Financial support for school leavers

If you are 16-18 your course will be fully funded, but you may be eligible for additional support.

*Please note, all support is subject to eligibility.

If you are eligible for travel support, you will receive a monthly allowance to pay for your travel, up to a £60 maximum monthly payment. based on the cheapest mode of transport.

To qualify for support with travel, students aged 16-18 must meet one of the following criteria:

  • Your household income is less than £30,000 and you live more than 1 mile from your campus of study
  • Your household income is between £30,000 and £50,000 and you live more than 3 miles from your campus of study

If you live in Northumberland

All 16–18-year-olds living in Northumberland will need to apply for travel support through the Northumberland County Council Post-16 Travel department (eligibility criteria applies, click here to see the Northumberland County Council Post-16 Transport Policy for further details).

If you have made a travel application through Northumberland County Council and have been rejected, or do not meet the eligibility criteria, you may receive support through the 16-19 bursary fund. You will need to provide evidence of your application in the form of an acceptance or rejection letter. Failure to do so will delay your bursary application.

If you live more than 1 mile from your campus of study, you may receive travel support through the 16-19 bursary fund.

If you live outside of Northumberland

If you live more than 1 mile from your campus of study, you may receive travel support through the 16-19 bursary fund.

Students will receive support via:

  • Monthly travel payments
  • Independent travel

Public transport

Public transport support is based on the Get Around for £1 scheme and will be calculated as follows:

Cost of bus fare multiplied by the number of days you are in college.

Students who qualify for a bursary will now be offered travel support in the form of a Stagecoach annual pass or GNE monthly tickets.

Private transport

If you drive, we pay £0.30 per mile. Mileage is capped at £60 per month.

Travelling for a placement

Students can receive travel support for work placements even if they are not usually eligible for travel support (e.g. living less than 1 mile from campus).

Students with any of the below benefits will be eligible for meals. Meals are paid at £4 per day:

  • Income Support
  • You could be eligible for free college meals if you have a total annual household income of under £30,000.
  • If you are studying a HE or Access to HE course, you are not eligible for free college meals.
  • Meals are offered at £4 per day onto student ID badges for timetabled days.
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit - provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit (UC) with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including any benefits they get)

All students, will have access to a free breakfast if required.

Students completing a work placement off-site may be eligible for support with meals. Payments for meals (if eligible) on placement days will be sent to your bank account.

If you require support with childcare costs and you are aged under 20 at the start of your course, you should apply through Care to Learn. Click here for more information about Care to Learn.

Students studying a course at our Kirkley Hall campus  may be eligible for residential accommodation.

You must live more than 5 mile from campus in order to qualify for accommodation and a bond of £250 is required to secure a room (repayable at the end if the academic year).

For more information, click here.

Students can apply for assistance with the cost of purchasing course related items that are not mandatory for completing their qualification, such as: 

  • Kit and equipment
  • Uniform
  • UCAS Fee
  • Essential Trips and Visits

Support will be provided to cover kit and equipment costs for students with a household income under £30,000

Those in receipt of certain benefits, in their own right, may also be eligible for a £1,200 a year, Vulnerable Bursary. 

If you're struggling due to your financial circumstances or have any questions about what support you may be eligible for, please speak to a member of the Finance Support team by emailing welfare@educationpartnershipne.ac.uk.

When kit or equipment is essential to the course, support will be provided to cover costs for students with a household income under £30,000.

Devices such as laptops and headphones for study are available to borrow from our Future Ready Hubs to use for studying.

For more information, click here.

Those in receipt of certain benefits, in their own right, may also be eligible for a £1,200 a year Vulnerable bursary.

Up to the age of 18, a student who is care experienced or looked after, or is receiving income support/Universal Credit as they are financially supporting themselves, is entitled to £1,200 from Care to Learn to use across the academic year.

If student is in significant financial hardship, they can complete a Hardship Request form for anything that is causing a barrier to learning. These are based on household income and looked at individually.

Find out more about bursary applications