Funding for Care-Experienced Students
Who Qualifies as Care Experienced?
You are care-experienced if you’ve ever been in care at any stage of your life, no matter how short. This includes:
- Foster care
- Kinship care with family or friends (formal or informal with local authority/social work involvement)
- Looked after at home under a compulsory supervision order
- Looked after away from home under a compulsory supervision order
- Residential care, secure care, a List D school, borstal, closed support unit, or children’s home
- Care leaver, looked after on or after your 16th birthday under a formal order
You must provide a confirmation letter from your local authority or social work department. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, contact studentfunding@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk.
Funding for Care-Experienced Students
Funding Overview
As a care-experienced student, you must be a full-time student who has reached the statutory school leaving date (i.e., turned 16 on or before 30 September). If you turn 16 between 1 October and the end of February, you’re eligible from January.
There is no upper age limit. The care experienced bursary is not income-assessed.
Funding Details
You could get the funding below to help with your studies. Funding amounts depend on household income unless otherwise noted.
|
Funding Type |
Details |
|
Course Fees |
Free for eligible students. |
|
Care Experienced Bursary |
£225/week. Not income-assessed. |
|
Travel Costs |
Covered if over 2 miles from college. Free bus travel for under 22s with an NEC. |
|
Study Costs |
Paid directly to your faculty for books, kits, uniforms, and other essentials. |
|
Disability Support |
Extra help for study and travel needs (e.g., interpreters, taxis). Not income-assessed. |
|
Childcare Fund |
Up to £312/week for registered childcare. |
|
Discretionary Fund |
Up to £80/week for rent or one-time emergency payment. |
If You’re on Benefits
If you receive benefits like Universal Credit, we’ll review your situation to check whether the care experienced bursary or staying on benefits would give you the best financial support.
Example Situations
- Chloe, 18, is a care leaver who was in foster care and now lives alone. She gets £225/week care-experienced bursary, free tuition, study costs, and free bus travel (since she’s under 22). Social Work pays her rent as she’s in further education.
- Ryan, 19, moved in with his grandparents at 15 due to his mum’s illness. It was a private family arrangement with no social work involvement, so he isn’t classed as care experienced. He will be assessed as a parentally supported student (18-24).
- Aisha, 21, was in kinship care and lives alone with her 3 year-old child. She receives Universal Credit of £1,631.37/month. If awarded the care-experienced bursary of £225/week, her UC reduces by £857.50/month, giving her a total income of £1,741.37. If instead she receives the Universal Credit bursary of £28/week, her UC only reduces by £10.40 per month, but her total monthly income remains the same at £1,741.37. She also gets free tuition, study costs, free bus travel (under 22) and childcare support.
Key Deadlines
- First Payment on Time: Apply at least 4 weeks before course starts.
- Backdated Payments: Apply within 6 weeks of course start.
- Final Deadline: 31 March 2026.
Application Requirements
Information Required
- Personal details
- Residency
- Education
- Student’s income
- Partner’s income (if applicable)
- Dependent child details (if applicable)
- Bank details
- Travel details
Documents Required (not exhaustive)
- Proof of identity (e.g., passport, birth certificate)
- e-Visa (for non-UK nationals)
- Social work letter or alternative evidence
- Proof of benefits (e.g., Universal Credit statement, to ensure you’re not better off remaining on benefits)
How to Apply
Apply online as soon as you can! We’ll email you an application link after you accept your course. Wait for this email before activating your funding account – doing so too early can cause issues. It takes about 4–6 weeks to process. If you don’t receive the email, contact us at studentfunding@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk. See How to Apply for more details.
Key Information
- You need to meet Home/Scottish residency rules.
- Previous study may affect eligibility unless progressing to a higher level (e.g., SCQF Level 2 to 3).
- Maintain satisfactory attendance/engagement for payments.
- For additional support, email our STAY Worker, who will get in touch.
Questions?
Contact finance@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk.