MONEY ALWAYS MATTERS!

A Guide to Student Funding

Get your funding applied for as soon as possible.

Student Funding 25/26 Applications are Now Open

Now that you've accepted your place at Fife College, it's time to apply for your funding!

Our Student Funding team are here to help guide you through the process.

You need to apply each year through the Student Funding online application system.

If you are studying an FE level course (SCQF level 6 or below) you can apply for Living costs (EMA/Bursary), assistance with Rent/Mortgage Interest costs and assistance towards Childcare fees. We will automatically send you an email with a link to apply if you have accepted an offer on a course. Please keep an eye on your junk/spam folder as it might go in there. 

If you are studying an HE level course (SCQF Level 7 and above), you need to apply to SAAS for your tuition fees, Living costs and Student Loan. You will also be sent an email from Fife College containing the link to apply for assistance with Rent/Mortgage Interest costs and assistance towards Childcare costs should you require them.

Money and funding are major considerations for most students, so it’s important to know about the different types of funding support available to you whilst studying at Fife College.

hese step-by-step guides will help you support your financial needs during your studies to help cover living expenses, travel, childcare and even help with your housing costs.

We’ve included some information for you on the different kinds of funding support available. 

Residency Requirements 

Most Scottish students who live in Scotland and want to study a further education (FE) or higher education (HE) course at a Scottish college are likely to be eligible for bursary support, subject to meeting other criteria such as rules regarding previous study.

To be treated as a Scottish home student you must meet all of the following three conditions:

  • You normally live in Scotland on the first day of the first academic year of the course (usually 1st August); and 
  • You've been living in the UK for 3 years before starting your course; and 
  • You're a UK national or have 'settled status' (no restrictions on how long you can stay). 

If you are from the rest of the UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the islands), unless you can show that you meet all of the above residence conditions and are not here for the purposes of education, you should consult the appropriate funding body in the relevant part of the UK and islands to see if any student support is available for you to study in Scotland. 

If you don't meet all of the three conditions, you may still be eligible for some elements of support if you meet the requirements of one of the other UK residency categories listed, namely: 

  • You're an EU national, or family member of an EU national with settled/pre-settled status
  • You're a refugee
  • You're under humanitarian protection (as a result of a failed application for asylum) 
  • You're a migrant worker 
  • You're a child of a Swiss national; or 
  • You're a child of a Turkish worker 
  • You're a Syrian Refugee (VPRS). 
  • You also must normally be living in Scotland on the first day of the first academic year of the course. 

If you do not meet the residency criteria you will be liable to pay the college tuition fee and you are advised to contact student services to find out what level of fee will apply.

You can find out more information on residency on the SAAS website. 

Related information

Ukraine Scheme

Non UK National Applicants

EU Settlement Scheme

International Applicants

 

Funding Advice

Further Information

Bookable appointments will be available once we are live for 25/26 applications.

In the meantime if you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with us on 0344 248 0115 or studentfunding@fife.ac.uk.

Further Education Students

If you are:

  • Under 18 years of age on the start date of the course and
  • Living with parents or legal guardians and
  • Have no dependent children and
  • Are not care-experienced

Then you should apply for an Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) If the student is awarded an EMA, they will be eligible for £30 per week which is paid into their chosen bank account, one week in arrears.

Students may also be eligible for EMA if they are studying a non-advanced part-time course, contact the Student Funding team to learn more.

If the student is 15 at the start of their course, they may still be eligible for an EMA, providing their 16th birthday is before the 1st of October. If their 16th birthday falls between 1st of October and 28th of February, they will be eligible to apply for an EMA, however, if awarded, their payments would not start until the first payment week after the Christmas holidays.

If the student is in receipt of an EMA and turns 18 during their course, they will remain on EMA for the duration of their course.

EMA is not paid for any of the short holidays: October, Christmas, Inter-semester week in January and Easter. Please take this into consideration and budget accordingly.

Student’s EMA is calculated on the household income of their Parent/Legal Guardian.

Parent/Guardian’s

Household Income

Number of Dependent Children in the Household

 

Weekly Payment

£24,421 or less

Student only

£30.00

£24,422 to £26,884

Student + brother/sister

£30.00

£26,885 or above

Not Applicable

Nil

 

Basic Evidence required

ID for student – Birth Certificate, Passport, Driving License, MyFife Card, NHS Medical Card

Proof of your address – official letter addressed to student dated within the last three months (cannot be from Fife College)

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s)

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) P60 Covering April 2024 – March 2025

Council Tax Notification 2025 if parent is single person

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) Tax Credit Award – For year 2025/2026, please make sure to send all pages

ID of sisters and/or brothers – Birth Certificate, Passport, Driving License, NHS Medical Card or MyFife Card

Child Benefit Award Letter – all pages

 

We may ask for additional evidence depending on your circumstances.

If you are:

  • Between 18 and 24 years of age on the start date of the course and
  • Not living with a partner and
  • Do not have any dependent children and
  • Have not supported yourself financially for 3 full years and
  • Are not currently on benefits and
  • Are not care-experienced

Then you should apply for a Parentally Supported Bursary

Your Bursary will be assessed on Gross Parental Income earned in the previous tax year (2024-2025)

If you have any brothers/sisters in your household under 5 or are in full time education, we take this into consideration when assessing your award.

The maximum you can be awarded is:

Staying at Parental Home

Maximum £99.35 per week

Away from Parental Home

Maximum £125.55 per week

Basic Evidence Required

ID for student – Birth Certificate, Passport, Driving License, MyFife Card, NHS Medical Card

Proof of your address – official letter addressed to student dated within the last three months (cannot be from Fife College)

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) Benefit Letter/screen shot of most recently received Universal Credit award showing Name, Address and all elements awarded (this includes deductions) along with a screenshot of the list of monthly statements.

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) P60 Covering April 2024 – March 2025 or proof of income from Self-Employment

Council Tax Notification 2025 if parent is single person

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) Tax Credit Award – For year 2024/2025, please make sure to send all pages

ID of sisters and/or brothers – Birth Certificate, Passport, Driving License, NHS Medical Card or MyFife Card

Child Benefit Award Letter – all pages

We may ask for additional evidence depending on your circumstances.

If you think you may be eligible for a Self-Supporting Bursary, you can find out more from our Self-Supporting Bursary section.

Travel Expenses

For more information on travel expenses, please check out our Travel Expenses section.

If you are not yet 25 years old, your parent(s)/guardian(s) income will not be taken into consideration and you will be awarded independently, only if any one of the following applies:

Between 18 and 24 years of age on the start date of the course and

Are married/civil partnership (This does not included situations where the student was married but the marriage broke down prior to the start date of the course)

Have no living parents

Are caring for a child dependent on you

 

You have supported yourself for a period no less than 3 years (156 weeks) since leaving school but cannot include any time when in full-time education. Students must show evidence of this (e.g. P60’s, wage slips that cover the full period, benefit award letters). Students do NOT need to be living away from the parental home for this period.

This includes periods where the individual was either:

  • In employment and earning equal to or more than current income support levels.
  • Supported by a partner with earnings equal to or more than current income support levels.
  • On a training programme operated by or on behalf of the Scottish Government, or Skills Development Scotland (SDS).
  • In receipt of unemployment benefit/jobseeker’s allowance.
  • In receipt of employment and support allowance, sickness benefit, invalidity pension, incapacity benefit, maternity allowance, severe disablement allowance, statutory sick pay or statutory maternity pay.
  • In receipt of Income Support
  • In receipt of Universal Credit
  • Living away from the parental home and can provide a copy of a formal rent agreement for the relevant period.
  • In receipt of housing benefit for the relevant period
  • Caring for a person (adult or child) dependent on them. The college should look for evidence that the student has been the primary carer for an adult

OR

  • Estranged from their parents and can provide proof of this.

 

Then you should apply for an Under 25 Self Supported Bursary

 

The maximum you can be awarded is:

Self-Supporting Bursary

£125.55 per week

 

Basic Evidence Required

 

ID – Birth Certificate, Passport, Driving licence, MyFife card, NHS medical card

Proof of your address – Official letter addressed to student cannot be from Fife college

3 years proof of self-supporting – P60s showing earning of over £4,000 per year, benefit claim in your own name and/or tenancy agreement in your own name

Proof of established relationship- marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate, joint benefit claim, joint Council Tax Notification 2025

Partner’s P60 Covering April 2024 – March 2025 or proof of their income from Self-Employment

Benefit Letter/screen shot of most recently received Universal Credit award showing Name, Address and all elements awarded (this includes deductions) along with a screenshot of the list of monthly statements.

 

Council Tax Notification 2025 - If single person (if living with parents, we require your parent’s Council Tax Notification 2025 along with a written statement from them confirming you live in their property)

Tax Credit Award – For year 2025/2026 please make sure to send all pages

ID of Dependent Children – Birth certificates, Passport, Driving licence, NHS medical Card or MyFife card

Child benefits Award letter

 

We may ask for additional Evidence depending on your circumstances.

Please note that periods where you have been in full-time education are unable to be taken into account when trying to prove self-supporting status.

 

Travel Expenses

For more information on travel expenses, please check out our Travel section.