Admissions
The College has a long-standing tradition of providing means-tested financial assistance, in the form of bursaries, to parents or guardians whose children would benefit from attending Bishop’s Stortford College but are unable to afford the fees. The Governors at Bishop’s Stortford College remain committed to facilitating broader access through bursary awards.
Bursaries are awarded at the discretion of the College, following a comprehensive means-tested assessment of the family’s household and commercial position (e.g. their savings, investments and releasable assets, as well as their income, the size of their family, any other dependents and like factors). As a guide, if the application is for one child and the annual combined household income, after deductions, is less than £80,500 then an application for assistance will be considered, but the award will depend on net disposable income and the means and ability to pay the fees.
Due to the inability to assess financial ability to pay fees, bursaries are not available to overseas families or those who are in their first year living in the UK.
Up to 110% support is available dependent on financial means. The amount of bursary award is not influenced by the level of the academic ability of the child but by the extent of need. Each case is assessed on its own merits and awards are made accordingly, subject to the funds the College has available for bursaries.
Once awarded, bursaries are subject to an annual review and in subsequent years, awards may be varied upwards or downwards, depending on changes in financial circumstances. Bursary awards are subject to a full review when transferring from the Prep School to the Senior School and when moving into Sixth Form. The recipient is obliged to notify the College of any significant changes in their financial circumstances, such as a significant increase in income or additional income from another source into the household, whilst in receipt of support.
We do not provide bursaries in the Pre-Prep due to the difficulty in assessing pupils’ ability to access the College curriculum at this age.
Boarding fees financial assistance will only be considered for families residing over 35 miles from the College, measured as a direct line measurement, unless there are exceptional issues where home-life is negatively impacting on learning and this can be evidenced.
Please read the Bursary Policy below to review the criteria before going to the admissions application form and answer ‘yes’ to the bursary award question. You will then be contacted by our Bursar’s office for the next steps.
Families qualifying for the Continuity of Education Allowance, whose children meet our entrance criteria will pay no more than 10% of our fees for full boarding places.
Scholarships are awarded to pupils through our admissions process and recognise gifted and talented pupils and are awarded at the discretion of the Head. Means tested financial assistance (a bursary) is available to those who meet our entrance criteria but who, due to family circumstances, might not otherwise be able to benefit from a College education. Where bursary applicants are eligible for scholarships, these will be included within the overall award.
Full details of our bursary policy and process can be found via the link below.