While studying with us there are several additional funding opportunities which could be available to you. These range from temporary loans to help you manage your finances until you receive your student finance, to additional bursaries to help during times of financial difficulty.
Please check out our Financial Support Flyer HE Financial Support Flyer
Available Support
Short Term Loan (Bridging Loan)
This fund is available to Higher Education Students who are not going to receive their loan on time. The loan is designed to help students in financial hardship in the interim until your student finance comes through.
Award: Up to £500
How to apply: please contact a member of the Financial Support Team to discuss your situation and request an application.
Access to Learning Fund (ALF) 2024/25
The fund is open to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students who have ‘home’ fee status and is in place to help students experiencing financial hardship. In addition to having ‘home’ fee status, students applying for support must be able to evidence that they have applied for/are in receipt of the full support available to them through Student Finance England i.e. maintenance loan, tuition fee loan etc. Students who choose not to accept any source of funding available to them will not be eligible to apply for support through the Access to Learning Fund.
Award: Up to £1000 paid in three instalments throughout the year, based on attendance and progression.
How to apply: Follow this link to the Application form with applications available from 07/10/2024 and will close on 27/06/2025.
Low Income Bursary – £500
The Low-Income Bursary is to help eligible first-year Undergraduate students from households with an annual income less than £25,000 pa and who live in eligible postcode areas. This information is obtained from Student Finance England directly. Low-Income Bursaries are limited and where demand exceeds the supply of bursaries, a further filter of those studying a STEM subject or those who have studied a previous Level 3 qualification with DNCG will be applied. It is a £500 non-repayable cash bursary payment that will be linked to academic progression throughout the year and retention linked. The bursary will be paid in two instalments during the academic year.
Award: £500 one-off payment
How to apply: Application forms will be available from 01.12.2024
Care Experienced Bursary – £500
Our Care Experienced Bursary offers an award to registered students who are currently in, or have previously been in, the care of a Local Authority for any length of time and at any stage in their life. This includes adopted children who were previously in care.
Award: £500 one-off payment
How to apply: Follow this link to the Application form which is available from 07/10/2024.
Council Tax Exemption
Council Tax Exemption Certificates can be arranged for full-time Students only.
How to apply: Please email the HE Admin Team to request your certificate
UCNL: HEAdmin@ucnl.ac.uk UC Don: headministration@don.ac.uk
Please contact the Financial Support Team if you need any help regarding any of the support funds above.
UCNL – financial.support@northlindsey.ac.uk 01724 294179
UCD – financialassist@don.ac.uk 01302 553760
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Bursary (Department of Education)
Aimed at PGCE students, studying to work in FE. !TE bursaries are only available for the following subjects; Computing, Engineering or manufacturing, Mathematics, Science, English (capped at 100 places) Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) A trainee must:
- be eligible to receive student support
- have achieved a standard equivalent to GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English and mathematics, and at least a level 3 qualification in their subject of teacher training, or have relevant professional experience
- be taking a qualifying pre-service. ITE course in England
More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fe-funding-initial-teacher-education-ite-bursary/fe-ite-bursary-funding-manual-2024-to-2025
How to apply: Application forms will be available soon.
Disabled Student Allowance (DSA)
Disabled Student Allowance (DSA)
Additional Learning Support supports students with long-term mental, physical or specific learning difficulties [SPLD’s]. We encourage new and existing students to declare any disability or learning difficulty so that we can help you access the specific support that you require to manage your studies successfully. All conversations with the team will be confidential and information will only be shared on a strictly ‘need-to-know’ basis so that we are able to make reasonable adjustments to support your learning.
The team are wholly committed to promoting an inclusive student community and learning environment. We work strictly within the framework of the Equality Act (2010) to provide reasonable adjustments for all students with disabilities.
Contact the Additional Learning Support team to book an appointment to discuss your needs by emailing help.alsservices@dncolleges.ac.uk
Apprenticeship Support
Please note that students who are on an apprenticeship programme are not eligible to apply for a bursary as per funding guidance – students who are on a traineeship programme may be eligible for a bursary if they meet the eligibility criteria. If you are an apprentice and experiencing financial difficulty, please contact the welfare department.
If you have any questions or queries regarding the financial support available to you, please email financialassist@don.ac.uk.