Bursaries

What is a Bursary?
An FE Bursary is a discretionary grant made by The Highland Council Education Service to assist in maintaining a person attending an approved course in a College of Further Education. It should be noted that an award will not necessarily cover all expenses of the student and may be required to be supplemented by a means tested contribution from parent, guardian or spouse. The award is made under the conditions of the currently approved bursary policy of The Highland Council.

What is the entitlement to a Bursary?
A student has a basic entitlement to a bursary for one-year course of study leading to a recognised vocational qualification up to but not including Higher National Certificate level. It is expected that such a qualification will be achieved within one year but exceptions to this rule may very occasionally be allowed. Further details are available from your local Area Education Office - the list of addresses as a pdf file is located in the Current Document section.

Special Needs
Courses for students with Special Educational Needs or Learning Difficulties will be given exceptional consideration.

Examples of courses which are not approved:

• Non-vocational courses
• Courses lasting more than one year except as mentioned in 2 above
• Courses in horse-riding leading only to BHS certificates
• Foundation courses in any subject i.e. internally validated college certificate or diploma courses that do not lead to a guaranteed place in Higher Education
• Courses consisting wholly or mainly of GCE subjects
• Overseas courses
• Part-time day or evening classes
• Full-time courses lasting less than 10 weeks

Previous Awards
A bursary will not normally be awarded to an applicant who has received a previous discretionary award from a local authority, a mandatory award from the Students Awards Agency or who is eligible to receive alternative funding from another source. Awards will not be granted to applicants to improve an existing degree or diploma whether or not previous funding has been obtained.

Fee Payments
Fees are payable in respect of students who are aged 18 or over on 1 September of the year of study. No annual fee payment to any establishment will normally be greater than the fee deemed appropriate by Scottish Executive Education Department for a Scottish FE College. In 2006/07 this fee will be £960. An eligible applicant will have the fee paid irrespective of the level of the student's income or the income of the student's parent or spouse. Fees will not be paid if the student does not meet the criteria for eligibility. Examination charges will not normally be payable above the agreed course fee.

Non-Local Provision
Students who choose not to use a locally based provision where this is available may attend other colleges but will only be funded as if they were at the local college.

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Categories of Award
There are two categories of FE Bursary:

• Category A - awarded to students who are under 18 on 1 September of the year of study.
• Category B - awarded to students who are 18 and over on 1 September of the year of study.

In recognition of the fact that many under 18 students in Highland are obliged to stay away from home, the level of award to such students will be enhanced above the national guidelines. Evidence of age will have to be produced by all applicants.

Halls of Residence
Students who are required to stay in a Hall of Residence as a condition of their course of study will be eligible to have the appropriate rate paid for accommodation.

Travel and Other Costs
Certain travel costs incurred in attending a course of study will be paid.  A contribution to books and equipment will be included in the final award.

Application Dates
As the Bursary Budget is likely to continue to be under pressure this year, applications are sought from potential students as early as possible. Application forms are available from local Area Education Offices and completed application forms should be returned to the appropriate Area Education Office by 30 June.  It is appreciated that many students will not have finalised plans by that date, but a provisional application should be submitted.  A list of Area Education Offices as a pdf file is located in the Current Document section.


Note
This document does not represent the full detail of The Highland Council Bursary Policy but is intended to give general information only. The Director of Education, Culture & Sport will make final interpretation of the terms of the policy relating to any application.

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