Educational Maintenance Allowance
If you have a household income of less than £30,000 per year, you may be eligible for Education Maintenace Allowance (EMA) payments of up to £30 a week. These are paid directly to you and can be used to pay for anything you wish, including transport, books or entertainment. For further details please visit the EMA website.
Additionally, if you are entitled to the MAXIMUM EMA amount of £30 a week and qualify for transport assistance through Wiltshire County Council, you may receive a 50% discount on the cost of your travel pass.
Transport Assistance from Salisbury College
The Salisbury College Learner Support Fund
This is a means tested fund and every applicant will be considered individually. All applicants will be required to provide proof of income and expenditure to support their claim.
Salisbury College Travel Fund
This is available to full-time Further Education students from Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and those from Wiltshire where Salisbury is not their designated college and the student lives over 3 miles away from the college (the distance criterion may be waived for students with mobility problems). The college will provide a subsidy for bus or train travel up to a maximum of £250 per year (£100 Autumn term, £100 Spring Term, £50 Summer term).
If you wish to apply for one of the Salisbury College schemes, please pick up an application form Student Services at Salisbury College (Telephone: 01722 344329).
Transport Assistance from other Councils
If you live in Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Somerset or within the areas covered by Swindon Borough and Bath & N.E. Somerset Councils, you may be entitled to transport assistance from those Councils:
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Students may be able to purchase a pass for journeys to schools where transport already exists and seats are available.
Please telephone 01225 394319 for more details.
Dorset County Council
If you live in Dorset, you may qualify for a subsidised bus pass if you are attending your nearest 6th form and the school is more than 5 miles away from your home. This will cost £184 per year but may be issued free if you or your immediate family are in receipt of certain benefits. Please telephone 01305 224544 for more details.
Please note that there are no additional funds available for students attending college.
Gloucestershire County Council
Subsidised bus passes are available for students attending their designated 6th form or college and are more than 3 miles from the campus. These passes may be issued free if the family is in receipt of certain benefits. Please telephone 01452 425407 for details.
Hampshire County Council
If you live in Hampshire, assistance will be given if:
- You are attending your nearest 6th Form or College providing an appropriate course; and
- The school/college is less than 10 miles away from your home; and
- The school/college is more than 4 miles away; and
- You are living in a low income household (proof of income will be required)
Please telephone 01962 845844 for more details.
Somerset County Council
If you live in Somerset, are under the age of 19 and live more than 5 miles from College, you may be eligible for a subsidised bus pass from the Somerset Local Education Authority as long as you are attending your nearest provider for the course you wish to study. In some cases, you may be eligible for petrol money. Please telephone 01823 355942 for more details..
Financial Assistance for Musicians
Please see the Grants & Bursaries for Musicians for information available to students who are studying Music Courses.
Other Sources of Help
If you are not eligible for assistance from these organisations, please see the Other Sources of Financial Help for Travel to Further Education page for details of other places from whom you may be able to seek help with transport costs.
Please note that the above information is based on details provided to us by the colleges and councils concerned and has been included here in good faith as an indication of the assistance that may be available. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information is correct, no responsibility can be accepted for any inaccuracies, so please contact the college or council concerned before committing yourself to a particular course.