16-18 Discretionary Bursary*
We’re committed to supporting you throughout your learning journey. That’s why we offer a means-tested bursary, funded by the Department for Education, to help overcome financial barriers and support your success on your course. Please read the following, which provides you with an overview of a Learner Support Fund bursary.
Explore this study area:
Who can apply for the 16-18 Bursary?
If you fall into one of the following categories, you will be eligible to apply for support from the 16-19 Bursary:
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Household meets the Free Meals in Further Education criteria.
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Household Income under £40,000.
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You are a young person who is living independently and in receipt of Universal Credit because you are financially supporting yourself, or financially supporting yourself and someone who is dependent on you and living with you, such as a child or partner.
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You are a young person in receipt of Universal Credit AND Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in your own right.
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You are a young person in care or leaving care.
If you are eligible, what will you receive?
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Travel support (If you live more than 1 mile from campus and public transport is a suitable option for your journey)
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Meal support - £5.50 for each day you are timetabled to attend college
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Essential equipment and compulsory trip support
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Access to a loaned laptop (Limited availability – allocated on a first come, first served basis)
You may also be eligible for Care to Learn childcare support if you are under 20 years old and require help with childcare costs while studying. Care to Learn is not means tested, and applications can be submitted through the PayMyStudent portal.
How to apply for financial support:
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Students must read the eligibility criteria prior to submitting an application.
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Students must be fully enrolled on their 2026/27 course before they can access the PayMyStudent system at Newcastle Group Online Student Portal
New Students:
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If you are a new student for 2026/27, you must complete the Multi-Factor Authentication process Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) before submitting an application.
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MFA can be completed 6 hours after enrolment.
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You must complete MFA before using “Sign in with Microsoft” or the system will not recognise your login.
Returning Students:
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Login to PayMyStudent via the “Sign in with Microsoft” button.
The format for your student email to log in to your account is: syourstudentnumber@students.ncl-coll.ac.uk
*16-18 Discretionary Bursary also includes funding for 19 year old continuers and 19-24 year old students with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
PayMyStudent Account