Education, Communities and Housing

Student Funding Application: 2026/2027

Education Maintenance Allowance and Further Education Bursaries

IMAGE: The Orkney Islands Council crest and logo, with the motto “DOMUS AMICUS” beneath the shield.

For eligibility criteria and instructions, please refer to the [Student Funding Guidance Document].

1. Application Type

What type of application are you applying for?

The type of funding that you are eligible for will depend on your individual circumstances, including age and household income. An overview of the different types of application are described below. Please tick which type of fund(s) you wish to apply for.

The following grant is available to those studying at school, home, college within Orkney or an Activity Agreement with the Connect Project or Orkney Islands Council:

☐ Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

This is available for young people aged between 16 and 19 years old. It is means-tested for most applicants so you will need to provide your household income details for your entitlement to be assessed. Please refer to the guidance notes for details of the income exceptions.

If you are studying out with Orkney, then you should apply to your college for EMA.

The following funds are only available to College students:

☐ Travel and Materials Only Bursary.

This is available to young people aged 16 or 17 who are attending college. It is not means-tested so no household income details need to be submitted with your application.

☐ Fees Only Bursary.

This applies to UHI Orkney students who are aged 18 and over. It is not means-tested so no household income details need to be submitted with your application form. This type of bursary only covers the cost of tuition fees. There is an additional materials allowance that you will have to pay for, and the college will invoice you for this.

If you are studying out with Orkney, then your college will be able to apply for a fee waiver from the Scottish Funding Council on your behalf.

☐ Full Bursary.

A full bursary includes tuition fees as well as maintenance, travel and materials allowances. Apart from fees, it is means-tested so you will need to provide evidence of your household income with your application form for your entitlement to be assessed. Any category of student can apply for this, whether you are studying within or out with Orkney. If you are under 18 and living at home with parents/carers, then you should apply for the Travel and Materials Bursary instead as you will not be eligible for a maintenance allowance.

☐ Care Experienced Bursary.

Similar to the full bursary but is not means-tested. This is for applicants aged 16 and over at the start of their course and who have been looked after by a UK Local Authority. There are specific categories of care experience that are eligible for this fund. Please refer to the guidance notes for more information.

Full eligibility details are included in the Student Funding Guidance document which can be accessed online at www.orkney.gov.uk under ‘Grants, EMAs and Bursaries’.

2. The Applicant

The ‘applicant’ is the pupil, student or young person who is applying for funding support.

Please provide your details as stated on your birth certificate or passport. If you have been known by any other names in an official capacity, please include this in the relevant box (e.g. maiden name, deed poll name change).

2.1. Full name: ________________

2.2. Date of birth: __ / / ____

2.3. Former name(s), if applicable: ________________

2.4. Home address:

2.5. Postcode: __________

2.6. Is this also your term-time address?

☐ Yes.

☐ No, please provide address below.

2.7. Term-time address:

2.8. Postcode: __________

2.9. Home telephone: ________________

2.10. Mobile: ________________

2.11. Email address: ________________

2.12. What is your status immediately before your course start date?

☐ School leaver.

☐ Continuing student.

☐ Employed or self-employed.

☐ Unemployed and receiving benefits.

☐ Unemployed but not receiving benefits.

3. Residency

To be eligible for support you must meet certain residency criteria.

3.1. What is your residency status?

☐ UK National.

☐ EU / EEA / Swiss National.

☐ Settled Status / Exceptional Leave.

☐ Refugee / Temporary Protection.

3.2. UK entry date (if not a UK National): __ / / ____

3.3. Have you lived at your current home address for 3 years or more?

☐ Yes.

☐ No, please provide address history below.

3.4. Previous address 1:

Dates resident: From: ______ To: ______

Previous address 2:

Dates resident: From: ______ To: ______

Previous address 3:

Dates resident: From: ______ To: ______

Continue in section 10 if required.

4. Course

Details of where and what you will be studying during the academic year.

4.1. Main place of study:

☐ A school within Orkney (go to 4.2.).

☐ Home educated within Orkney (go to 4.2.).

☐ Connect Project or Orkney Islands Council (go to 5.1.).

☐ College (go to 4.4.).

School Pupils:

4.2. School attending:

☐ Kirkwall Grammar School.

☐ Stromness Academy.

☐ Sanday Community School.

☐ Stronsay Junior High School.

☐ Westray Junior High School.

☐ Home-educated.

4.3. Year / stage:

☐ S4.

☐ S5.

☐ S6.

☐ N/A

College Students:

4.4. Name and address of college:

☐ UHI Orkney, East Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LX.

☐ Other, please state below:

4.5. Name and level of course:

4.6. Course duration: From: ______ To: ______

5. Education History

This section only needs to be completed by applicants who have left school.

Sometimes your eligibility to funding support will depend on any previous courses you have studied. If you have left school and undertaken any further study since then, please provide the details below.

5.1. Highest level of education:

☐ No formal education.

☐ National, Higher or Advanced Higher Awards.

☐ SVQ / City and Guilds.

☐ National Certificate (NC).

☐ Higher National Certificate (HNC).

☐ Higher National Diploma (HND).

☐ Degree (Bachelors, Honours, Masters, PhD).

☐ Other, please state: ________________

5.2. Previous education details, if relevant:

5.3. If you have previously received funding from OIC and you did not complete your course of study, or you are looking to be funded for a second time, please briefly explain why in the box below.

If you already hold a higher qualification than the one you are requesting funding for, please explain your reasons for undertaking this course, e.g. how will this benefit you, is your previous qualification obsolete, etc.

6. Student Status

This section is based on your circumstances on the day that your course of study starts.

On the day that your course starts, which category of student will you be?

☐ Parentally Supported.

You will be classed as ‘parentally supported’ if you are:

• Under 18 years old and living at home.
• Under 18 years old and living away from home during term-time.
• 18 to 24 years old and financially supported by parents/carers.

If you are applying for a means-tested fund (EMA, Full Bursary) then we will require your parent/carers’ income details.

☐ Independent Student.

You will be classed as an ‘independent student’ if you are under 25 years old and one of the statements below describes your circumstances.

Please tick any that applies to you (appropriate evidence will be required):

☐ I am caring for a child who is dependent on me.

☐ I am caring for an adult who is dependent on me.

☐ I am married or living in an established relationship of at least 3 months prior to the start of my course.

☐ I have financially supported myself for at least 3 tax years (ending April 2024, 2025 and 2026).

☐ Self-Supporting.

You will be classed as ‘Self-Supporting’ if you are over 25 years old.

☐ Care Experienced.

You will be classed as ‘Care Experienced’ if you are aged 16 or over on the start date of your course and have been looked after by a Local Authority in the UK, within one of the allowed categories of care. Please refer to the Guidance for further explanations.

Please tick the relevant box below to confirm the type of care experience and provide evidence of this, such as a letter from a Social Worker.

☐ Foster care.

☐ Kinship care.

☐ Residential care.

☐ Compulsory Supervision Order with NO condition of residence.

☐ Compulsory Supervision Order WITH a condition of residence.

7. Household

This section confirms your household make-up which may form part of your assessment.

The term ‘parent’ can refer to a mother, father, carer, step-parent or parent’s partner who lives in the same home.

7.1. Do you live in a lone parent household?

☐ Yes (evidence will be required).

☐ No.

7.2. Who do you live with? (Tick all that applies).

☐ Parent(s).

☐ Step-parent(s).

☐ Parent’s partner.

☐ Grandparent(s).

☐ Foster carer(s).

☐ My own partner.

☐ I live alone.

☐ Another adult, please state: ________________

7.3. If you are under 25 years old and financially supported by your parents/carers or you live with a partner, then please complete the table below with their details.

7.4. Are there any (other) dependent children living in your household?

☐ Yes (complete the table below).

☐ No (go to section 9).

A ‘dependent child’ is someone up to the age of 16 and those between the ages of 16 and 25 who are in full-time further or higher education.

Parentally supported applicants – you should include any other dependent children living within the household (excluding yourself).

Independent or self-supporting applicants – you should include your own dependent children and/or partner’s dependent children (if different).

8. Income

This section should be completed for means-tested applications (EMA, Full Bursary).

Please refer to Student Funding Guidance Document regarding unearned income definitions and examples of household income required.

A. Student’s Unearned Income Details

8.1. Students must declare an estimate of the weekly unearned income (e.g. Universal Credit, PIP, etc.) they expect to receive between their course start and end dates in the table below. This refers solely to student income only.

Do not include any wages you earn from employment.

B. Household Income

This section should be completed by the student’s parents/carers or partner (named at 7.3) to declare any income received for the tax year ending 5 April 2026.

8.2. Please tick to confirm if you received any income from the following sources (for the period 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026) and provide appropriate evidence.

Deductions:

No Income:

If you are declaring no income, please confirm why.

9. Additional Information

Please provide any additional information that may be relevant to your application.

10. Declaration

Terms and Conditions:

• I have read the guidance and I understand and accept my responsibilities.
• I declare that all the information given in this form is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and I understand that if I give false information or withhold relevant details this application may be cancelled and, if necessary, action will be taken against me to recover any money already paid.
• I understand that Orkney Islands Council have the right to check the validity of this information and I undertake to supply any additional information that may be required to verify the information.
• I agree to inform Orkney Islands Council of any changes to my financial circumstances that may affect my award.
• I understand that if I do not keep to the conditions of my award then payments may be withheld.
• I understand that if I leave my place of study then I may not be eligible for any further payments. I must notify Orkney Islands Council immediately of any changes to my study arrangements.
• I agree to repay any overpayments made, whatever the cause. This includes overpayments due to miscalculation, re-evaluation of eligibility, unsatisfactory attendance or failure to comply with the school, college or learning centre’s code of conduct.
• I understand that the processing of this application may be delayed if the form is not fully completed and if all relevant documentation is not provided.
• I understand that I may be liable for any tuition fees should I fail to secure bursary funding (college students only).
• I understand that relevant information may be passed to third parties within the Local Authority for the purposes of assessing my application and I give permission for Orkney Islands Council to release information relating to my household circumstances to the Education Grants section.
• I consent to Orkney Islands Council receiving information related to my enrolment, attendance, progress and conduct from my school, college or learning centre to assess my eligibility for payments.

Counter Signatures:

Counter signatures are required if the applicant is under 18 years old (unless they are classed as independent), the student cannot sign the application themselves or the award has been assessed against the income of the student’s parents/carers or partner.

Where the application is being assessed on the student’s parent/carer’s or partner’s income, consent must be given to share this information from all parties, e.g. if income details have been provided for two parents/carers then they must both sign this declaration as confirmation of their consent.

Data Protection Privacy Notice

Please refer to page 31 in the Guidance Document with information on how personal data is used.

Once you have read, understood and agreed to the terms, please sign below.

11. Bank Mandate

Please fill in your details carefully as any errors may result in delayed payments.

If you are applying for materials or a fees only bursary, you do not need to complete this bank mandate.

EMAs and Bursaries are paid directly into bank or building society accounts. This should be the applicant’s account unless there is a valid reason for it not to be, e.g. you are assisting a student with additional support needs.

Orkney Islands Council have a responsibility for fraud prevention and appropriate evidence should be provided (e.g. power of attorney letter) to confirm you are authorised to receive these payments on the student’s behalf. A young person not having a bank account open yet is not a sufficient reason.

Title and Full Name: ________________

Address and Postcode:

Email Address (for payment notification): ________________

Department: Education: Student Funding (EMA / Bursary).

Name and Address of Bank / Building Society:

Sort Code (6 numbers): __ __

Account Number (8 numbers): __ __

Roll Number (if applicable): ________________

Signature: ________________

Date: ________________

12. Checklist

Once you have completed the application form, ensure that all necessary information is included as relevant to your individual circumstances and what you are applying for.

Submitting Documents:

Where possible we ask that you submit your documents electronically. If you are unable to do this then you can post documents to us at the address below.

• You can email clear scans, photos or screenshots to education.grants@orkney.gov.uk.
• Post your documents to the Education Grants Team at: Education, Communities and Housing, Orkney Islands Council, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY.

Note: if you are posting original documents then you will need to include a stamped addressed envelope so that these can be returned to you.

Evidence Required:

The following evidence must be provided by all students:

You may also need to provide additional evidence, depending on your circumstances:

If you are in receipt of benefits or self-employment, please contact us on the email above and we will send out our supplementary information.