to pay your tuition fees, which may be at the international rate.

Do I meet the residency conditions?

The rules surrounding residency are complicated, however, the general criteria to be eligible for funding are, you the student, must be:

• Ordinarily resident in the UK for three years immediately before the official start date of your course;
• Settled in the UK as described in the Immigration Act 1971;
• Ordinarily resident in Scotland on the official start day of your course.

The term ordinarily resident has been defined by the courts as “habitual and normal residence in one place”. This means that you live in a country year after year by choice throughout a set period. Living here totally or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education does not count as being ordinarily resident.

If you do not meet the residency criteria, you may still be eligible to apply to the College for funding. Please contact our Student Services Team for further advice and guidance.

If you are a non-Scottish UK national, and have moved to Scotland solely for the purposes of education, you are not eligible for tuition fees, living costs, and travel or course expenses. For support please contact your Local Education Authority or Northern Ireland Library Board. If you do not qualify for support from your Local Authority or Library Board, you will be personally liable for payment of tuition fees and supporting yourself throughout your studies.

If you are an EU,  EEA and Swiss nationals and family members, living in the UK by 31 December who wish to remain in the UK after the 30 June 2021 should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) by this date.  Irish nationals do not need to apply to the EUSS.

If you are from Shetland or Orkney you must apply to your local authority to cover your living costs, travel and course expenses.

If you have not been ordinarily resident in the UK/European Economic Area (EEA) for the last 3 years, please contact our International Officer.

You may be awarded assistance with travel if you live more than two miles from the campus you will be attending.  Travel is only awarded for term time.  This means that no travel is awarded for the holiday weeks during your course.  Every young person under the age of 22 is now eligible for free bus travel throughout Scotland.  If you have not already done so, please complete your application for free travel by visiting – https://getyournec.scot/net

Students who turn 22 during their course will be considered for travel from the week you turn 22 provide you live more than 2 miles from campus.

If you are 18 or above at the official start date of your course, this assistance will be means tested against your household income.

Course expenses are for books and/or equipment you may need to study your course. The amount varies from course to course, and is not dependent upon household income if you are under 18 at the start date of your course.

If you haven’t found the answer to your question here then the quickest way to contact us is by logging into your account and sending us a message from your Online Applications Home Page Mailbox.  You can also email us at [email protected] (remember to put your name, date of birth and course title in the email so we know who you are) or call us on 0300 123 1036 or go to your campus Help Point.

• Submit your application as soon as possible
• Upload your supporting documentation promptly
• Direct any questions to [email protected]
• Budget for starting college
• Ensure you keep your payment schedule and refer to this frequently.

Let us know if:

• You change your address
• You change your bank details
• Your financial circumstances change
• You change or leave your course
• You change your email address or contact telephone number