Apply for Financial Assistance
This form is for those who may need financial assistance whilst at college and meet the following criteria:
Household income of £39,700 or less per year
In receipt of certain benefits
Looked After Child status
For learners under the age of 19, we would recommend filling out this form with a parent / carer.
Please note that financial assistance is discretionary, and will be given in the form of College meals (Study Programme 16–19 learners), travel costs, materials / kits where required and printing credits.
Please ensure you upload evidence of your household income for 2024/25 or the last 3 months in the 'Verify' section of this form. Your application cannot be assessed without this.
Learners should ensure they have read the following policies before completing this request form:
16–19 Bursary Fund Policy (for Students aged 16–19 years)
Student Financial Support Policy (for Students aged 19 and over)
Should you have any queries when completing the form please use the contact details on this page.
Student Personal details
Eligibility
We are asking the question(s) below to ensure you are eligible for financial assistance for the upcoming academic year. You will need to apply for financial assistance each academic year.
If you would like to talk to someone about your eligibility for financial assistance, please refer to our
college website
or give our dedicated team a call using the contact details on this page.
Please note that all financial assistance decisions require additional evidence to be uploaded, verified and approved by a member of our Student Services team before financial assistance is put in place.
Financial assistance needs to be applied for and approved for each academic year.
| Financial Assistance Option |
Rules and Criteria for Eligibility |
| 16 – 18 Discretionary Bursary |
Available for learners 16 – 18 * (age on August 31st 2025) with a primary household income of £39,700 or less per year.
You will need to upload a form of evidence of your household income in the 'Verify' section of this form.
* This includes learners who are now 19 years old, but were 16 – 18 when they started their course at Macclesfield College and learners aged 19 – 25 with an EHCP.
|
| 16 – 18 Vulnerable Bursary |
The learner must be aged 16 – 18 * (age on August 31st 2025) and one of the following statements must apply to the learner (not the parent / carer):
I am In Care / a Care Leaver
I receive Disability Living Allowance AND EITHER Employment and Support Allowance OR Universal Credit
I receive Personal Independence Payment AND EITHER Employment and Support Allowance OR Universal Credit
I receive Income Support or Universal Credit in my own name as I am financially supporting myself
You will need to upload a form of evidence confirming one the statements above in the 'Verify' section of this form.
* This includes learners who are now 19 years old, but were 16 – 18 when they started their course at Macclesfield College and learners aged 19 – 25 with an EHCP.
|
| 19+ Hardship Fund |
Only available for learners who are 19 years and over with an individual income of £25,396 or less per year and who are studying on courses funded by the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) or an Advanced Learner Loan.
You will need to upload a form of evidence of your individual income in the 'Verify' section of this form.
|
| 20+ Childcare |
Only available for learners who are 20 years and over and on courses funded by the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) or an Advanced Learner Loan.
You will need to upload a form of evidence of your current Ofsted registered childcare provider in the 'Verify' section of this form.
|
| Care2Learn |
All of the following statements must apply to the learner:
I am the main carer for my child and I am in receipt of Child Benefit
My child's other parent is unable to provide childcare and they are not claiming childcare through any other source
You will need to upload the following items in the 'Verify' section of this form:
Child Benefit Statement
Childcare Provider Headed letter which includes the provider's Ofsted Unique Registration Number, the providers bank account details and the provider's childcare fees.
|
| Free School Meals |
The learner must be aged 16 – 18 * (age on August 31st 2025) and one of the following statements must apply to the learner or one of the parents / carers of the learner:
Income Support
Income–based Jobseekers Allowance
Income–related Employment Support Allowance
Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run–on
Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including any benefits)
You will need to upload a form of evidence confirming one the statements above in the 'Verify' section of this form.
If you were in receipt of Free School Meals at your previous provider, due to being in receipt of Universal Credit, but no longer meet the earnings criteria you may be eligible for the transition funding. Please contact the team if you require further information.
* This includes learners who are now 19 years old, but were 16 – 18 when they started their course at Macclesfield College and learners aged 19 – 25 with an EHCP.
|
Referring to the eligibility rules and criteria for each financial assistance option in the table above, now select up to three (3) options that apply to your current situation, in the dropdown boxes below. Evidence must be uploaded in the 'Verify' section in support of the options you choose.
Verify
Please upload the following documents:
Household income for 2024/25 – your application cannot be assessed without this.
To verify your eligibility for a Vulnerable Bursary, we require you to upload a form of evidence verifying at least one the statements below:
– I am a Looked after Child / In Care
– I am a Care Leaver
– I receive Disability Living Allowance AND EITHER Employment and Support Allowance OR Universal Credit
– I receive Personal Independence Payment AND EITHER Employment and Support Allowance OR Universal Credit
– I receive Income Support or Universal Credit in my own name as I am financially supporting myself
To verify your eligibility for the 19+ Hardship Fund, we require you to upload a form of evidence of your individual income being less than £25,396 per year.
To verify your eligibility for 20+ Childcare, we require you to upload a form of evidence of your current Ofsted registered childcare provider.
To verify your eligibility for Care2Learn, we require you to upload all of the evidence below:
– Child Benefit Statement
– Full details of the Childcare Provider (including Ofsted Unique Registration Number)
– Details of childcare fees and bank account details for payment
To verify your eligibility for a Discretionary Bursary, we require you to upload a form of evidence of your primary household income of £39,700 or less per year.
To verify your eligibility for Free College Meals, we require you to upload a form of evidence verifying at least one the statements below:
– Income Support
– Income–based Jobseekers Allowance
– Income–related Employment Support Allowance
– Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
– The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
– Child Tax Credit (not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
– Workng Tax Credit run–on
– Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including any benefits)
– I was in receipt of Free School Meals at my previous provider due to being in receipt of Universal Credit but no longer meet the criteria due to the earnings statement
If you are uploading a Universal Credit Statement, you can download this in full from the Government portal by pressing the print option.
We cannot accept screenshots or partial documentation as evidence.
We only accept the following file formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG and PDF.
The maximum file size of uploads is 5MB.
Consent
We will contact you, using the contact details you provided in your enrolment form, with important and vital information in relation to this financial assistance application by email, telephone, text or post.
Additionally, from time to time, our Marketing team would like to send you updates that may be of interest to you about Macclesfield College opportunities, news, upcoming events, surveys and research. If you give consent below to receive these types of communications, then the College may share your personal data with organisations who conduct marketing processes on behalf of Macclesfield College, under a strict data sharing agreement.
Sign
Macclesfield College's Privacy Statement can be found on our website:
www.macclesfield.ac.uk/about-us/policies-procedures/privacy-statement
I declare that all information provided in this application is true and accurate. The evidence I have submitted, or will submit, is correct and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that providing false or incomplete information that results in incorrect or excess assistance may lead to future payments being stopped and any overpaid funds being reclaimed. This may also result in a referral to the police and potential prosecution for myself and/or my family.
I understand that if I provide false information or fail to supply the necessary supporting documents, my application will not be considered for assessment.
I acknowledge that submitting this application does not guarantee that I will receive financial support.
I understand that I will not receive bursary support until I am fully enrolled at Macclesfield College and my attendance has been confirmed.
I accept responsibility for informing any relevant Government Agencies of financial support I receive that may affect other benefits or funding.
Macclesfield College administers financial support on behalf of external funding bodies. These funds may be audited to ensure compliance with funding regulations. I understand that, by submitting this form, my information may be shared with external agencies for the purpose of verifying compliance with funding rules.
I understand that the information provided in this application may also be shared with other departments within the College if necessary.
I acknowledge that my application is assessed based on household income, and I may be asked to provide additional information upon request.
I understand that any financial support awarded is subject to maintaining good attendance, punctuality, behaviour, and engagement with coursework.
I am aware that this application applies to one academic year only, and I will need to submit a new application if I require financial assistance in future years.
I understand that if I withdraw from my course, my bursary will be reassessed, and this may affect any fees I owe to Macclesfield College.
Applications for financial assistance and associated evidence are seen only by college business support staff. It may be necessary for additional supporting information to be sought in order for a decision to be made.
As a Further Education and Higher Education provider, we process and store certain records to comply with our legal obligations. We co–operate with regulatory authorities such as the Information Commissioner's Office and HMRC and will process data to meet such legal obligations.
When we provide or receive services, we will process personal data where it is necessary for the purpose of our legitimate interests. Unless we are entitled to do so, we shall not share your personal information. You can find out more about how we use your data here: https://macclesfield.ac.uk/about-us/policies-procedures/privacy-statement
Any formal enquiries concerning the use of data should be addressed to the college's Data Protection Officer (DPO) at: dpo@macclesfield.ac.uk
If you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): www.ico.org.uk
Important: Please ensure all information provided on this form is accurate before you submit your form.
Enter your full name below to accept the above terms & conditions
Please check you have completed the fields in this form correctly and once you are happy, make sure you haved entered your full name above, then press the 'Submit your details' button below to submit your request for financial assistance.
Your request is subject to validation and approval by the College.