19+ Discretionary Bursaries
(Awarded to students with a household income of £50,000 or less).
This provides support for students aged 19 and over at the start of the academic year where the student is funded through the ESFA/Local Authority Adult Education Budget (Higher Education, Full Cost and Apprenticeships are not eligible).
Awards will be made subject to a successful application and only to students who face genuine financial barriers to completing their course, and priority will be given to co-funded students who are unable to afford their tuition fees or examination fees.
Students whose household income is in excess of £50,000 can still apply for hardship support, however, will need to demonstrate that they require financial support due to exceptional circumstances.
This fund can also be used to support childcare costs if an Ofsted registered provider is used.
How to Apply for 19+ Bursary
You can apply for this bursary via the College's dedicated bursary portal. You will need to upload evidence of your financial income to check your eligibility.
Advanced Learner Loan (ALL) 19+ Bursary Funds
(Awarded to students with a household income of £50,000 or less who have successfully funded their course through an Advanced Learner Loan).
The Advanced Learner Loans Bursary is only available to students whose course fees are funded by an Advanced Learning Loan and the approval letter from the Student Loan Company must be attached to the application.
Applications can also be made by students who face genuine financial barriers to completing their Advanced Loan-funded course to assist with paying their examination fees or other course-related costs but as funds are limited all awards will be made subject to financial limits.
Students whose household income is in excess of £50,000 can still apply for hardship support, however, will need to demonstrate that they require financial support due to exceptional circumstances.
This fund can also be used to support childcare costs if an Ofsted registered provider is used.
Anyone who would like to study at college but thinks they can’t afford to should contact Student Services on 0191 518 8222 for further advice.
How to Apply for ALL 19+ Bursary
You can apply for this bursary via the College's dedicated bursary portal. You will need to upload evidence of your financial income to check your eligibility.
Advanced Learner Loan For Fees
Advanced Learner Loans are available to students aged 19 and over who are enrolling on eligible courses at Level 3 and above. These loans cover the cost of tuition so you will not have to pay all the tuition fees upfront.
It is easy to apply – loan eligibility does not depend on your income and there are no credit checks.
You are expected to start repaying your loan in the April after you have completed or left your course. However, you’ll only start making repayments when you start earning more than £25,000 a year. Repayments will stop if your annual income falls below this.
If you apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to help with the costs of an Access to Higher Education course at East Durham College and then move on to and complete a Higher Education course, the outstanding balance owed on the loan gets written off.
You can find out more about Advanced Learner Loans, including eligibility and how to apply, at gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan.
Check out our Advanced Learner Loan page for more details.
Finance