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South Hampshire College Group (SHCG) is committed to ensuring education is accessible and affordable for all. No matter what you’re studying, we are here to help you find out what financial support you’re entitled to.
The information below on the financial support available is correct for the academic year 2025-2026.
If you need support with bursary, please reach out to the team at [email protected]
This fund is designed to provide financial support for full-time and part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulty. All applications are considered individually, and funding will only be granted where a genuine need for financial assistance has been demonstrated and the criteria have been met. The Discretionary Fund is specifically designed to meet certain priority groups, such as:
This funding may also be available when the household annual income is £35,000 or under and there is a proven need for financial assistance, or when students experience sudden changes in circumstances such as redundancy in the family home.
SHCG cannot offer cash payments but may be able to support with the costs of college-related items such as travel, essential equipment, books and/or uniform.
To be eligible to apply to this fund you must be:
Please note:
This fund has been established by the Government to support any student whose financial situation acts as a barrier to participation in courses. The Vulnerable Student Support Fund may provide funding for transport, essential kits/uniform, course material and equipment. Students are awarded the amount of support they need to participate in the course. Payments are conditional and dependant on attendance, behaviours and attitudes.Â
To be eligible to apply to this fund you must meet at least one of the following criteria. You must be:
Free Student Meals are available for all eligible students for each day the student is timetabled and expected to attend their study programme.
To be eligible for Free Student Meals as per current guidance you must be:
Support may only be offered once a successful application has been made.
Free meals in further education may be provided where students are in receipt of, or have parents who are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:
County Councils have an online service to check eligibility for Free Student Meals. Please follow the links below for the area in which you reside.
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Southampton City Council – Online Application (southampton.gov.uk)
Hampshire County Council – Online Application (cloudforedu.org.uk)
Students aged 19 or over are only eligible to receive a free meal if they are continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
These two groups of aged 19 plus students can receive a free meal while they continue to attend education (in the case of a 19+ continuer, this must be the same programme they started before they turned 19), as long as their eligibility continues.
Free Student Meals are only available for each day the student is timetabled and expected to attend their study programme (as appropriate)
The Discretionary Student Support Fund for 19+ students is a financial assistance fund comprising of post-19 discretionary and post-20 childcare funds provided by the Department for Education (DfE). The fund is intended to be used for students facing financial hardship to help with essential course related costs such as travel, essential equipment, books and/or uniform, professional body membership fees and the cost of childcare while studying (for students aged 20 and over). Funds may be used for a wide variety of purposes to meet individual needs. All applications are considered individually and will only be granted where a genuine need for financial assistance has been demonstrated and criteria has been met.
To be eligible to apply to this fund you must be:
Please note:
If you are under 20 at the start of your course, you may be eligible for help with childcare costs while you study. The childcare provider must be registered with Ofsted.
You may also receive support for additional travel expenses incurred when taking your child to and from the childcare provider.
To apply, you’ll need to provide evidence of your parental status, such as a copy of your child’s birth certificate or proof of Child Benefit.
If you are aged 20 or over at the start of your course, you may be eligible to apply for childcare support through the College.
Support is based on several eligibility criteria, including:
To apply, you will need to provide evidence of your parental status, such as a copy of your child’s birth certificate or proof of Child Benefit.
If you are aged 19+ and in receipt of active benefits (e.g. Job Seeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Universal Credit) and studying below level 3 you may be eligible for free or discounted study depending on your selected course.
For more information on course funding please visit our course fees page.
We offer a variety of payment methods for students to pay their fees:
Online Payment Service: Pay securely visit our payment portal.
Credit or Debit Card: Accepting all major cards via the online payment portal
For courses lasting over 12 weeks with fees exceeding £500, we offer an instalment plan.
A £250 deposit is required before the plan can be set up. Instalments can be spread over a maximum of 8 payments, with the final payment due two months before the course ends.
Please note: some short courses may be excluded from this option. If the instalment plan is not followed, the College reserves the right to refuse future instalment arrangements.
If your employer is covering your fees, you will need to provide an Employer’s Authorisation Form or a letter from your employer confirming their commitment to pay. An invoice will be issued directly to the employer.
Students who wish to study for a qualification at Level 3 and are 19+ years, at the start of their course, can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover the tuition cost of their study programme. The Bursary is designed to support students aged 19+ who have taken out an Advanced Learner Loan and face financial barriers to participation.
This fund can help pay for support such as accommodation (if a student needs to live away from home for their course), travel, course materials/equipment, childcare and/or classroom assistance for a disability or learning difficulty.
To be eligible to apply to this fund you must be:
There are loans available to help support adults with the costs of studying Further and Higher Education courses at South Hampshire College Group. These are described below.Â
If you’re aged 19 or over and want to study Access to Higher Education or a Level 3 or above Vocational Qualification, you’ll need to pay for the cost of your course. To help finance the course you may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan.Â
It’s easy to apply for. Household income isn’t taken into account and there’s no credit check. Importantly, you won’t have to pay anything back until you’re earning over £25,000 a year.
Student Finance England will ‘write off’ any outstanding Advanced Learner Loan balances you owe for an Access to HE course once you complete a Higher Education course. This means you do not have to repay it.
You can apply for courses starting between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026. Â Complete and submit your Advanced Learner Loan application as soon as possible to ensure your loan is in place for the start of your course. Please note: you will not be able to apply until you have received a course offer and a Learning and Funding Information letter from the College.
To assist you with your tuition fees you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan (non-income assessed) and a Maintenance Loan for your accommodation and living costs whilst you are studying.
There are no up-front tuition fees with a student loan and you will only start to repay the loan after you leave the course and start working. The amount you pay is dependent on your salary, not the size of your loan and will be deducted from your salary by your employer in the same way they deduct tax.