Advanced Learning Loans

If you are aged 19+ and considering enrolling on a further education course at Level 3 or above you may be entitled to an Advanced Learner Loan to help with course fees.

From 14th May you can apply for a loan for courses starting on or after 1st August 2018, it’s easy to apply online and repayments are simple. Your household income isn’t taken into account and there are NO credit checks involved. Apply now.

You must be aged 19 or over on the first day of your course and, in most cases, have lived in the UK for the 3 years immediately before this and be enrolling on to an eligible course. If you would like more information on eligibility please contact us or details can be found at www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan/eligibility

You pay back your loan (plus interest) when you finish your course and earn more than £25,000 a year, or £480 a week or £2083 a month. So repayments will stop and start in line with these thresholds.

Repayment calculations are simple and any balance outstanding is written off after 30 years.

Want to work out your potential monthly repayment?

Example: On a salary of £27,000

• Subtract £25,000 from the annual salary (£27,000 – £25,000 = £2000)
• Work out 9% of the remainder (9% of £2000 = £180)
• Divide the figure by 12 (£180/12 = £15)
• The monthly repayment would be £15 per month

You don’t have to borrow the full cost of your course and you can choose to pay some or your entire loan at any time without any extra charge.

If you get a loan to cover tuition fees for an Access to HE course and go on to successfully complete a course in Higher Education your loan will be written off in most cases.

FE Fees and Finance

College fees may be made up of several elements:

• tuition fees
• awarding body registration fees or examination and certification fees
• course-specific charges

College fees vary according to your age, your level of study, the type of programme you are studying and where it is delivered.

Fees for Further Education Courses

If you are 16 – 18 years old there will usually be no fees to pay for a full time Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) course, there are some exceptions, please see the college Fees Policy.

Aged 19 – 23 Full Time Further Education course fees are up to a maximum of £1,100 tuition, plus exam fee, plus any course extras, waivers are available depending on each individual, please see the college Fees Policy.

Aged 24 + If taking a Full Time Further Education course below Level 3 course fees are a maximum £1,100 tuition, plus exam fee, plus any course extras, waivers are available depending on each individual, please see the college Fees Policy.

The ESFA will no longer fund 19-23 learners on a level 3+ course who have already achieved a level 3 qualification or 24+ learners on a level 3+ course. All fees are payable for these courses and can be paid for by student, employer or through and Advanced Learner Loan.

Tuition fees can be paid in one instalment or over six recurring card payments with the first instalment taken immediately.  Please click this link to make a payment: Pay tuition fees

Fees for Part-Time and Adult Learning courses

Fees for Part-Time and Adult Learning courses will vary, so please contact us for further information. Some of these courses are not funded by the government, which means that they are not eligible for the concessions below.

Fee Concessions

A range of concessions are available for those aged 19+ depending on your eligibility (see table below).

Student Type	Tuition fee	Exam Fee	Course Costs (where applicable)
16 -18 on a full-time ESFA funded course	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
19+ and Unemployed • You receive Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA), including those receiving National Insurance credits only • You receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are in the work-related activity group (WRAG) • You receive Universal Credit, earn either less than 16 times the National Minimum Wage a week or £330 a month and are determined by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) as being in one of the following groups: * All Work-Related Requirements Group * Work Preparation Group * Work-Focused Interview Group • You are Released on Temporary Licence (RoTL) and studying outside a prison environment and are not funded through the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS). • You receive other state benefits and earn either less than 16 times the National Minimum Wage a week or less than £330 a month. • You want to be employed (or progress into more sustainable employment and earn less than 16 times the National Minimum Wage a week or £330 a month). Your course is directly relevant to their employment prospects and the local labour market needs	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
19-23 and this is your first full Level 2 qualification (i.e. you don’t already have a full Level 2 qualification)	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
19-23 and this is your first full Level 3 qualification (i.e. you don’t already have a full Level 3 qualification)	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
19-23 taking a full Level 4 qualification and you do not already have a full Level 3 qualification	Fees/Loan Payable	Fees/Loan Payable	Fees/Loan Payable
19-23 taking a Foundation Learning course (Entry Level or Level 1), if you don’t already have a full Level 2 qualification, and this current course will help you to progress to Level 2.	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
GCSE Maths and English and you don’t already have a grade C or 4 or above in these	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
19+ ESOL students not on active benefits	Payable	Payable	Payable
19+ Students who are directly referred by Jobcentre and in receipt of benefit	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee
19–23 with an Education Health and Care Plan	No Fee	No Fee	No Fee