What you need to know
Applicants must meet all criteria:
- Cause of death - a parent of the applicant died whilst serving in HM Armed Forces and the parent's death was deemed to be attributable to their service, and for which the child or surviving parent is receiving benefits under a MOD attributable benefits scheme
- Date of death - the deceased parent died after 00:01 hours on 1 January 1990
- Relationship - at the time of death, the applicant was a child of the deceased serviceman or woman, or the applicant was the biological child of the deceased and was born within 42 weeks of the parents death. For the purposes of these regulations, a child is defined as a legitimate or legitimated child or step-child; a child statutorily adopted; a child of the family. A child is deemed to be below the age of majority (18 years) . If over that age, a son or daughter must be 24 years or younger and in receipt of full-time education at a school, college or university (studying for a first degree only) or be out of full-time education for up to one year between secondary and Further Education (FE) or FE and Higher Education (HE). The age limits to not apply to a son or daughter who is physically or mentally incapable of contributing to their own support. Fostered children are not eligible
- Age on application - for FE the applicant must be due to start or started the course either while still in compulsory education or within 3 years from finishing school education. For HE the applicant must be due to start or have started the HE course within 3 years of finishing FE. If more than 3 years, the applicant must provide justification why FE or HE has been delayed.
Further Education - this includes English 'Technical Education' (TE). The scheme will provide a scholarship for up to 3 years to stay in further or technical education (equivalent to English level 3 or Scottish SCQF level 6 or below is eligible). The scholarship will normally be paid for the last 2 years at school, college or other appropriate provider but can be extended to 3 years if required by the syllabus being studied or the personal circumstances of the learner. If will not be extended to repeat part of a syllabus or to retake an exam
Higher Education / University / Higher Level Technical Education - scheme will provide a contribution towards the cost of a first undergraduate course at a publicly funded UK higher education institution, or one higher level technical education programme at a provider funded by the relevant funding agency regardless of course length. The contribution is towards tuition and maintenance costs. The scholarship is adjusted to provide a similar level of support to all applicants across the UK since tuition fees vary across the country
Amounts - see Annex A. These are reviewed annually
Place of study - scholarships will only be provided for study in the UK (for residents in Channel islands or Isle of Man, residence in England will be assumed)
Foreign and Commonwealth - applicants who are not domiciled in the UK must obtain a place at a UK institution before applying for a scholarship. Arrangements and cost of visas and travel remain the applicants responsibility and will not be covered by this scheme
Payments - scholarships will be paid to either the parent or guardian or directly to the bereaved child. For both scholarships three payments will be made each year by 31 October, 31 January and 30 April or as soon as confirmation has been received from the educational establishment that the student has registered and is attending the specified course. Veterans UK are to confirm both the registration and attendance at the beginning of the academic year
Income tax - scholarship payments are not liable for income tax
Means testing - awards of scholarships are not dependent on the financial situation of the applicant or their family. The receipt of a scholarship should not prevent a receipting for applying for other forms of financial support such as Governments Access to Learning Fund should they find themselves in hardship
Death of a Service parent while at school or university - if a child becomes eligible for a scholarship during an academic year while in further education or university, payments will be backdated to the start of the term in which their parent died or will begin from the start of the next term following a death in the holidays
Academic year - for the purposes of this scheme, the academic year is deemed to run from 1 September to 31 August of the following year
What you need to do
An application for FE or technical education (TE) scholarship should be made by the parent or guardian of the bereaved child or by the child themselves.
Complete the AFBSS1 form and send to the Scheme Administrator by post:
Veterans UK
Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme
Tomlinson House
Norcross
Thornton-Cleveleyes
FY5 3WP
or email DBS-AFBSS@mod.gov.uk
Applications must be received by 31 January in the academic year the scholarship is to apply. Applications received after this date will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
On receipt of a valid application, the Scheme Administrator will confirm in writing that the child is eligible.
If the child is not eligible for the scholarship, the Scheme Administrator will advise in writing informing of the reason. The parent or guardian or child can appeal if they believe the decision is incorrect to the address above.
Applications for subsequent years of study should be made in accordance with this policy. The Scheme Administrator will write to the academic institution to confirm that the scholarship recipient has started the next year of study. When this is received, the scholarship will continue.
If the child intends to continue into a third year of the FE or TE course, the parent, guardian or child should write to the Scheme Administrator at the above address requesting an extension to the scholarship and enclosing a letter from the academic institution confirming the child will be enrolled for a further year.
A further education scholarship will not be extended beyond 3 years.
If a child withdraws from the course, the Scheme Administrator must be notified in writing immediately confirming the date of withdrawal. No further payments will be made (unless withdrawal due to ill health where the grant may be issued if the child returns to the course). Failure to advise the Scheme Administrator of the withdrawal of the child before any further payments have been made will render the recipient of the payment liable for repayment of all money received after the date of withdrawal from the course.
An application for HE / University / Higher level technical education (TE) scholarship should be made by the eligible child by completing the AFBSS1 form and sending to the Scheme Administrator by post:
Veterans UK
Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme
Tomlinson House
Norcross
Thornton-Cleveleyes
FY5 3WP
or email DBS-AFBSS@mod.gov.uk
An application may be made after 1 April in the calendar year in which the course will start. They will not be accepted before this date. The application must be received before 31 January of the following year. Any applications received after this date will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
On receipt of a valid application the Scheme Administrator will confirm in writing to the applicant that they are eligible and ask for bank details for direct payment of the scholarship money.
If they are not eligible for the scholarship, the Scheme Administrator will advise in writing informing of the reason. You may appeal to the Scheme Adjudicator at the above address giving reasons why the decision is incorrect.
The applicant must also register with the Student Loans Company for student finance. This is to ensure that fees charged are those for a UK student. Failure to register may mean that the child is charged fees as an overseas student, which may be higher. Registering for a loan does not mean that a loan has to be used, however the scholarship may not cover all of the tuition and living costs incurred and so the scholarship recipient may also take out a student loan to cover additional costs if you chose to do so.
Scholarship payment amounts may vary across the UK depending on the country of domicile and the country in which the applicant chooses to take their degree course. Please refer to the scholarship rates. Eligible children from overseas will be treated as resident in England for the purposes of these scholarships.
Applications for subsequent years of study should be made in accordance with this policy. The Scheme Administrator will write to the academic institution to confirm that the scholarship recipient has started the next year of study. When this is received, the scholarship will continue.
If a scholarship recipient fails to progress into the next year of studies the scholarship will be suspended. If the course is subsequently resumed, the scholarship will normally be continued. Scholarship payments will not be made while part of a course of study is repeated or while exams are retaken.
If at any stage the applicant withdraws from the course, they must write to the the Scheme Administrator immediately confirming the date of withdrawal. No further payments will be made after the date of withdrawal (unless withdrawal due to ill health where the grant may be issued if the child returns to the course). Failure to advise the Scheme Administrator of the withdrawal of the child before any further payments have been made will render the recipient of the payment liable for repayment of all money received after the date of withdrawal from the course.
