Student finance
Studying at college may involve costs for you. There may be books to buy, travel fares and additional childcare costs. Some of our courses have additional costs, for example for specialist kit which is needed to study the course – these are outlined on each course page.
If you are studying a higher education course, you can find specific student finance information on our Financial support for Higher Education (HE) students page.
Financial support for Further Education (FE) students
There is a range of funds provided by the Welsh Government and the College to help you pay for various costs associated with your studies:
- The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
- The Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG)
- The Financial Contingency Fund (FCF)
To be eligible for any funding, you must:
- be an enrolled student
- be aged 16 or over
- normally reside in the UK or have lived in the UK for 3 years before the start of the course (or qualify as a âhome studentâ in some other way such as being an EU national or refugee)
Please note that all funding awarded is subject to attendance and can be withdrawn at any time if attendance falls below 90%. Any of the financial support criteria outlined in this section is subject to change.
EMA is a weekly payment to support 16-18 year olds with the costs of studying. Payments are made directly to your bank account every two weeks, providing you have met the attendance requirements.
EMA will not affect any other benefit payments you or your family already receive.
You can apply for EMA if all of the following apply to you:
- You usually live in Wales
- You are aged 16-18
- You are studying at college for a minimum of 12 hours each week and your course is approved by the Department for Education and Skills
- You meet the nationality and residency requirements
- You live in a household with an income of either £23,400 or less OR £25,974 or less and there is more than one young person who qualifies for Child Benefit in the household
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For more information or to apply, visit studentfinancewales.co.uk
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EMA agreement form 2025/26
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If you are 19 years or older and studying on a full-time course, you could get up to £1,919 (or up to £959 for a part-time course), depending on your household income.
You can apply for a WGLG if all of the following apply to you:
⢠You are aged 19 or over on the first day of the academic year (1st September)
⢠You meet the nationality and residency requirements
⢠You live in Wales
⢠You live in a household with an income of £18,370 or less
⢠You are studying and/or progressing on an eligible further education course
⢠You are studying on a course which is more than 275 hours of study across the academic year
For more information on WGLG or to download an application, please visit: www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
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Welsh Government Learning Grant Form
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The FCF is open to all full-time students. FCF can support you with some of the cost of childcare, lunch, course equipment, cost of travel or a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Eligibility for FCF is dependent on your household income.
How can FCF help?
| Under 19 | Over 19 | |
| Travel costs | Yes | Yes |
| Childcare fees | Yes | Yes |
| Course-related costs (e.g. kit / equipment / books) | Yes | Yes |
| Meal subsidy | Yes | No (except in special cases) |
Travel costs: FCF can help towards the cost of a bus/train pass, depending on where you travel from. We do not cover the cost of expenses.
If you require support with travel, you are able to obtain a train/bus pass from the College for a contribution of £225, which is payable when you enrol (£75 per term). Please see our transport page for further information.
Childcare costs: You may receive a maximum allocation of £60 per day of attendance towards the costs of childcare fees, for one child only.
All funding is subject to attendance. Any of the financial support criteria outlined in this section is subject to change.
Course-related costs: FCF can help towards the cost of essential equipment for your course.
Meal subsidy: if youâre 16-18, and either you or your parents/guardian are in receipt of eligible benefits, you can receive a daily meal allowance to the value of £5 per day. Visit https://www.bridgend.gov.uk/residents/schools-and-education/grants-for-pupils to check eligibility.
We offer free breakfast across all our Campuses for all learners between 8.15-9.30am.
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Financial Contingency Fund Form
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If you were in receipt of FCF during the academic year 2024/25, you are automatically eligible to receive funding during 2025/26, provided that your financial circumstances have not changed. If you believe that you are still eligible for FCF, please complete the form below.
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FCF Rollover Form 2025/26
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The Princeâs Trust Development Award could help you towards your course-related costs and is a non means-tested Award.
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Find out more about the Princeâs Trust Development Award
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Further Education FAQs
All absences should be reported by emailing absence@bridgend.ac.uk, by telephoning 01656 302 302, or via the Student Portal. Absences need to be reported within 2 working days.
Payments will be made for:
- Sickness: up to 1 week as long as you notify Student Services via email or phone. After 1 week a doctorâs paper is required. After 2 weeks your absence is classed as long-term sickness and no further payments will be made.
- Medical appointments: appointment cards need to be shown to Student Services.
- Other appointments such as Driving Tests, University interviews: evidence should be shown to Student Services.
- Funeral: you may be absent for the day of the funeral for close family members.
Payments will not be made for holidays, unreported absences, or repeated sickness absences (more than 3 instances of sickness in a term).
Funding is dependent on age and household income. The grid below gives an overview of the FE funding available.
| Fund | Eligibility age | Income Threshold | Purpose of funding | Other Funding they can apply for |
| Financial Contingency Fund (FCF) | 16+ | £30k | Course-related costs, meal subsidy, childcare, transport | 16-18 EMA 19+ WGLG |
| Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) | 16-18 | 1 Dependent £23,400 More Than 1 dependent £25,974 | Attendance incentive | FCF for course related costs, meals, childcare and transport |
| Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG) | 19+ | £18,370 | Course-related costs | FCF for childcare and transport only |
You need to be studying a minimum of 12 hours a week to qualify for EMA.
For WGLG you need to be studying a minimum of 275 hours (9 ½ hours over a 30 week period) to qualify for the part-time element, and over 500 hours to qualify for the full-time element.
In most cases, no. If you received EMA last year and you are under the age of 19 before the 31st August then your application will be rolled-over. All you need to do is contact the Student Loans Company (SLC) on 0300 200 4050 to confirm that you will be returning to College. You need to ensure that you sign your EMA learning agreement within 13 weeks of the start date of the course to be backdated to the start of the academic year.
If you are 19 before the 31st August and have received EMA for the 3 previous years, you will need to apply for Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG) instead.
You can download the application pack and submit your application on the Student Finance Wales website.
No, all you need to do is contact the Student Loans Company on 0300 200 4050 informing them that you are returning to College. They will then send you a Financial Details form to complete. You will need to progress onto a higher level course to be eligible, although if the new course you plan to study compliments the course you have just completed e.g. Hairdressing Level 2 to Beauty Level 2, you may be eligible. You will need to complete your Learning Agreement within 9 months of starting your course.
EMA / WGLG grant will not affect any benefits you or your family receive.
Yes – Welsh Government does not allow institutions to commit to any year on year awards to students.
Yes, you can still apply and if eligible, you will receive the day rate of £60 to fund one child.
Yes, we follow the same eligibility guidelines as the Local Education Authority. If you are aged 16-18 you should be eligible for Meal Subsidy at College if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits/support payments:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and an annual income that does not exceed £16,190
- Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal credit (not in work)
- Universal credit (in work) where your award is based on net annual earnings of under £7,400 from your employment or self-employment.
This is applied for via the Financial Contingency Fund (FCF).
