Care Experienced Bursaries
Scottish Government has committed to supporting students who have experienced being in care at any point of their lives. As a group, care experienced young people are more disadvantaged than some of their peers and through the provision of the Care Experienced Bursary, Scottish Government hopes to have a positive impact on retention and success of our care experienced students.
Courses below HNC level
Care experienced students studying full-time courses below HNC level can apply through the College for the FE Care Experienced Bursary. This is £9,000 with an additional amount for travel added if you live more than 2 miles from your campus. Students who have been in care at any time are eligible to apply. You will need to provide a letter from your Social Worker to confirm that you have experienced care. Don’t worry if you’re not sure, we can help you to access the right support.
How to Apply
- If you have an offer of a place on a course, the College will automatically send an activation email to the email address provided on your course application form.
- You can then start filling out your funding form. You only need to fill out one form and we will acknowledge your application immediately and assess within 4-6 weeks which type of funding you are eligible for, including travel expenses and course materials, based on your age and personal circumstances.
We can also help you with your online form, email studentfunding@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk.
Courses at HNC, HND and Degree level
Care experienced students studying above SCQF level 6 must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for their funding. SAAS have included a Care Experienced Bursary of £9,000. Over a 41 week course, this works out at £750 per month and is usually paid on 7th of each month. If you are studying a two year course you can have your funding paid over 12 months or term time only. In your final year or on a HNC, you will only be paid during term time.
Care experienced students on a two year course can apply to SAAS for the Summer Accommodation Grant to help with costs during the long vacation.
New for 2024/25: Special Support Loan
This is a new loan of £2,400 avaiable to all HNC/D/degree students. It is for travel, student costs and childcare. Care experienced students can apply for this, however, it is a loan so will need to be repaid. Taking the Student Support Loan will increase your funding from £9,000 to £11,400 (around £950 per month).
If things don’t go as planned and you need to repeat a year or decide to study a different subject, SAAS have introduced an additional ‘Plus One’ rule for care experienced students to allow for progression when you’re ready.
How to Apply
You must apply for funding every year that you are studying and apply directly to SAAS. You will need to register your online account through the website to make an application. Students starting courses in August 2024 will be able to apply from April with applications closing on 31 March 2025.
Applications with no errors and all supporting documents should be submitted by 30 June and we aim to assess applications within 4-6 weeks, so it’s important to make an early application.
If you need any help, please contact our Student Advisor who is named contact for Care Experienced individuals at careexperienced@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk.
Contact Us
Student Advisors are available for drop-in at Student Services or you can get in touch with us by email or phone. We're open Monday- Friday 8.45am-4.45pm.
Tel: 0141 375 5192
Email: studentadvisors@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk.
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