Financial Support

Please note: Information is subject to change each academic year

College will help students overcome any financial barriers for them to successfully complete their studies. There is the 16-19 Bursary Fund that students can apply for from low-income families to help students with essential costs of participating such as travel to and from school or college, contribution towards meals or to buy essential books, equipment, or specialist clothing (protective overalls, for example) that are required for their study programme. Students who are 16+ will need to apply for financial support for themselves but will need the parent/carer’s support in providing the required evidence to support their claim.

Families that have a household income below £35,000 will mean a student can apply for financial support. Students can also claim for Free School Meals if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Free Meals will only be awarded if you meet the government’s criteria for Free Meals in further education or if you make a transitional claim:

• Your family receives Universal Credit and your family’s working salary is less that £7,400 per year
• If your family are still on a legacy benefit i.e. Income Support, ESA, JSA
• Your family receives Child Tax Credit only and their annual gross income is below £16,190 (if they also receive Working Tax Credit you will not be eligible for free school meals)
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Important - Being on Universal Credit does not automatically award Free Meals until September 2026 so you would need to meet the current criteria to be eligible. For students who were already receiving free school meals prior to starting Scarborough Sixth Form College please contact Student Services who will provide you with support in making a transitional claim for free meals and the evidence we would require.

Universal Credit

Many families will be changing from the legacy benefit to Universal Credit and any new claims will automatically be placed on Universal Credit. The College calculates Universal Credit household income set out by the Government Guidelines for assessing eligibility by adding the total amount of Universal Credit received i.e. Your Payment this month is £1,343 for example plus the total of salary paid after tax (Earning’s reported by your employer) e.g. £1,045.42 this would give a monthly household income of £2388.42

We ask for three statements as advised by the Government's policy as salaries can fluctuate between months and this can allow us to calculate an average monthly salary.

For self-employed families, they may be set a Minimum Income Floor. An example is earnings from self-employment is £675.00 but the Minimum Income Floor is set at £1,410.89 – the £1410.89 would be the total take home pay and we would use this to calculate household income.

For more information on Universal Credit please follow the link (Many families are often entitled to Universal Credit and not aware so you can also check your eligibility):

https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

As a student, how will I know if I am eligible to get financial support from the16-19 Bursary Fund?

If you are a new or returning student and not sure if you are eligible to apply you can download the following information and guidelines document that will help you check your eligibility:

Financial Support Information and Guidelines

It will also provide lots of useful information on the 16-19 Bursary Fund and what financial support you can get and the application process, even if you are still not sure if you are eligible you can still apply.

You can also contact student services direct by phone or email who will be able answer your questions and provide any assistance you may need

All applications are online only, and students are responsible to register and complete their application with the support from a parent/carer.

How students apply for financial support

A text will be sent out to all new applicants and returning students when the application for financial support for September 2025 is available.

Please note: the application MUST be completed by the student and not by a parent/carer. All bank details must be the student’s own account information.

If you have any questions, please email studentservices@s6f.org.uk or call 01723 380726