While studying with us, there are several additional funding opportunities which could be available to you. These range from temporary loans to help you manage your finances until you receive your student finance to additional bursaries to help during times of financial difficulty.
Below is a summary of the support available through the University. If you have any questions or need any support, please contact a member of the Financial Support Team.
Email: financial.support@northlindsey.ac.uk
Telephone: 01724 294179
Face to Face: Visit the Financial Support Desk between 8.30 am-9.30 am, 11.30 am-1.30 pm or 3.30-4.30 pm (if these times aren’t convenient, please contact us to make a separate appointment).
Available Support
Short Term Loan (Bridging Loan)
This fund is available to Higher Education Students who find they are not going to receive their student finance on time. The loan is designed to help students in financial hardship in the interim until your student finance comes through.
Award: Up to £500
How to apply: Please contact a member of the Financial Support Team to discuss your situation and request an application.
Email: financial.support@northlindsey.ac.uk 01724 294179
Access to Learning Fund (ALF)
This fund is open to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students who have ‘home’ fee status and is in place to help students experiencing financial hardship. In addition to having ‘home’ fee status, students applying for support must be able to evidence that they have applied for/are in receipt of the full support available to them through Student Finance England, i.e. maintenance loan, tuition fee loan, etc. Students who choose not to accept any source of funding available to them will not be eligible to apply for support through the Access to Learning Fund.
Award: Up to £1000 paid in three instalments throughout the year, based on attendance and progression.
How to apply: Application forms will be available on the website from 06/10/2025 and will close on 29/06/2026. You can apply within this time, provided you are enrolled and currently attending the University.
Low Income Bursary
The Low-Income Bursary is our commitment to help eligible first-year students from households with an annual income below £25,000 who live in eligible postcode areas. If demand exceeds the supply of bursaries, a further filter of those studying a STEM subject or those who have studied a previous Level 3 course with DNCG will be applied. It is a non-repayable £500 one-off payment that will be linked to academic progression and retention throughout the year. Where possible, the Financial Support Team will check your details against the Student Loans Company information to ensure you are in receipt of a student loan. However, if you haven’t agreed to share this information with us, we will require you to provide your SFE Award letter.
Award: £500 one-off payment in March 2026.
How to apply: Application forms will be available on the website from 01/12/2025 and will close on 06/02/2026. You can apply within this time, provided you are enrolled and currently attending the University.
Care Experienced Bursary
Our Care Experienced Bursary offers a one-off £500 payment to registered students aged 16-25 who are currently in, or have previously been in, the care of a Local Authority for any length of time and at any stage in their life. This includes adopted children who were previously in care.
Award: £500 one-off payment.
How to apply: Application forms will be available on the website. The fund will open on 06/10/2025 and close on 29/06/2026. You can make an application within this time, provided you are enrolled and currently attending.
Lincolnshire and Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technologies (IoT) Quickline Bursary
IoT training providers have comprehensive support services for students including mental health, mentoring, financial, broad pastoral, and academic services and the purpose of this bursary is to complement this support and remove the barriers to Under-represented Groups (URG) enrolling, attending and achieving their higher-level technical qualifications and moving into employment.
- You must be enrolled as a student of the Lincolnshire or the Yorkshire and the Humber Institute of Technologies
- Reside in an eligible postcode area
- Study on an IoT course at Level 4/5
- If there is a low number of eligible students’ further criteria will be added, and additional applications may be accepted from Level 3 and 6 students.
Award: Up to £1000 depending on your financial need.
How to apply: From the 6/10/2025, application forms will be sent to students identified as being enrolled on an eligible course and living in a qualifying postcode area. The fund will open on 06/10/2025 and close on 29/06/2026. You can make an application within this time, provided you are enrolled and currently attending.
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Bursary (Department of Education)
Aimed at PGCE students, studying to work in FE. ITE bursaries are only available for the following subjects; Computing, Engineering or manufacturing, Mathematics, Science, English (capped at 100 places) Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) A trainee must:
- be eligible to receive student support
- have achieved a standard equivalent to GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English and mathematics, and at least a level 3 qualification in their subject of teacher training, or have relevant professional experience
- be taking a qualifying pre-service ITE course in England
More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fe-funding-initial-teacher-education-ite-bursary/fe-ite-bursary-funding-manual-2024-to-2025
How to apply: Please contact a member of the Financial Support Team to discuss your situation and request an application.
Email: financial.support@northlindsey.ac.uk 01724 294179
Council Tax Exemption
Council Tax Exemption Certificates can be arranged for full-time Students only.
How to apply: Please email the HE Admin Team to request your certificate
UCNL: HEAdmin@ucnl.ac.uk UC Don: headministration@don.ac.uk
Please contact the Financial Support Team if you need any help regarding any of the support funds above.
UCNL – financial.support@northlindsey.ac.uk 01724 294179
UCD – financialassist@don.ac.uk 01302 553760
Disabled Student Allowance (DSA)
Disabled Student Allowance (DSA)
Additional Learning Support supports students with long-term mental, physical or specific learning difficulties [SPLD’s]. We encourage new and existing students to declare any disability or learning difficulty so that we can help you access the specific support that you require to manage your studies successfully. All conversations with the team will be confidential and information will only be shared on a strictly ‘need-to-know’ basis so that we are able to make reasonable adjustments to support your learning.
The team are wholly committed to promoting an inclusive student community and learning environment. We work strictly within the framework of the Equality Act (2010) to provide reasonable adjustments for all students with disabilities.
Contact the Additional Learning Support team to book an appointment to discuss your needs by emailing help.alsservices@dncolleges.ac.uk
Apprenticeship Support
Please note that students who are on an apprenticeship programme are not eligible to apply for a bursary as per funding guidance – students who are on a traineeship programme may be eligible for a bursary if they meet the eligibility criteria. If you are an apprentice and experiencing financial difficulty, please contact the welfare department.
If you have any questions or queries regarding the financial support available to you, please email financial.support@northlindsey.ac.uk