To be eligible for a bursary you must fulfil the following criteria:

• You meet the residency criteria
• You are beyond the statutory school leaving age and have left school
• You are not eligible for alternative funds (although if those funds are less than they would receive from a bursary, the college may choose to top up the alternative funding with bursary money)
• You have not previously received a bursary or student awards agency for Scotland (SAAS) support
• You are not adding to or improving an existing advanced level qualification
• You are doing a course that is eligible
• You are under 18, supported by your parents, or supporting yourself.

If you’re over 19 years old and in full-time further education then you might be able to apply for a bursary of up to £86.81 per week. There are also additional amounts on top of this that you may be eligible for. Any amount you get depends on your personal circumstances and whether you are living at home or are self-supporting while you are studying.

If you are younger than 19 you should apply for an education maintenance allowance (EMA) but older students may be better off applying for a bursary.

If you are responsible for a dependant adult then you might also qualify for an extra £49.48 per week. You can only claim this extra dependant allowance if your adult dependant’s income is less than the £49.48 available.

You might also be able to get an additional, discretionary allowance from your college for study expenses, travel and additional support needs. Each college has its own rules about who qualifies for these allowances, so you should ask the student funding officer at your college.

A bursary is not a loan and you won’t be expected to repay it. However, you are expected to maintain satisfactory conduct, attendance (80 per cent attendance or more) and progress through your course. If you don’t do this and/or fail to complete the course you may be asked to repay the bursary. NUS Scotland advises students to inform their college immediately if they’re going to be absent or submit an essay late to make sure they do not lose their bursary.