Financial Support
NCL Hardship Fund
About
The
Hardship Fund aims to assist students who experience unexpected financial
difficulties due to circumstances that could not have been predicted at the
start of their course and are struggling with their living costs. The fund is
not intended to pay for students’ tuition fees or their ‘lifestyle choices’.
The
fund is available on a first-come-first-served basis subject to eligibility
checks.
Students
can receive a grant of up to £500 which does not need to be paid back, to
enable them to continue their studies.
The
money can be used to support:
-
Essential living costs (rent, utility bills etc)
- IT
equipment or access to the internet
-
Travelling expenses
-
etc.
*The
deadline to apply for Hardship Fund for 2023-2024 is 30th June 2024.
Eligibility
Students
must meet all of the eligibility criteria below:
-
The student must be enrolled on a full-time undergraduate (HND/ FDA or BA
Top-up) course.
-
The student must be a UK resident.
-
The student must be eligible for funding as a Home student.
- In
receipt of the maximum statutory funding to which you are entitled. (this would
include means-tested maintenance loans and grants, Child Tax Credits, Housing
Benefits, Parents Learning Allowance, Childcare Grant, and Council Tax
Reduction).
-
The students must be paid the first instalment of their Student Finance before
applying to the NCL Hardship Fund.
-
The student can apply only once during an academic year.
Please
note that students applying for hardship funds must be able to demonstrate that
they have made provisions to fund both their tuition fees and living costs
prior to starting the course.
How to apply
-
Students are required to complete the Hardship FundApplication in full and provide supporting documentation that is listed on
the form.
-
Students should state why they are applying for financial support from the
college and Provide as much detail in a supporting statement section of the
application form.
-
Students must provide a copy of their letter from Student Finance England (SFE)
and documents about their finances (three full months of bank statements)
-
Hardship Fund application can be collected from the Student Welfare Officers or
downloaded from the website.
-
Students can submit the application to either the Student Welfare Officer or
via email to student.welfare@nelsoncollege.ac.uk
Students
will be notified by the Student Welfare Officer of the outcome of their
application within 21 working days.
If
the application is rejected, students may appeal to the Chair of the Student
Access and Success Steering Group. Contact the Student Welfare Officer for
further advice.
NCL Bursary Package
About
Bursaries
support students through their studies by helping them with their general
living costs. The money can be used to purchase books, and specialist equipment
or cover travel costs and any other expenses such as household bills, etc.
The
fund is available on a first-come-first-served basis subject to eligibility
checks conducted by the College. Students on can receive a bursary package of
up to £1,000 / (£2,000 - for care experienced) which does not need to be paid
back.
Eligibility
Care
Leaver[1] / Care Experienced[2] or Disabled Students must
satisfy the following criteria to be eligible for the NCL bursary:
-
Have been in care (You will need proof of having been in care from an official
source, such as a local authority).
-
Classified with a disability, long-term illness, mental health problems, or
learning difficulties (evidence less than 3 months dated from the GP or medical
evidence will be required).
-
You must be a permanent resident in the UK and a home student for fee purposes.
-
You must be in receipt of the maximum Maintenance Loan as assessed by the
Student Loans Company.
-
Student will have to be on the College disability register or Care Leaver
register.
[1]
Care Leavers as defined by the College are those who are aged 18-25 years old who are still under the
responsibility of the local authority. This will also include all those who
have experienced care at any stage of their lives, including those who have
been adopted, estranged students, and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
[2]
Care Experienced are those who are aged 26 and above who
have been in care including those who have been adopted, estranged students,
and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
How to apply
-
Students are required to submit a Bursary Packageapplication form with relevant evidence in order to be assessed for the Bursary
Package.
-
Students can collect the Bursary Package application form from the Student
Welfare Officer or download it from the website.
-
Students must provide a copy of their letter from Student Finance England (SFE)
-
Students can submit the application to either the Student Welfare Officer or
via email to student.welfare@nelsoncollege.ac.uk
Students
will be notified by the Student Welfare Officer about the outcome of their
application within 21 working days.
Students
can only receive one hardship fund or bursary package, which will be the one
that has the highest monetary value.
Eligible
students must maintain an appropriate standard of behaviour throughout their
course of study at the College otherwise the bursary may be withdrawn.