Funding

Apply online

Apply online for Bursary/EMA funding for August/September.

• This year you need to apply on-line for your EMA and Bursary funding. There are no paper-based forms. The deadline for completed applications is 31 July.
• If you have accepted an unconditional offer of a place from the college, a letter is sent to you giving you your log in and your initial password to get in to the Student Hub to start your application. We also send a leaflet explaining about the Student Hub.
• If you get stuck completing it or don’t have a good internet connection at home, you can ring up to make an appointment and we will help you to complete the form in college. There will be people here who can help during most of the Summer holiday. Call Student Services on 01851 770242 to make an appointment.
• If you live further away and cannot get in to see us, you can still call and ask for advice and help with any aspect of the form.

For us to be able to assess you for your award, you will need to provide:

• Your own Birth Certificate
• Birth Certificate of any brothers or sisters under 18 years old still in full-time education
• Evidence of the household income – e.g. parents/partner P60, proof of benefits, Tax Credit Award Notice etc.
• Other evidence may also be required, depending on your circumstances. Details of the documents accepted as evidence is available on the Student Hub.

These can be scanned and attached to your application or we can take copies if you come in to see us.

If your information is incomplete we will notify you through the Student Hub. You will need to check on the Student Hub regularly to see if we have asked for any further information. This is how we will be telling you about the progress of your application and clearing up any queries.

How to make a funding application

To apply for your Further Education EMA, Bursary, Childcare or Discretionary Hardship Funds OR to apply for your Higher Education Discretionary Hardship, Childcare Fund (including Lone Parent Childcare Grant Application), you must first have:

· Accepted your unconditional offer of a place on the course with admissions

· Received a letter/email with your login and password from our admissions team.

Once you have these details, you can apply for your funding. For simplicity, we use one application form to assess your eligibility for various types of funding.

HE Full Time funding

Students from Scotland

Residents of Scotland will normally have their fees paid by Students Awards’ Agency for Scotland (SAAS).  To apply for your fees visit the SAAS website www.saas.gov.uk. Please ensure you complete the online application form fully and submit any supporting evidence that is required before any funding you may be entitled to can be calculated.

You must apply to have your fees paid in each year of your course. First time and continuing students should get their applications for funding in by 30 June in order to receive funds for the beginning of academic year.  SAAS will then pay your fees straight to your institution on your behalf.

SAAS also provides access to student loans and a range of other support packages.  For further information visit www.saas.gov.uk or call 0300 555 0505.

Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland

If you are ordinarily resident in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you will be required to pay tuition fees for each year of your course.

Fees for students studying a full-time degree course for are £9,000 per annum.  Only years 1, 2 and 3 incur the fees stated, year 4 is free.  For 5-year integrated masters degrees these fees are incurred for 4 of the 5 years. 

Higher National Awards (HNC and HND) will be charged at £6,720 per annum for full-time study, including as part of a degree course.

For further information, please see www.uhi.ac.uk

You will be entitled to take out an additional student loan to cover tuition costs, and this will be repaid, along with any other student loans, once you have graduated.  The amount you pay back depends upon the date you started your studies. Please visit Student Finance England, Student Finance NI or Student Finance Wales for further information.

Students who are eligible for support through the Student Loans Company may apply for a University of the Highlands and Islands RUK bursary.  For further information please visit www.uhi.ac.uk

EU students

EU students may be eligible to have tuition fees paid by SAAS if you are an EU national, or the family member of an EU national, have been ordinarily resident in a member state of the EU or elsewhere in the EEA and Switzerland for the first three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of your course and are studying full-time and plan to graduate in Scotland.

You may also be eligible for a student loan, bursary and any supplementary grants.  For further information visit www.saas.gov.uk or call 0300 555 0505.

HE Part Time funding

Part-time fee grant

The part-time fee grant is available for students 16 or over and who have an average annual gross income of £25,000 a year or less.  In order to qualify you must be studying a part-time Higher Education or professional qualification course such as a Higher National Certificate (HNC), Higher National Diploma (HND) or a Degree.  You must complete between 30-119 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credits in an academic year. More information can be found from www.saas.gov.uk

Self-financing/Sponsor

Self-financing or sponsored students must arrange to have their fees paid before the start date of their course.  Students who are being sponsored must also provide a purchase order requisition or a supporting letter.  For further information please contact Sylvia Murray on 01851 770 210 or lefees@uhi.ac.uk

FE funding

Bursary Funding

A bursary is a discretionary award made by a Further Education College. Bursaries are paid to eligible students aged 18 and over taking full-time courses. The amout of your bursary depends on your age, your own or your parents’ income, or if you are married, the income of your husband or wife, and on whether you live at home or have gone to college away from your home area.  The maximum amounts for the current academic year are:

The amount parents/husband/wife/civil partner will pay depends on their income, on your age when you start the course and on the number of other children in your family. Contributions do not start until parental gross income is approximately £24,275 per annum. Contributions from students’ partners begin at gross income of £20,643 per annum.

A bursary is awarded at the discretion of the college, and there are certain people who are not eligible.

Eligibility depends on:

• Residency
• Previous bursary holders
• Those who have had funding for HE

Please ask for details.

These include people who have not been living in Scotland on the qualifying date, or in the UK for three years before starting their course. Students who have already had bursaries less than 7 years ago, (in special circumstances 5 years ago) or have had awards for Higher Education from the Student Awards Agency Scotland, may not be eligible for a bursary.

When you receive your bursary award letter, you and your parents will have to sign an Acceptance Form. This is a contract by which you agree that you will attend college regularly and that you will make good progress in your studies. 

The full session bursary is paid in 11 instalments – the first one 2 weeks after you have enrolled on the course. The remaining instalments are paid into your bank account every 4 weeks covering the periods two weeks in arrears and two weeks in advance.

Fees will normally be paid, irrespective of family income, for all full time students who fulfil the residential qualification – that is whose family home has been in the UK for three years before they start the course and in Scotland on the day their course begins. However, students who have had previous funding for Further or Higher Education courses should contact the College Student Services Office to check their eligibility for fees. Students on part- time courses may have their fees waived if they or their family are receiving certain benefits. Otherwise they will be expected to pay their course fees.

Care Experienced Students 

Students who have at some time been looked after by a local authority in the UK, may be eligible to receive a higher amount of FE Bursary Maintenance allowance of £202.50 per week instead of £108.55 per week Maintenance Allowance where living alone or with a spouse/partner or £85.90 where living with a parent or guardian (or for under 18’s on EMA £30.00 per week) for non-Care Experienced students.

Educational Maintenance Allowance

To be eligible to receive an EMA students must have completed 4th year at school and have passed their school leaving date. Students are usually 16 when they start to receive an EMA and can continue to be paid in this way up to their 20th birthday. However, once they reach the age of 18 (must be 18 on the course start date) they may be better off by applying for a bursary instead.

The amount of your EMA depends on your parents’ income, or if you are married, the income of your husband or wife, and on whether you live at home or have gone to a college away from your home area. The maximum weekly amounts for 2021/22 are:

*Includes up to £43.15 per week for EMA students living away from home in addition to their EMA award, to assist with accommodation costs.

EMA students whose parents’ annual income after certain deductions is up to £26,884 will receive EMA of £30 per week if there is more than one dependant child in the household. For families with only one dependent child an EMA of £30 per week will be paid if their income is up to £24,421 per annum.

If you live within 2 miles of the college you will be expected to pay your own travel costs. Students ages 16-17 who live more than 2 miles from the College will be issued with a travel pass.

Fees will normally be paid, irrespective of parental/spouse’s/partner’s income, for all full time students who fulfil the residential qualification – that is whose family home has been in the UK for three years before they start the course.

EMA students must maintain at least 100% attendance every week or they will lose the whole payment for that week. Before the first payment can be made, all EMA students must sign a Learning Agreement, promising to attend college regularly, and to maintain good progress and good behaviour during their studies. Their EMA Payments may be stopped if they fail to keep to this Learning Agreement.

Part-time FE Funding - Fee Waiver

Students in receipt of certain benefits may be eligible to claim a fee waiver for their course fees.  For further information regarding eligibility please contact Sylvia Murray on 01851 770 210 or 

Discretionary Funds

Available to FE and HE students.

Discretionary Funds are primarily for emergency use and in cases of financial hardship. They may be awarded as emergency payments or to help with accommodation costs for single students who have no eligibility for Housing Benefit or payment of housing costs through Universal Credit. Students will be able to apply for Discretionary Funds from Induction Week onwards in September. For more information about Discretionary Funds, please contact our Student Funding Team on lestudentservices@uhi.ac.uk

Childcare funding

Available to FE and HE students

Childcare funding is available to assist with the cost of childcare with registered childcare providers while you attend college classes or college placements or complete college course work remotely. As funds are limited, there is a cap on the amount of childcare that can be paid to you. Therefore, please be aware that your childcare costs may not be covered in full. This fund is means-tested. Students will be able to apply for Childcare Funds from September. 

Childcare funding is paid direct to your childcare provider on receipt of completed childcare invoices. Please note that you are responsible to provide the college with you invoices.

For more information about Childcare Funds, please contact our Student Funding Team - Current students - Student services (uhi.ac.uk)

Student Book Fund

Student Book Fund has been established to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by being unable to afford copies of books needed for their studies.

More info here https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/development/student-book-fund/

Money Matters

Find lots of useful tips, information, and links to help you make the most of your money here uhi.ac.uk/en/students/support/funding-and-financial-support/money-matters/

Track your application

Once you have completed your online funding application you will be able to track it’s progress through your online Student Hub Account.

Your Student Hub account will be your central point for your college life, offering you many services and tools including funding. Please remember to check your Student Hub account regularly as this is where you will see any messages regarding additional information or documentation, we require to complete your funding award. When an award has been made, your award letter will be added to your Student Hub Account. This letter will tell you how much you have been awarded and when the payments will be made. You will have a separate letter for each fund.