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Hymers Fee Remission (Bursary) Scheme

The Reverend John Hymers left money in his will for a school to be built; “for the training of intelligence…amongst the vast and varied population of the town and port of Hull.”

In the spirit of the founding message, Hymers College operates a Fee Remission scheme (also called a bursary scheme) for those from Year 7 upwards. This enables over 110 academically able children to attend Hymers College where parents are not in a financial position to pay the full fees.

Who can apply for a bursary?

The main entrance points for our fee remission programme are Year 7 in the Senior School and Year 12 in the Sixth Form. It is possible to access the scheme at other intake points, but these are the years to which the majority of bursaries are awarded. We do not offer bursaries for Pre-School to Year 6 pupils.

Families are also means-tested - your annual income must be under £61,500 per year.

How does Hymers decide who receives a bursary?

The scheme is aimed at academically talented children, so only those who perform exceptionally well in the entrance exam will be eligible for a bursary. The families of those children will then proceed with their bursary application, which includes means testing.

As a guide, if family income is below circa £61,500 per year, you may be eligible for some assistance. If family income is below circa £19,500 per year, you may not need to pay any tuition fees. Income from all sources is taken into account including (but not limited to) pay from employment, net profit from self-employment, benefits and pensions received.

Scroll down to find out more about applying for Hymers Fee Remission and Frequently Asked Questions.

“It was a life changing experience.”

Applying for Hymers Fee Remission

Discover how and when to apply for the Hymers Fee Remission (bursary) scheme.

It is important that you stick to these timelines; we are unable to accept applications for bursaries after the beginning of December prior to your child joining us. For instance, if you are applying for Year 7 then this should be done in the October/November when your child is in Year 6.

Step 1: Apply to Hymers College | September - November

To apply for the Hymers Fee Remission scheme, you must indicate that you wish to do so when completing your child’s main school application. For September 2025 entry, the deadline to request to apply for Fee Remission via the main school application form is Friday 29 November 2025.

Step 2: Complete bursary paperwork | November - December

Everyone who has ticked that they wish to apply for the Hymers Fee Remission scheme will automatically gain access to the Bursary Application Form via their checklist on the admissions portal. This needs to be completed and returned in December. For entry in September 2025, the deadline is Friday 20 December 2024. We will not be able to accept any applications beyond this date.

Step 3: Entrance assessment | January

Your child will sit an entrance assessment in January. Following this, you will be informed if your child has passed and, if they have, whether your child has either:

  • A full fee paying offer - no bursary

  • Performed exceptionally and will progress to the next stage of the bursary application process

Step 4: External bursary assessment | January - February

An external company - Bursary Administration Limited (BAL) will conduct a home visit to assess your family’s income and assets. Following this, you will receive an email/letter stating if we are able to offer a place with fee remission or a full fee-paying offer.

Step 5: Submission of paperwork for previous tax year | April - May

For those who have accepted a place based on the provisional amount of fee remission, the parent(s) will be sent another copy of the assessment form to complete.

This is necessary, as April represents the start of the new financial year and up-to-date information is required to confirm the bursary award.

Step 6: Follow-up with BAL | June - July

Bursary Administration Limited (BAL) will call the parent(s) as a follow-up to the February meeting, related to the up-to-date information submitted in April.

Step 7: Receive confirmation | July - August

You will receive confirmation of the bursary allocated to your child for the upcoming academic year.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • A full bursary will cover all of the tuition fees in any one year. Part bursaries will cover only part of the tuition fees and you would be expected to pay the difference, as well as the full cost of uniforms and school trips.

    We allocate bursaries depending on the financial needs of the family. As a guide, if your assessable income is below £19,500 you may be eligible for a full bursary. If your assessable income is between £19,500 and £61,500, your bursary would be calculated on a sliding scale. The larger your income, the more you would need to pay toward your child’s fees. It is difficult to give an exact indication as other items such as your home, savings and any investments are all considered in the calculation.

  • Bursaries normally just cover tuition fees. You would still need to budget for other expenses, such as uniform, meals, transport and optional music lessons, excursions and school trips.

    If you have been awarded a full bursary, this will also cover the cost of essential school trips and charges for GCSE and A Level public examinations in Years 11 -13. An additional sum may be available to help with the purchase of uniform when a child first starts at Hymers College. (You would need to purchase the uniform and we will refund you on the production of a valid receipt.) You would need to cover the cost of adhoc school uniform from that point.

  • We have a set budget for bursaries each year. Therefore, the number of places is determined by the number of full or part bursaries awarded.

  • No, even if your income is within the limits of the scheme, it will still depend on how your child performs in the entrance assessment.

    Many of the children who apply for a place at Hymers College are doing so because they are very bright. We receive far more applications for bursaries than we can accommodate, from talented students across the region. The competition for bursaries is extremely high.

    There are no guarantees that any child will receive a bursary.

  • No, the scheme is aimed at those families from lower-income backgrounds. Unfortunately, we do not offer any other forms of financial assistance, i.e. scholarships.

  • The paperwork is usually sent in November and December. This may not be immediately after you have submitted your application. If you still haven’t heard in December, please contact the school’s Finance Office by calling 01482 470224.

  • We will ask for information relating to your household income, including from employment, self-employment, benefits and grants. We will also need information relating to your home, savings, mortgage and assets. This will enable us to ensure the bursary funding is given to appropriate families. All information provided is kept confidential.

  • Yes, partly completed forms will be returned to you and your bursary application will not be processed.

  • No, if you do not complete the paperwork as per the timeline of the scheme then you will no longer be considered.

  • Yes, if your child is successful for a bursary you will need to complete the paperwork each year so that we can see if your finances have changes. Bursary awards can go up or down and will be determined by the level of your household income.

  • Provided that academic achievement is strong, your child’s bursary will last from Year 7 (or the date it’s allocated) to Year 11. We will then review your child’s bursary in-line with GCSE results.

    If your child is applying to join us in Sixth Form, they will be offered a provisional place, with a bursary to be agreed following their GCSE results.

  • No, some parents will be requested to attend an interview to discuss the information on their application form. The fact that a parent has had an interview has no bearing on whether their child will receive a bursary.

  • Financial assessments are done each year, usually in June and July, which is after the end of the most recent tax year. When assessments are done, we require supporting information such as P60s, self-assessment forms and company accounts where appropriate. Until we have this supporting documentation, it is not possible to verify the figures on the assessment form and confirm the amount of the bursary award.

  • Please contact our Finance Office with any further questions, by calling 01482 470224 or emailing kedennison@hymers.org.