You are eligible for free Further Education if you are:
- Aged 16-19 (under 19) on 31st August 2024
- Aged 19 to 24 with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- Aged 19, continuing onto the second year of a 2-year course
Students aged 19 or over will usually need to pay for tuition, exam and registration fees.
You may be eligible for tuition fee remission depending on:
- The qualification you are studying
- Your age at the start of the course
- Your previous achieved qualifications
- Your employment/unemployment status
Applicants who have not lived in the UK for the last 3 years will need to provide residency evidence and may have to pay a higher fee. Eligibility will be checked when you apply for a course.
To find out more, contact our Admissions Team on 01225 756300.
Applicants who have been offered a place on a full-time Further Education course will be invited to an appointment with one of our Funding and Finance Advisers for fee assessment and enrolment during the summer. We will tell you the cost of the course, assess any eligibility for fee remission and offer information about any financial support/bursaries available to you.
When you enrol, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity and, (if you are not a UK citizen or have not lived in the UK for 3 years) evidenced of your right to live in the UK
If you are required to pay course fees, payment is due at enrolment (instalment plans are available). For Further Education courses at levels 3, 4, 5 and 6, you may be able to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan.
Bursary funds are available to families on low incomes to help towards the cost of attending your chosen course. This does not include course fees.
Advanced Learner Loans are available to learners aged 19 and over who are studying at Level 3 to level 6 on an eligible course.
You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan once your offer of a place on your course has been confirmed. You will require a Learning and Funding Information Letter in order to complete your application. These will be available in June and your Bursary and Student Funding Officer can provide this at your fee assessment.
Please apply well before the start of your course so that the loan is approved and in place before you enrol. If it is not agreed by the time you enrol, you can either pay in full or pay a deposit and set up an instalment plan for the fees which will be refunded (minus £20 administration) once your loan has been approved.
If a learner takes out an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for an Access to HE Diploma and then goes on to complete a HE qualification, the outstanding balance of the Advanced Learner Loan will be written off.
For courses starting after 1st August 2024, Advanced Learner Loan repayments start when your income £25,000 a year (before tax and other deductions). Find more information from the government here.
