Controlling the magnetoelectric coupling in Ni/BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 with a dielectric spacer

•Reversible and non-volatile magnetoelectric effect in bismuth ferrite based heterostructure.•Large modulation of the magnetic coercive field by electric field.•Strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling mechanism.•Control of the depolarizing field by an interleaved dielectric spacer.•Volatile to non-volatile tuning of the magnetoelectric response through the depolarizing field.