Student Funding Support – What We Do

Hi, my name is Kasia Wasilewska, and I’m the Student Advice Team Leader for the Guidance team which is part of the Student Experience team within the College.

An overview

We’re here to support both current and prospective students, making sure they feel understood and empowered. We provide guidance and advice, ensuring everyone has the best chance to exceed their potential at college. Here are some of the things we can support you with:

• College, SAAS and childcare funding.
• Financial wellbeing and budgeting for college life.
• Homelessness – signposting and tailored support.
• Accommodation options.
• UCAS application process and bespoke UCAS statement advice.
• Employment opportunities detailed on our Jobzone portal.

We also have Student Advisors on hand to offer help around our campuses. The Advisors are dedicated contacts for our widening participation group students, including students with caring responsibilities, veterans and care-experienced students. They aim to enhance the college experience, and can help guide through various application processes, including UCAS, and liaise with other teams or relevant staff members.

College can be an exciting as well as overwhelming time, especially when dealing with financial challenges. Students are able to apply for Student Discretionary Funding if they are having money struggles, and Advisors can provide advice during the application process, as well as offering other practical guidance. We can also support students dealing with issues such as homelessness, referring them to the appropriate team at the Council, as well as those who are on benefits, or going through their college journey without parental support. All you have to do is contact the team, and we’ll do all we can to assist.

Thinking of coming to college, but worried about funding your studies?

The importance of planning ahead can’t be understated, and my advice would be to simply sit down and have a chat with one of our friendly Student Advisors. Tell them about your concerns, and ask any questions that you may have. They’ll help you understand what your options might be depending on the course you’re applying for, and your personal situation.

We know that juggling college, work and personal life can be stressful, especially if you have debt. Student Advisors can signpost you to various organisations that can help you with dealing with your debt, and even advocate for you.

How can you access the support on offer?

Our experienced Student Advisors are available on each campus during drop-in times and can also be contacted via e-mail:

guidance@edinburghcollege.ac.uk 
UCAS.help@edinburghcollege.ac.uk  
Jobzone@edinburghcollege.ac.uk 
moneymanagement@edinburghcollege.ac.uk

What other avenues of support are there?

We’re also very passionate about helping our students to look for work or volunteering opportunities as this has huge beneficial influence on their finances, future employability prospects, and confidence. Our Advisors run an employability page called Jobzone where they post job adverts, and offer helpful advice. Students can also email us at jobzone@edinburghcollege.ac.uk if they need further information on how to look for work or have any questions or concerns about the process. Additionally, we can also make appointments with our designated SDS Career Advisors who offer support to our students in each campus. 

It is also important to mention that the guidance team provide information and advice to students planning to go to university and applying to UCAS. This support entails offering one-to-one appointments, online drop-ins (usually between October and December), providing personal statement advice tailored to the curriculum area, overseeing the whole college UCAS system, and organising HE events every year.  

If you’re thinking of coming to College and want to know more about the funding available to you, please get in touch.