Lincoln College Further Education Learner Support Funds offer our students, subject to age and eligibility, financial support for various course essential costs, such as travel, uniform, equipment, books, childcare, trips and meals support.
Our Financial Support Team can provide confidential information and advice about the support available and guide you through the
secure, quick and easy PayMyStudent online application process.
Learner Support Funds
Our Learner Support Funds are made up of seven types of funding, which are
16-18 Learner Support Fund
16-18 Extended Bursary
Free College Meals
16-18 Travel Pilot
16-19 Care to Learn (C2L) Childcare Support
19+ Learner Support Fund
20+ Childcare Fund
Eligible students may be able to receive support with essential course-related costs. This may include: travel, meals support, uniform, equipment, books, trips, stationery and more.
Full details on how we award and assess applications can be found in our Financial Support Student Eligibility Guide and Learner Support Fund Policy for further information.
Am I Eligible for Financial Support?
If you are enrolled on a full-time or part-time study programme up to and including Level 3, you are classed as a Further Education student and may be eligible for support.
For more information, take a look at our Financial Support Student Eligibility Guide.
Higher Education students, apprentices, and full-cost learners are not eligible for support through the Learner Support Funds.
Help with Travel Costs
Eligible students may be able to receive a maximum of £70.00 per week toward the cost of travel through our Learner Support Funds.
Awards for use towards public transport costs will be based on student/discounted rate tickets. Examples of discounts you may be eligible for include: 16-17 Saver Rail Card, Stagecoach Young Persons Ticket, etc.
For other rules and more information, please take a look at our help sheet.
Meals Support
Students eligible for meals support receive a maximum allowance of £4.50 for each day they physically attend a timetabled lesson at one of our college sites.
This allowance can be used at any time throughout the day whilst our catering facilities are open, so can be used to purchase breakfast, a main meal at lunchtime or a Meal Deal to take-out.
For other rules and more information, please take a look at our help sheet.
Course-Related Costs
Eligible students can receive help with essential course-related costs including, but not exclusively: uniform and equipment, stationery, books, trips, UCAS application fees and travel to a maximum of 2 Higher Education interviews.
For other rules and more information, please take a look at our help sheet.
16-18 Extended Bursary
To be eligible for this Bursary students must either be in Local Authority care, a Local Authority care leaver, or be receiving Universal Credit in their own right (other rules apply).
This Bursary is worth up to £1,200 and is for help with essential course participation costs.
For other rules and more information, please take a look at our help sheet.
Childcare Support
The College offers two types of childcare support:
Students aged under 20 at the start of their course can get non-means tested help toward the cost of childcare through the Care to Learn scheme.
Eligible students aged 20 or over can receive a contribution of up to 100% of costs through our 20+ Childcare Learner Support Fund.
For other rules and more information, please take a look at our help sheet.
How to apply
Our Financial Support Team can provide confidential information and advice about the support available and guide you through the secure, quick and easy PayMyStudent online application process.
When can I apply?
Applications for the Learner Support Fund for the 2025/26 academic year are now closed.
The 2026/27 Learner Support Fund will be open from the beginning of July 2026.
We encourage you to apply as early as possible, as funding is limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability, eligibility criteria, and terms and conditions.
What evidence will i need to provide?
The evidence we need will depend on your household circumstances. Examples of accepted evidence include, but are not limited to:
The three most recent payslips if paid monthly or 4-weekly, or last 6 payslips if paid weekly or fortnightly.
A self-assessment tax calculation or certified accounts for those who are self-employed.
The last three Universal Credit statements from your online account. Statements should be downloaded and submitted in PDF format. To find out how to do this, please watch the following video
What happens next?
To prevent support being delayed please complete the online application as soon as possible.
You will receive notification within 10 working days (15 working days during the Autumn Term) of the outcome of your application.
To prevent your application being delayed please ensure you upload all the requested financial information.
If any further information is required to support your application, we will contact you by email and explain what additional information/evidence is required.
Does my attendance matter?
Awards are provisional and subject to you maintaining 100% attendance, including tutorials, maths, English, and work experience or industrial placements. Awards will be reduced or withdrawn if attendance requirements are not met. They will cease immediately if you withdraw early from your course, or you no longer meet the eligibility criteria for these funds.
What happens if my application is unsuccessful?
If your application is unsuccessful, we will email you and let you know the reason why. If you believe the decision made not to support your application is incorrect you can appeal in writing to the Student Financial Support Specialist, Student Services, Lincoln College, Monks Road, Lincoln, LN2 5HQ.
Fee Remission and Loans
Further Education students may be able to get help with course fees through the college’s 19+ Fee Remission policy or through an Advanced Learner Loan. To find out more about these please refer to the following information.
Am I Eligible for Fee Remission?
If you are aged 19 or over, you may be required to pay course fees for your Further Education studies. However, you may be eligible for fee remission, which means you could be exempt from paying these fees.
Eligibility for fee remission depends on your personal circumstances and the course you are enrolling on. Your postcode is also used to determine whether the Department for Education (DfE) or a devolved authority is responsible for funding your learning.
Please note that if your course is classified as a full-cost course, fee remission and Advanced Learner Loans are not available, and you will be responsible for paying the full cost of your course.
For more information, take a look at our Further Education Fee Remission Guide [Available from Mid-June 2026]
Advanced Learner Loans
To be eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan students must be aged 19 or over and studying a further education course at either Level 3, 4, 5 or 6.
Eligibility for the Advanced Learner Loan is not means tested and there are no credit checks.
For more information, take a look at our Advanced Learner Loan help sheet here.
Higher Education Students
You may be able to apply to Student Finance England to help pay for your tuition fees and to help with living costs.
For more information, take a look at our Financial Support for Career Degree Students page.
Useful Downloads
We've created a range of help sheets so that you can check your eligibility for our support funds, bursaries and loans simply and easily. If you do have any questions though, feel free to get in touch with our Financial Support team.
