BU Care Leavers Bursary

To be eligible for a BU Care Leavers Bursary, you must:

have been in care for a period of 3 months or more in the last 5 years
be registered as Home for fee status and
live in England and have been ordinarily resident in England for three years prior to the start date of your course*
be eligible for both the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England
be a new student joining us in September 2025, actively participating on an Undergraduate BU or Wiltshire College Salisbury** course (excluding HNC/HND) on a full or part-time basis
be paying the higher tuition fee of £9,535 if studying a Foundation Year
have a household income of £25,000 or less***

Students who are ordinarily resident in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are excluded from receiving the BU Care Leavers Bursary due to alternative funding arrangements being available to them. Ordinarily resident has been defined as 'habitual and normal residence in one place.' It means that you live in a country year after year by choice through a set period, apart from temporary or occasional absences, such as holidays or business trips. Living here totally or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education does not count as being ordinarily resident.

Applies to: BA (Hons) Commercial Photography and BA (Hons) Film Production and Cinematography. If you're studying at one of our other Partner Colleges, you will need to contact them for information about financial support.

You will need to meet the eligibility criteria each year in order to qualify for the full bursary.

You will receive up to £9,000 over three years of study (up to £12,000 if you are studying a Foundation Year) to support your learning and living costs, should you continue to meet the eligibility criteria. The amount received will be pro-rata for part-time study.