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Course Related Financial Support 19+

Financial support is available to students aged 19+ (as of 31st August of the year you are starting your course).

19+ Bursary Fund

North Kent College operates a range of Bursary schemes to assist students from low-income households with the costs of attending college. These schemes are subject to Government funding levels, and are awarded on a first come, first serve basis, and can be withdrawn at any time.

You can view the full details (including criteria) of the 2024/25 bursary fund policies here.

Financial support is available to students who:

  • Are on a full time Government funded course and
  • Have a household income below £28,000 (view all policies for full detail here)

Students who are not eligible for Government funding for their course (with the exception of those taking out an Advanced Learner Loan to fund their full level 3 course) are not eligible to apply to the Bursary fund.

Bursary awards are tailored to the individual student and the award allocated will depend upon your course of study, where you live and how many timetabled days you attend college.

The Bursary is only a contribution towards course related costs and travel and will not necessarily cover the full amount. These costs could include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Essential UK based trips, essential books, uniform or equipment required for your course
  • Travel (depending on where you live and how many timetabled days you attend college)
  • Childcare costs - term time and timetabled days only (applies to students aged 20 or above) Deposit, admin or retainer fees are not covered. Students under the age of 20 should apply to the national Care to Learn Scheme for assistance with childcare
  • Registration fees (Advanced Learner Loan applicants only)

  • When and how do I apply?

    To apply for a 19+ Bursary, please read the full policies here and then complete the online Student Bursary application form by following the link here.

    Along with the completed form, you will need to supply full evidence of your household income.

    If you are aged 19 or over, you must provide details of your income and your partner’s income (if applicable). The following documentation is required:

      • Income from employment (P60) or last 3 current monthly pay slips)
      • P45/Change in contract of employment (If your household circumstances have changed)
      • Income from self–employment (accounts showing gross/net profit)
      • Income from any state benefits (your benefits award notices)
      • Universal Credits (3 months FULL benefits award statement)
      • Working Tax/Child Tax Credits (Tax Credit Award Notice)
      • Council Tax and Housing benefits (your benefits award notices)

    If you are not receiving any income, then you must complete a Declaration of Earnings Form that the Student Bursary team will provide.

    Please note: All evidence must be dated within the last 3 months and all pages of any award notice must be provided.

    Please either scan the document as a pdf file and upload all pages of the relevant documentation or submit your paperwork to the college and we will scan and upload the evidence on your behalf. Your application will not be processed without the required proof of income. If the financial circumstances of your household have recently changed (for example as a result of redundancy or a reduction in working hours), please provide details in the form of a P45 or contract of employment with the application form and we will take this into account.

    Once the online application is completed, please ensure you have printed your full names (the student and, if required, the parent/guardian) in the relevant boxes before submitting the application.

    Funds are limited and applications are assessed in order of receipt. Please note that applying for financial support does not guarantee that funding will be allocated.

    Please apply by 1st June for continuing Hadlow students and 1st August for new students. Late applications will still be assessed but any fees due at enrolment will need to be paid by the student/parent/guardian, and if a bursary award is made after enrolment, then a refund may be made towards the fees paid which are covered by the bursary.

    You can contact us if you have any queries via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    {qaccordion|What information do you need?}

    You will need to complete this application form. Incomplete applications will unfortunately not be able to processed and the College is unable to backdate this support where there has been a delay due to incomplete information. If applications are received without the required evidence, the Student Support team will contact the applicant by telephone, email and/or letter. If a response is not received within two weeks, we will file the application until contact can be made.

    You can contact us if you have any queries via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • How do I know if I am eligible?

    Applicants need to meet the criteria stated in the bursary policy and provide the evidence requested during the process so that the bursary team can assess the application. For completed applications received by 1st August, we aim to assess these within 10 working days and will inform applicants if the assessment will take longer. Applications received after 1st August may take up to 30 working days to assess. The outcome of the assessment will be communicated via the student’s personal email held on college records before enrolment. After enrolment any future correspondence regarding the bursary will be sent to either the student’s personal email and/or the parents / guardian’s personal email. A copy of correspondence sent can also be found on the student bursary portal online here along with the application for financial support.

  • When will I receive funding?

    Where students have applied for funding for course equipment or trips, this funding will be made ‘in kind’ where possible or paid direct to the curriculum. If funding is paid to the student by BACS, this will not be paid until the end of November.

    If travel is agreed as part of the award, then this is paid in arrears at the end of each month, commencing at the end of September or the month after the application has been awarded (for late applications).

    All travel payments are subject to the student’s attendance being 90% or over in all subjects. Attendance below 90% will incur a reduction to the travel for the month the student has not travelled in.

  • Are there any ongoing requirements?

    All discretionary awards made by the College are subject to eligibility and attendance levels. Awards will be reduced if attendance falls below 90%, and are checked on a regular basis.

Appeals

Once you have applied for a bursary, if you receive notification that an award cannot be made and you wish to appeal this decision, then an appeal must be made in writing to the Student Bursary Coordinator, within 2 weeks, we will review your application and make a decision. If you are unhappy with the outcome of your appeal, you should follow the college’s complaints procedure here. 

If you require any further help, please contact Student Bursary team: 

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone: 01322 629400 and ask to speak to a member of Student Bursary Team at the campus you will be attending (Dartford, Gravesend, Greenwich, Hadlow or Tonbridge).  For Residential bursary, please speak to the Residential team. 

Help with Travel Expenses

Students who live 1.5 or more miles away from the College may be eligible for funding to contribute to travel costs while they are at college.

Depending on where you live and how you are travelling to college, you may receive a monthly travel allowance.

A travel payment may be awarded to students depending on where they live and the number of timetabled days. Funding is at the discretion of the College and will take into account the discounts available to students and if the student already has support in place from the local authority. It will only be a contribution to assist with travel and may mean the student is awarded funding for monthly ticket options for example. The contribution will not exceed the cheapest option for travel to the College. Awards for travel will be paid directly into the student’s bank account via a BACS payment, in monthly instalments in arrears.

All travel payments are subject to the student’s attendance being 90% or over in all subjects. Attendance below 90% will incur a reduction to the travel for the month the student has not travelled in.

Getting to College

If you need some guidance on how to get to one of our campuses, click here.

Childcare Support

The cost of childcare does not need to be a barrier to your learning. Through Government-run schemes, support is available.

Students who are aged 20 or over as of 31st August may be awarded assistance with childcare costs for the time they are at college (term-time only). Your childcare provider must be Ofsted registered with an Ofsted rating of grade 3 or above. Childcare costs may be provided for one pre-school child only (depending on available funds). Payment for childcare will be made directly to your childcare provider and both the student and the childcare provider will be required to sign a Childcare Agreement with the college.

Students aged under 20 at the start of their course can apply for childcare support from the Government’s Care to Learn scheme. For further information and how to apply online visit https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn

The Dartford and Gravesend Campuses have onsite nurseries that accept the children of students with either 19+ Bursary or Care to Learn funding, as well as non-funded students (depending on spaces available and the child's age).

Home - Bright Beginnings

Care to Learn

Advanced Learner Loan

If you're aged 19 or over and thinking about further education, you may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan.

The Advanced Learner Loan is a Government-funded loan to help those learners pay for the cost of studying A-Levels, an Access to Higher Education Diploma, or any general and vocational and technical qualifications at Level 3 to 6 (excluding any higher education programme). More information on this is available on the Government website.

For the full details of the 19+ bursary policies, click here.