Student Funding
Whatever your financial situation, It is important to know about the different types of funding support available to you whilst studying at college.
You should apply for the relevant funding as soon as you can to ensure this is in place for the start of your course.
Please note: School pupils undertaking a school-college partnership course are not eligible to apply for funding from college.
Tuition Fees
The following information is for full-time students eligible for government funding. If you are on part-time, evening or other non-bursary funded courses or a student who does not qualify for government funding please email admissions@forthvalley.ac.uk for further information and support with your tuition fees. Please note ITA Funding has now closed.
Guide to Student Funding
Our Guide to Student Funding can be downloaded below. This provides an in-depth guide to all the funds you can apply for and how funding works.
Guide to Student Funding 2025/26Funding Application Process
1) Receive your invitation - After accepting your course offer, you’ll receive an email inviting you to apply for funding for the 2025/26 academic year. This will be sent to the email address you used on your course application.
2) Complete your application – you’ll need to provide information about your household and financial circumstances for assessment. You will also need to provide supporting documents such as birth certificates, P60s, bank statements, benefits statements, etc.
3) Submit and await review – Once you’ve uploaded your supporting documents, we’ll review your application and assess your eligibility. If anything is unclear or missing, we may contact you for more information.
4) Receive your award decision – We’ll notify you by email. If your application is successful, you’ll be able to download your award letter from the application website. This letter will include: the amount you’ve been awarded and your payment schedule.
5) Accept your award – you must formally accept your funding award before any payments can be made. This step confirms your agreement to the terms and conditions of your award.
Full details of the process are laid out in the Guide to Student Funding.
Student Eligibility
In order to be eligible to receive funding, a student must meet the age, residency and previous study criteria.
In order to be eligible to receive Student Funding, students must be beyond the statutory school leaving age. If you are under 16 when you start college, you may not be eligible to receive funding from the start of your course. Contact Student Funding for further information.
Financial Advice
In addition to receiving money from the college while studying, you can access other resources.
Student Information Scotland – This website can be used to find out about your financial options while studying and information about other government resources you can access. The site also includes budget and funding calculators.
Money Map – This website from Citizen’s Advice can guide you on how to maximise your money, reduce your bills and meet the cost of living.
If you need specific advice or support, you can contact the Student Funding Team directly.
Student Assistance Fund (SAF)
While you are a student, if you find yourself in financial hardship you can apply for a payment from the Student Assistance Fund. This can be due to unexpected costs or bills. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis for reasons such as:
- Additional travel expenses
- Books and equipment
- Accommodation
- Emergency situations
- Disability related costs
- Holiday childcare costs
- Unexpected living costs
Please Note: Funds paid to you from the Student Assistance Fund are on a grant basis and so you do not need to pay this back, unless it is found that your application goes against terms and conditions.
Disclaimer
Our HE Discretionary Funds are provided by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). Currently we do not have confirmed funds or guidance from SAAS for HE Discretionary Funding for Academic Year 2025-26.
Because of this, HE students cannot make a SAF Application until we receive the new guidance. We will provide updates as and when we receive them. FE Students are unaffected.
We currently do not have all funding and/or guidance for our HE Discretionary and EMA Funds from their respective providers. (The Student Awards Agency Scotland and the Scottish Government.)
We therefore cannot provide information or advice on these funds at this time.
This means that while you may apply for these funds, we are unable to assess applications or make awards for these funds until we receive the guidance for Academic Session 2025-26.
We do not have a timeline for receiving this information, but we will provide updates as and when we receive them.
Funding Criteria
Each type of funding has different eligibility and assessment criteria. You can navigate below to see more information about the different funds available depending on if you are a Further Education or Higher Education student.
A further education (or non-advanced) course can be classified as any course that is SCQF Level 6 or below. For example Access, NC, NQ, SVQ
Read more
A Higher Education (or advanced) course can be classified as any courses that are SCQF Level 7 or above. For example HNC, HND, Undergraduate
Read moreContact Us
Email: funding@forthvalley.ac.uk
Phone: 01324 403041 (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm)
During term-time you can speak to a member of the Student Funding Team in the Student Hub at our Falkirk Campus, Mon-Fri 9am-1pm.
Forth Valley College, Grangemouth Road, Falkirk, FK2 9AD
To see us outside of term-time, please contact us to make an appointment.
To schedule an appointment with one of our team members, please send us an email or reach out to us by phone using the above contact information.