Higher Education Bursaries 2021/22
Introduction
Activate Learning recognises that funding is a big part of your decision to embark on a higher education programme, consequently we have put in place additional funding in the form of bursaries to support you.
All bursaries are paid as grants and so do not to be repaid. In addition, all bursaries are paid directly to you, giving you full control over how and where you spend them.
If you are studying and registered on a course with either Oxford Brookes University of the University of Reading, you should in the first instance, seek support from the relevant awarding university. If you are unable to access support due to circumstances such as the fund at the university having been exhausted, you may make a subsequent claim for any of the available Bursaries or the HE Support Fund.
Applications should be made using the online form available on the HE Portal within ALO or available here.
HE Maintenance Bursary
The HE Maintenance Bursary exists to provide you with some extra financial support while you’re studying with us. You can use this money for whatever you need, whether that’s a helping hand with your rent or travelling to campus.
What’s it worth?
The HE Maintenance Bursary offers a grant of up to £1000 paid in two instalments (55% at the beginning of the academic year with the balance of 45% paid in April) subject to sufficient attendance and academic progress on the part of the student. Application is not a guarantee of award as a limited number of awards are available.
Who is eligible?
- Be eligible for funding as a home student;
- Be normally resident in the UK;
- Be in receipt of the full SFE maintenance loan;
- Have a family income of £25,000 or less; and,
- Studying on a FdSc/BSc awarded by Kingston University or a FdSc/BA awarded by the University of Greenwich.
All applications must be made using the online form.
You will as part of your application be required to provide evidence to show that you meet the eligibility criteria. It is important to note that you can apply for a HE Maintenance Bursary in each year of study.
You will be able to apply for an Activate Learning HE Maintenance Bursary from May 2021 onwards provided Activate Learning is your firm choice through UCAS.
You should be aware that funds are not unlimited and that applications for the HE Maintenance Bursary will be processed in the order they are received. The application process will be closed once the funding has been used. Please note that should it be necessary, preference will be given to students where neither parent holds a higher education qualification.
HE Care Leavers Bursary
The HE Care Leavers Bursary aims to support those who have been in care to undertake a higher education programme.
What’s it worth?
The HE Care Leaver Bursary is a grant of £1000 paid in one instalment in October to eligible students.
Who’s eligible?
In order to be considered for HE Care Leaver Bursary you must meet our definition of a Care Experienced or Estranged student: someone who has been in the care of their local authority/had experience of the care system after the age of 14 for a minimum period of 3 months. You will also need to registered on a full-time undergraduate course, and classed as a Home student and under the age of 25 at the start of your course,
You will receive the HE Care Bursary in each year of your course on the condition that you meet attendance requirements and progress normally on the programme
You should be aware that you can apply for both a HE Maintenance Bursary as well as a HE Care Leaver Bursary.
All applications must be made using the online form.
You should be aware that funds are not unlimited and that applications for the HE Care Leaver Bursary will be processed in the order they are received. The application process will be closed once the funding has been used. Payments will be made at the beginning of the academic year.
HE Study Support Bursary
Activate Learning have put in place a HE Study Support Bursary to provide students with access to financial support in meeting the additional costs of their course this might include obtaining digital technology to aid remote/online studying, material to support studying i.e. research papers, equipment/material for coursework, travel arrangements for an event or project directly linked to their course of study i.e. field trips, off-site research * or undertaking a dyslexia assessment. This is not an exhaustive list and as such, an application will be considered for this bursary as long as the eligibility criteria is met and financial support can be justified.
*Students studying on either a FdSc or a BSc awarded by Kingston University at Merrist Wood College can apply for a HE Study Support Bursary to help in meeting the financial costs of undertaking the work experience requirement within their course.
What’s it worth?
This offers a grant of up to £500 is available and will be subject to sufficient attendance (at least 80% attendance) and academic progress on the part of the student. You will be required to provide evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria. Application is not a guarantee of award as a limited number of awards are available.
You should be aware that requests for support in purchasing IT equipment will be limited to 50% of the cost of the equipment unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Who is eligible?
You are eligible to apply for the HE Study Support Bursary if you are an active student on an undergraduate programme or PGCE student and normally resident in the UK. You will need to be up to date in the payment of tuition fees.
Please note that you will need to be able to demonstrate relevance to your studies of the support requested.
All applications must be made using the online form and will be limited to a maximum of two applications per student per academic year.
Funds are not unlimited and applications for the HE Study Bursary will be processed in the order they are received preference will also be given to students where neither parent has a higher education qualification. The application process will be closed once the funding has been used. Please note that you may be required to provide receipts to validate the expenditure and applications must be submitted at least 15 working days prior to the date on which funds are required.
You should be aware that payments will not be made until the start of the academic year and if you withdraw from your programme of study prior to the end of the academic year you may be liable to repay all or part of any HE Study Support Bursary paid to you.
HE Financial Hardship Fund
HE Financial Hardship Fund provides limited discretionary financial support for students on higher education programmes who are experiencing financial difficulty and are unable to meet basic or unexpected additional costs from other sources of support. The fund can also offer limited support to students who have experienced a change in financial circumstances due to unforeseen events.
The HE Financial Hardship Fund is intended to act as a safety net for those in financial difficulty rather than as a main source of income. The size of the fund is limited and so may not be able to meet your need in full or guarantee that funds will be available, especially towards the end of an academic year. Awards are discretionary and are paid in the form of a non-repayable grant.
The HE Financial Hardship fund cannot fully compensate for the lack of parental contribution; especially where a student has only been able to take out the non-means tested part of the Student Loan though some limited support may be available. If you already hold a HE qualification which is the same or higher than the course you plan to study then you may not be eligible for statutory funding from the Student Loans Company you may though still be eligible to receive an award from the Hardship Fund.
What’s it worth?
The maximum payable for each individual award is £250.
You can apply to the fund during any and every year of study and there is no limit on the number of requests that can be made during each academic year. The fund is open to full and part-time students.
Students who are studying on a franchised HE course should in the first instance, seek support from the hardship fund of the relevant awarding university. If they are unable to access support due to circumstances such as the fund at the university having been exhausted, they may make a subsequent claim to the Activate Learning HE Hardship Fund.
Who is eligible?
- You are eligible to apply for the HE Hardship Fund if you are an active student on an undergraduate programme or PGCE student and normally resident in the UK
- You must be up to date with the payment of tuition fees.
All applications must be made using the online form and will need to be supported by evidence of financial hardship and need which will include the last 3 month’s bank statements.
How are applications assessed?
Applications will be assessed based on individual need preventing attendance or full participation in the programme of study.
If you are entitled to welfare benefits these should be applied for before submitting an application to the fund. Any award from the fund may affect your benefit payments, but on request we can produce a letter for your Job Centre Plus/Housing Benefit office, which will confirm whether or not the award will affect your benefits.
Students should be aware that they may be required to provided additional evidence and/or a reference to support their application.
Students should note that payments from the fund may take at least 10 working days to process.
