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Bursaries, scholarships and additional support

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Finance

Help available Discretionary Learner support

All full-time college students are eligible to apply for a Learner Support Fund award. The fund is means-tested (dependent on household income) and priority is given to those on low income who would otherwise find it difficult to attend college.

  • Under £25,000 per annum. Full awards, including education visits fee, books, equipment, meal allowance or transport for non-residential students

Vulnerable Learner Bursary

Students who meet the criteria, and who have a financial need, can apply for a bursary for vulnerable groups. The defined groups reflect that these students are unlikely to be receiving financial assistance from parents or carers, so may need a greater level of support to enable them to continue to participate.

Students should be awarded the amount of support they need to participate based on an assessment of the types of costs they have.

The bursary for vulnerable groups can pay up to £1,200 per year. The defined vulnerable groups are students who are:

  • in care
  • care leavers
  • receiving Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them such as a child or partner
  • receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund defines ‘in care’ as children looked after by a local authority on a voluntary basis (section 20 of the Children Act 1989) or under a care order (section 31 of the Children Act 1989). Section 22 of the Children Act 1989 defines the term ‘looked after child’.

A ‘care leaver’ is defined as:

  1. a young person aged 16 and 17 who was previously looked after for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), which began after the age of 14 and ended after the age of 16; or
  2. a young person aged 18 or above who was looked after prior to becoming 18 for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), which began after the age of 14 and ended after the age of 16

Sports Academy Scholarship

Hartpury has a limited fund available to assist students who would otherwise be unable to attend college and who, in the opinion of the appropriate Sports Academy manager, has the potential to excel in his or her chosen sporting field.

Resident students on full-time sports courses at Hartpury College can apply for help with boarding fees from this fund.

Each applicant will need to apply directly to the appropriate Sports Academy manager. More information can be found on the Sports Academy website pages.

Our sports academy scholarship is also available to international students.

The Guyll-Leng Bursary

Open to applicants from households with limited income and demanding circumstances wishing to study agriculture, animal, equine and related land-based subjects at a college level.

The Guyll-Leng Bursary offers financial assistance for up to three years of study, including work placements, to help new or returning students towards the costs of accommodation, subsistence, travel, trips, sporting participation, books, equipment and other course-related expenses (subject to terms and conditions).

Applicants must complete and return the Guyll-Leng Bursary application form together with a short personal statement (of no more than 300 words) outlining why they think they would be a good candidate for the bursary.

Joe Henson MBE Bursary

The Joe Henson MBE Bursary is open to students who reside in the three counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire and are studying agriculture or related subjects.

Bursaries are limited to £1,000 per year of study, for a maximum of three years.

Download information and application pack through the link below.

Bursaries, Three Counties Agricultural Society

Martin Baber Award

The Martin Baber Award is an international work experience bursary, available to support currently enrolled Hartpury students who wish to study or work abroad within the agricultural sector.

The purpose of the bursary is to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding, practical application and transferable skills in a global agricultural context.

The bursary supports students with travel and visa costs plus funds to cover an initial period once they have arrived at their destination. It can be used to help with:

  • Accommodation
  • Travel
  • Subsistence
  • Books and equipment
  • Other related expenditure

The maximum amount of an award available to a student is £1,500.

Full terms and conditions are available here.

Application forms for the Discretionary & Residential support form are available to download. All applications will be means-tested to determine the level of award. If any more information is required please contact: collegebursaries@hartpury.ac.uk

Advanced Learner Loans 2023/24

To qualify for the Advanced Learner Loan you'll need to be:

  • Aged 19 or over at the start of your course
  • Enrolling onto a course at level 3 or 4, which includes: A-levels, Access to Higher Education Diplomas, other Diplomas and Certificates, Advanced Apprenticeships or Higher Apprenticeships
  • A UK resident at the start of your course and for three years prior to the start of the course. If you decide to apply for the loan, please complete your application form as soon as possible after enrolment. If your loan is for an Access to Higher Education programme and you progress to complete a Higher Education programme, you will not have to pay back your Advanced Learner Loan

You can check your eligibility for the Advanced Learner Loan at the Student Finance England website. The loan doesn't depend on your income and there are no credit checks. Any individual who meets the criteria will be able to apply for a loan whether they're employed or unemployed – the loan will then be paid directly to the college on your behalf. You won't need to pay anything upfront for your course fees and you won't have to pay anything back until you earn more than £25,000 a year. You'll need a 'Learning and funding information' letter from Hartpury before starting your application online on the Government's website.

The letter can be obtained from the College Admissions Office by e-mailing admissions@hartpury.ac.uk

Hartpury College Principal’s International Scholarship

This scholarship enables emerging trailblazers from all over the world to utilise their Hartpury qualification to grow the industries of equine, sport, agriculture and animal. Whilst there is no ‘typical’ award winner, we are looking for individuals who have the passion, ideas and influence to develop the industry to create a better future.

Scholarships of £3,000 per person are available to support international students to join and excel at Hartpury College. They are open to new full-time international fee-paying students enrolling in September 2023.

Find out more

Free Meals

Students aged between 16 and 18 can apply for free meals at the college.

Students will be eligible if their parent/carer qualifies for one of the following benefits:

  • Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based)
  • Income Support Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) provided the annual income, assessed by HMRC does not exceed £16,190 (please note this amount is subject to change in April every year)
  • Employment Support Allowance (Income Related)
  • Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Childcare

If you have a child and you are under the age of 20 on the day your course or learning programme begins, you can apply for childcare funding through Care to Learn. Apply online on the Government's website then type in 'care to learn' or call the helpline on 0800 121 8989.

For those who are aged 19+ and undertaking a Level 3 or 4 course, you'll be required to apply to the 19+ Advanced Learning Loan Fund. The 19+ Advanced Learning Loan Bursary Fund is a very small fund provided to support learners in all areas and the funds have to be apportioned equally across all eligible requests.

If you're aged between 20-23 and undertaking a Level 1 or 2 course you may be eligible to receive help towards the cost of your childcare. In order to receive support, your childminder or nursery needs to be registered with Ofsted. If eligible, the college will pay a percentage towards your bill for the days you are in college. Payments will be reduced for days that you are absent from college.

Accommodation Bursary

Students studying A-levels, sport, Outdoor Adventure or Uniformed Protective Services are not eligible to apply for Accommodation Bursary. In addition, if a student has a horse in Hartpury livery they will also not be eligible.

All our bursaries are available for UK-based students only.

Accommodation Bursary can provide students with financial help towards their accommodation costs where a course is not available within a reasonable daily travelling distance of their home. The same/similar course should not be available from another college, which is within daily travelling distance of their home (normally 10 miles). Support is not normally available to students who are on a college bus route. For students on a designated course with a requirement to undertake duties outside teaching hours, these rules will not apply.

The higher the household income, the lower the level of award. The below tables show the maximum awards payable in 2024/25 for each band of household income, subject to the availability of funds.

Income Bandings

If you have any queries about college student finance and the support available to you, please contact our Finance team for more information.