Funding

The Student Funding Team are based on each main campus and are there to offer you advice and assistance on any aspect of student support funding which includes Bursary, Education Maintenance Allowance, Childcare and Discretionary Funding.

These funds are here to support you financially while studying at Ayrshire College which can include living costs, travel, course materials and childcare. What you receive will be dependent on eligibility rules which include:

• Where you live, i.e. your nationality and residency status and how long you have resided in the UK and/or Scotland.
• Your course, e.g. whether your course is above or below HNC level, or, full or part-time.
• Your age at start date of the course – different levels of support are applicable subject to age.
• Your personal circumstances, e.g. your income or spouse/parents’ income, marital status, number of dependents, whether you are Care Experienced, etc.
• Whether you have received student funding before.

All students need to apply for funding each year through our College online funding application if studying a Further Education Course. These are all full-time courses below HNC level and are generally between level 1 to 6 on the Scottish Credits and Qualification Framework (SCQF). You will only be able to gain access to the online system if you have been offered a place and invited to apply for funding.

Students studying at HNC or HND level (level 7 and above) need to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland at www.saas.gov.uk.

The Scottish Government have also created a new website - Student Information Scotland at www.studentinformation.gov.scot. This website has information on all aspects of both Further and Higher Education student funding in Scotland. It also has a useful budgeting tool, funding checker as well as a whole host of other useful information for students.

If you have not already done so then you should apply for your funding as quickly as possible. The Student Funding team are there to help and can offer you advice and assistance to make sure you receive the right level of support.

Discretionary Funding

The College has funding available to support those who may be struggling financially.

The College Discretionary Funds are used to assist students who endure financial difficulties while attending college. Its main purpose is to assist students who have their own accommodation and require assistance in paying their housing costs and associated expenses however other forms of financial hardship will be considered.

If you are struggling financially then you can apply for additional financial support.

To be eligible you must be a registered student studying a certified course and have applied for and be receiving the full amount of funding available to you. For example, Bursary or Student Loan.

You can request access to the online application by emailing the student funding team at the campus you attend (mail below). They will then send you an email explaining how you can access the online application.

Evidence for your Application

When you apply, you will be asked to provide evidence to support your application. You must provide:

1. A recent bank statement covering at least four weeks.
2. Evidence of your income e.g., SAAS award letter, wage slip, Universal Credit breakdown, etc.
3. Evidence of accommodation costs e.g., tenancy agreement or mortgage statement.

You can and may be asked to provide additional evidence such as credit card bills, rent arrears statements and evidence of debt repayments. 

Note: you will not be required to submit documentation where regular payments can be clearly identified from your bank statement. 

We also have a Frequently Asked Questions section on the College website which is updated regularly which may be able to answer some of your questions.

You can seek advice from the Funding Team at each main campus or by emailing the campus where you attend below:

Ayr Campus - studentfunding_ayr@ayrshire.ac.uk
Kilmarnock Campus - studentfunding_kilmarnock@ayrshire.ac.uk
Kilwinning Campus - studentfunding_kilwinning@ayrshire.ac.uk

Telephone Number: 01563 495033