Funding

University Centre Leeds offers numerous bursaries to support full-time students during their studies.

Open Days

The University Centre Leeds Bursary 

For students who choose to study with us on a full time basis, University Centre Leeds offers a bursary, which will be awarded to those who meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Your household income has been assessed by Student Finance England through a means tested assessment, falls below £42,600 and you have agreed to share this information 10 working days before the bursary payment date.
  • You are up to date with your work.
  • You have an attendance record of 80% or above.
  • You are a non-international student

Should you meet the above criteria, the amount you may be awarded is based on your household income as follows: 

Household income (as assessed by Student Finance England) 

Total bursary 

Semester 1 payment 

Semester 2 payment 

Less than £25,000 

£500 

£250 

£250 

£25,001 and £42,600 

£250 

£125 

£125 

You will not need to apply separately for this bursary; you do this while applying for your financial support through Student Finance England. Your income will automatically be assessed if you apply for a means tested maintenance loan.

Everyone who contributes to the household income and forms part of the assessment needs to agree to share the outcome. The assessment is carried out by Student Finance (England) and they provide the information to the College. Failure to do this will mean that Student Finance England will be unable to assess your eligibility for a bursary. 

If you do not wish to take out a higher loan you will need to complete a PFF2 form in order to have your income assessed. You can also apply for the higher loan but request zero or your desired amount in order to be assessed.

To qualify for the bursary you must also meet the following criteria:

  • Be up to date with your course work

If you are successful, the amount awarded would be split into 2 payments to be paid to you, one at the end of each semester. More information on the criteria will be provided after your enrolment. The payment dates for the academic year of 2023/24 are as follows:

  • Payment 1 - Friday 15th December 2023
  • Payment 2 - Friday 17th May 2024

If you're eligible to receive the University Centre bursary, but it has been withheld because you are not up to date with work or are below the required attendance, then you may be able to appeal if you feel there are mitigating circumstances behind this. You can do so by filling in  this form. 

For further information regarding the bursary please see the Bursary Policy here. 

To view our Access and Participation Plan please click here. 

Please see our Student Privacy Notice, this details what information we collect from you, why we process your information and who we share the information in line with Data Protection Legislation. 

 

Internal Progression Bursary

Leeds City College, Harrogate College and Keighley College students will now be supported when progressing to higher education at University Centre Leeds with an additional £1,000 bursary. 

This bursary is designed to support your educational journey, making it more accessible and financially feasible to continue your studies within the Luminate Education Group. 

In order to receive the Internal Progression Bursary you would need to meet the following criteria:

  • You must have successfully completed a full Level 3 Leeds City College, Harrogate College or Keighley College programme in the academic year prior to enrolling on to a degree programme at UC Leeds and must have achieved the necessary eligibility requirements for your chosen UC Leeds programme of study. 
  • The first instalment of £500 will be paid to you during the October of your first year of study after you have successfully enrolled on to the degree programme, obtained student finance confirmation and have a satisfactory attendance record. 
  • The second payment will be paid to you at the end of your first year of study and will be subject to successful completion and confirmation of progression onto your second year of study.

Please note:

  • Should you wish to withdraw from the course during your first year of study, you will not be liable for repayment of the first bursary payment. 
  • The bursary will only be paid into the account of the named student. 

Funding for Postgraduate Study

If you are ordinarily resident in England or the Republic of Ireland and planning to start your first full-time or part-time Masters course from September 2023, you may be eligible to apply for a UK government Postgraduate Masters Loan to help towards your study-related costs. 

The loan will be paid directly to you in three instalments in each year of study, and you can choose to use it towards payment of your tuition fee or to help with living costs. 

To check your personal and course eligibility, see how much loan you will receive and find out how to apply for the UK government Postgraduate Masters Loan, visit the government’s Funding for Postgraduate Study page

You will need to set up a tuition fee instalment plan in line with your loan payments. We require 25% of the year’s tuition fees at enrolment in September. Payments can be made online and we require you to specify how you plan to pay at the start of your course: 

  • To pay your 25% deposit or tuition fees in full by credit/debit card Click here 
  • To pay the remaining 75% of your tuition fees in 6 instalments by Recurring Card Payment Click here 

Additional Funding

The Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) provides extra financial help to UK Higher Education students. This is to meet any extra study costs, which may arise from a learning difficulty, disability and/or ongoing health condition. It is a non-repayable grant based on need, rather than income. 

 

You can apply via your Student Finance account 

The application process can take up to 14 weeks so it is best to start it as soon as possible. For more information, visit { https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa
Through DSA you may get help with the costs of: 

  • Specialist equipment or computer software 
  • A specialist support tutor 
  • Extra travel costs you have to pay because of your disability 
  • Other costs, like photocopying or printing costs 

 

Further information regarding DSA can also be found at: 

http://www.yourdsa.com/ and https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/student-finance/full-time 

Student Finance Grants

Undergraduate 'home' fee status students, who have child or adult dependants, may be eligible for grants from Student Finance. 

These are: 

Childcare Grant: to help with Ofsted Registered childcare costs 

Adult Dependants Grant: if you have an adult who is financially dependent on you 

Parent's Learning Allowance: to help with books and equipment 

You can apply for the Childcare Grant (CCG) funding alongside your main student finance application. Provide information about your children on the form but do not provide information about the childcare provider. You no longer need to send in estimates of your childcare costs, but your household income will be used to work out how much CCG you can receive. 

Student Finance England (SFE) will assess your application for the grant. If successful you will be asked to register and create an account with the Childcare Grant Payment System (CCGPS) which will be used to pay funds directly to your childcare provider. 

CCGPS will display your Childcare Grant award for the relevant academic year. The childcare provider will request payment on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis for childcare costs already provided (actual amounts) via CCGPS. You will be contacted each time the provider sends a request for payment. You MUST review and approve the actual childcare costs before they are released. Payment is then made to the childcare provider and taken from your Childcare Grant balance. 

The grant is means-tested on your household income and can be up to 85% of your actual childcare costs, with a cap of £188.90 per week for one child or £323.85 per week for two or more children in 2023/24 

 

1 child

2 or more children

Household income must be this or below to receive maximum grant

£9,727

£11,118

Household income threshold to receive minimum grant

£19,067.23

£27,131.39

If you or your partner receive the childcare element of working tax credits/universal credit you will not be eligible for the Childcare Grant from SFE. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/childcare-grant

 

The Adult Dependants Grant of up to £3,354 in 2023/24 will be paid in three instalments over the academic year. This grant is for when you have an adult who is financially dependent on you. The dependant adult must have a net income of under £3,796* (2021/22 figure) per year to qualify. 


Income threshold for the Adult Dependant Grant*

Household income must be this or below to receive maximum grant 

£8,746  

Household income threshold to receive minimum grant 

£15,125.98 


Find out more and how to apply www.gov.uk/adult-dependants-grant. 

The Parents' Learning Allowance (PLA) is a means tested grant of up to £1,915 in 2023/24 if you have one or more dependent children, regardless of the age of the children. You do not have to receive the Childcare Grant to be eligible. 

The PLA is to help cover some of the additional costs incurred by students with dependent children; eg higher travel costs, books and equipment, and is paid in three instalments alongside with other maintenance support. 

Household income must be this or below to receive maximum grant 

£14,910 

Household income threshold to receive minimum grant 

£18,551.98 

Find out more and how to apply at gov.uk/parents-learning-allowance. 

There is financial guidance and advice available to you to ensure you feel prepared financially whilst you study. If you are struggling to understand how student finance works, you need to find out what funding you may be eligible for, or you need help to manage your money, we can help. 

We can help you: 

  • Apply for Student Finance. 
  • Work out what you are eligible for, and ensure you receive your full entitlements. 
  • Look at possible emergency help if you are in financial difficulty or struggling with cash flow. 
  • Work out a budget and understand your income and expenditure. 
  • We can contact Student Finance on your behalf, with your permission. 

You can contact us on hestudentsupport@ucleeds.ac.uk  

Student Finance England - How to Apply

You can make an application for your student loan via the Government website here: www.gov.uk/studentfinance 

Please remember to select the following details: 

Academic year - 2024/25 
Institution - Luminate Education Group 

Applications take around 30 minutes to complete and you can do so in 4 easy steps: 

  1. Set up a student finance online account 
  2. Log in and complete the online application 
  3. Include your household income if needed. Your parent or partner will be asked to confirm these details 
  4. Send in proof of identity, if needed 

Although you may already be familiar with this information, for guidance as to what you may be entitled to and how to apply for student finance please see the following links: 

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