How to Apply
Shortly after you have enrolled, a unique application form will be sent to the email address you supplied at enrolment. If you do not receive this email, please email supportfund@leedscitycollege.ac.uk for a new link to be resent. Once you have completed the application, it will then outline what evidence you will need to bring and where to take it.
If you live in a household with a gross annual income of £35,000 or below, you may be eligible for support with meals and travel.
- Please note, financial support and entitlement to loans and bursaries are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- The funds available are limited.
- Please note, funding and financial support are only available to students attending college for five hours or more per week.
- To apply for financial support, you must be enrolled on an eligible Leeds City College course.
- If the below information doesn’t answer your questions, you may be able to find out more information from our policies or useful resources.
Support Information
- Help with travel
You may be able to receive assistance with the cost of travel to and from college if your household income is £35,000 or below.
Students must live at least 1.5 miles based on the shortest walking distance from college to be eligible for travel support.
Passes may be provided for the use of First West Yorkshire, Arriva, TransDev and Metro. This is at the discretion of Leeds City College and the most suitable method of transport will be determined upon receipt of a successful application.
- Help with meals
You may be eligible for meal support if your gross household income is £35,000 or below.
You may be eligible for a meal worth up to £5.00 if you are 16-19 or £4.00 if you are 19+. Please note, meal support is only available to students attending college for five hours or more per day.
To be eligible, you must be 16-18 years old on 31 August 2026, have an EHCP or be a 19+ continuer.
Learners who are 16-19 and in a household who are in receipt of Universal Credit or are supported under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, are eligible for meal support.
- Young Parents – Help With Childcare Costs
If you are aged under 20, you may be eligible for help from the Care to Learn Fund which pays for childcare with an Ofsted-registered provider while you are at college up to a maximum of £180 per week for each child.
The Care to Learn scheme can help with the cost of your childcare, including deposit and registration fees, a childcare taster session for up to five days, keeping your childcare place over the summer holidays and taking your child to their childcare provider.
To apply, you must choose your childcare provider before you make a Care to Learn application. The Financial Welfare Team will help you with the application process.
You must show a copy of your child’s birth certificate and a letter confirming you are claiming child benefit for your child to the Financial Welfare Team. Your childcare provider will only be paid once you have completed the application and they have agreed contracts with college and provided invoices for the care they have provided. You must attend your course regularly for the payments to continue.
Contact the Financial Welfare Team at welfare@leedscitycollege.ac.uk
For further information about the Care to Learn scheme, visit https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn - Help with Priority Fund
If you are aged 16-18 you could receive support with travel, meals and essential equipment. To be eligible for Priority Fund you must fall under any of the following categories:
- In care
- Care leavers
- Receiving Income Support or Universal Credit because you are financially supporting yourself or yourself and someone who is dependent on and living with you such as a child or partner.
- Receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independent Payments in your own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance in your own right.
To apply for Priority Fund, please email your evidence to priorityfund@leedscitycollege.ac.uk
- Financial Welfare Support
The college has a Financial Welfare Team. They support students to overcome barriers that are impacting attendance, progression and achievement. These could be issues such as money worries, housing problems, loss of income and access to benefits.
Advice is offered directly to students, or support is given to curriculum staff to help students with their issues. We also refer to external organisations for on-going support.
We can provide targeted support to young parents, ensuring a smooth transition into college by helping find childcare places and manage relationships with childcare providers.
Advice and support are given on a range of social, economic and wellbeing issues to remove barriers to education and enrich the young parent’s experience of college.
Contacts:
Childcare costs
Don’t let childcare worries stand in your way. We offer two different types of funding to help with the costs of childcare whilst you study.
- 16-19 Care to Learn scheme
If you are under 20 years of age, you can apply for the government’s Care to Learn scheme which pays for childcare with an Ofsted-registered provider while you are at college. The maximum amount you can receive is £180 per week for each child. The Care to Learn scheme can cover deposit and registration fees, a childcare taster session for up to five days, the cost of securing your child’s place over the summer holidays and taking your child to their childcare provider.
You must choose your childcare provider before you make a Care to Learn application. You are welcome to contact our Financial Welfare Team for assistance with this. Once you have done this, you can complete an application online at gov.uk.
After you have applied, you must show a copy of your child’s birth certificate and a letter confirming you are claiming child benefit for your child to the Financial Welfare Team. Your childcare provider will only be paid once you have shown evidence of this.
For further information about the Care to Learn scheme, visit gov.uk.
- 19+ Help with Childcare
If you are aged 20 years or over and meet the income eligibility for the course you are applying for, you can also apply for assistance with childcare fees during your timetabled hours of study. The maximum contribution towards childcare per student per academic year is up to £7,000. We can fund up to £64.10 for a full day and up to £32.05 for a morning / afternoon half-day session.