- Personal Issues
- Finance Funding
- Welfare benefits
- Childcare
- Grants and loans
- Contraception and pregnancy
- Leaving home/homelessness
- Transport
Money may be an important factor as you consider your future education. There are a number of ways that students can be supported financially at College although funding cannot be guaranteed. If you or your family are in receipt of income-based benefits or a low income, then funds may be available to help you with course costs.
You are strongly advised to budget for course-related expenses before you enrol on a course. Additional expenses will include travel to and from college, childcare, course textbooks and materials, equipment, meals or snacks. If you have any questions about any personal issues please feel free to contact a member of the Welfare Team Alex.hodges@filton.ac.uk or call 0117 9092382
HE Student Finance Package
Council Tax
If you are a full-time learner and live alone or share with other full-time learners, you may not have to pay council tax. If you are the only learner in your shared home, you may get a discount on your council tax bill. To claim this reduction you will need to provide information supporting your learner status. The Learner Services Team can provide a letter to confirm this. Please contact Learner Services on 0117 9092297.
Charities and Trusts
Learners can in some exceptional cases, get help from charitable trusts. You will need to be organised and thorough in preparing your application. Expect competition to be fierce. Information about charities is available from the Welfare Team, the Educational Grants Directory and the Charities Digest. You can also access a wide range of information by visiting: www.support4learning.org.uk or www.nusonline.co.uk
Student Financial Support for 16-18 year olds
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
If you are between 16 and 18 years old and planning to study full time further education course you may be eligible for weekly payments of up to £30 a week. Depending on your progress and attendance, you can also earn bonuses. The weekly payments are intended to help with college expenses such as travel, books, equipment etc.
The amount that you get will depend on your household income.
Your annual household income must be below £30,810 – speak with your parents or carers to find out. (Between £25,522 and £30,810 per year the allowance is £10 per week; between £20,817 and £25,521 it is £20 per week; and up to £20,817 you get £30 a week)
You must be doing at least 12 hours a week of guided learning for at least 10 weeks.
EMA is paid on top of any other financial help the government gives you, so it won’t affect any household benefits that you or your family may be claiming (such as Income Support Child Benefit or Working Tax Credit).
Once you enrol on a course, you must sign an EMA Contract. This outlines what we expect in terms of:
- Attendance
- Coursework
- Progress
- Behaviour
To find out more or request an application pack call the helpline on 0800 121 8989 or visit www.dfes.gov.uk/financialhelp/ema
Care to Learn
Care to Learn can assist young parents aged between 16-20 with the costs of registered childcare, travelling expenses to and from the childcare provider and will be eligible to claim up to £5,000 per child per year for the cost of childcare.
To be eligible, you must:
Be enrolled on a further education course full or part time
Be living in England
Be caring for your own child/children
Not means tested
Payments will cover the periods you are studying in college, and may cover payments during the holidays to retain your child’s place. The money will be paid directly to the registered childcare provider.
Further information and advice or an application pack contact the Care to Learn helpline on 0800 121 8989 or visit the website: www.dfes.gov.uk/caretolearn
Learner Support Fund
If you or your family have a low income then you may receive some support through this scheme. You may be eligible for an award to help towards costs such as equipment and materials.
Please note: Eligibility for EMA will be taken into account for any awards made from the Learner Support Fund. The Learner Support Funds are limited so apply early.
Residential Support Programme
The Further Education Residential Support Programme is there to help you access education that is not available within a reasonable daily travelling distance of your home. The programme will pay for residential accommodation where term time lodgings are within 15miles of the college you wish to attend; it can also help with the associated travel costs of living away from home.
You are eligible to benefit from the residential support programme if you are aged 16 or over, the scheme allows you to claim up to £3,295 towards your residential living costs each year. Assistance will be given for a maximum of 3 years and will be awarded pro-rata. Your application will be assessed on household income (ie a student’s income and their parent’s or partner’s income.
For further information contact Tina Gay on 0117 9092227 or tina.gay@filton.ac.uk
or ring the Helpline on 0800 121 8989 or visit the website www.dfes.gov.uk/financialhelp
Student Financial Support for adults
Adult Learning Grant (ALG)
From September 2007 Adult Learning Grants will be available to help out adults who missed out on getting good qualifications at school.
You could get up to £30 per week if you’re a full-time adult learner studying for:
- your first full Level 2 qualification (five good GCSEs or equivalent); or
- your first full Level 3 qualification (two A Levels or equivalent)
How much you get depends on your income. To qualify, you need to be aged 19 or over and your course needs to meet certain requirements.
You can get an application pack from Learner Services, on 0117 9092262 or call 0800 121 8989 or visit the website www.adultlearninggrant.com for further information
Learner Support Fund
The Learner Support Fund is given to colleges by the Government to help students over 19 who may experience financial hardship to complete their course successfully. The fund is allocated annually and each application is assessed on an individual basis throughout the year.
To be eligible for the above funds, you must:
be enrolled on a further education course (not leisure and higher education)
have lived in the UK or the EEA for three years or more or have been granted refugee status
You are not eligible if:
- you are on a New Deal Scheme (except New Deal for Lone Parents)
- on a Work Based learning programme
- Asylum Seekers not meeting the 3 year “ordinary residency rule” may not qualify
Please note: Eligibility for ALG & CDL will be taken into account for any awards made from the Learner Support Funds. Funds are limited so please apply early
Childcare Fund
The Childcare Fund is part of the Learner Support Fund available to learners who have children aged 15 or under (aged 16 or under for children with disabilities) in registered childcare, to complete their course successfully.
If you are aged 19+ you may be entitled to up to 100% of your childcare costs depending on your financial circumstances.
Types of childcare eligible for funding are:
- registered childminders
- nursery
- crèche
- breakfast and after school clubs
- holiday clubs
Application forms are available throughout the year from Learner Services.
Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme
If you are 20 or over and have one or more children, the Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme could help with the cost of childcare while you learn or train.
Help with childcare costs if you’re out of work and want to train
The Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme is aimed at out-of-work parents with a partner who’s in work. If you're looking to do a course that's classed as developing new skills that could lead to a job, it could provide up to £175 per child per week to help with childcare costs.
What you can learn or train for
From short refresher courses in English and maths to formal qualifications in a whole range of subjects, there’s something on offer for everyone.
And because there are plenty of flexible courses available, you can study at your own pace and for however long you choose, building on the skills you already have and developing new ones along the way.
Do you qualify?
You could be eligible for the Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme if you’re 20 or over, not working and you:
- have one or more children aged 14 or under (18 or under if the child is disabled)
- have a partner who is working
- have a household income of £20,000 or less per year
You also need to use a childcare provider that's registered with Ofsted.
How to apply
To apply for Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work, or to find out more about the scheme, you can:
contact the student services team at your college on 0117 9092382, or get in touch with nextstep - they will help you find out if you qualify, and guide you through the application process
Call the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989, and select option four
Career Development Loans (CDL)
A Career Development Loan is a deferred bank loan to help you pay for vocational learning or education. You can borrow anything between £300 and £8,000 to help you fund up to two years of learning plus, if relevant, up to one year’s practical work experience where it forms part of the course.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) pays the interest on your loan while you’re learning and for up to one month afterwards. If you finish the course before the agreed date, the repayment holiday will end up to one month after your last day of training. You then repay the loan to the bank over an agreed period at a fixed rate of interest.
CDLs are available through three high street banks: Barclays, The Co-operative and The Royal Bank of Scotland. You do not need to be an existing account holder but the bank may require you to open an account with them.
For further information contact the CLD Information Line freephone on 0800 585 505 or visit the website www.lifelonglearning.dfes.gov.uk/cdl
Additional Information: ALG, EMA, Care to Learn and Residential Bursary
Applications should be made as soon as you have decided to study a course – you do not need to wait for confirmation of a place. Awards are processed through an external payment body subject to confirmation that weekly payment eligibility has been met.
Higher Education Loans and Funding
Full Time Undergraduate Courses
There are lots of things to think about when you're considering going to university or college, and cost is just one of them. The financial help you can get as a new full-time student depends on your course, where you live while you are studying, and your individual circumstances.
Types of help for new full-time higher education students include:
- Tuition fee loans to cover the full cost of your tuition fees
- Living cost loans to cover the cost of your living expenses
- Grants for living costs
- Bursaries and scholarships from universities and colleges
You could get extra help if you have children or adult dependants, or have a disability or specific learning difficulty. NB: - If you have a recognised disability or specific learning difficulty you must apply for disability allowance as you may not be able to receive support from the college.
For more details on the different types of financial support look on the following website
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationandLearning/universityAndHighereducation
or www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/
Part Time Undergraduate Courses
If you are a part-time higher education student, financial help is available towards your fees and other costs related to your course. How much you may get depends on your personal circumstances and the type of course you do. The financial help available is the same for new and continuing part-time students. How much you may get depends on your personal circumstances and the type of course you do.
There are two types of non-repayable grant:
- fee grant (to help with tuition fees)
- course grant (to help with study costs such as books, materials and travel)
As well as these grants, you may also be able to apply for help through your college from:
- Access to Learning Fund
- Additional Fee Support Scheme
If you have a low income, you may also be entitled to claim certain income-related benefits.
On top of this, help is available if you are a student who has a disability or specific learning difficulty.
Fee grant and course grant - To apply for the fee grant and course grant, your course must last at least one year and not take more than twice as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course.
You apply for every year of your course, at the start of each academic year. How much you can get each year depends on your household income and whether you have a spouse, partner or children.
You do not have to repay this help.
Fee grant - The maximum amount of fee grant available also depends on the 'intensity' of your course. 'Intensity' means how long it takes to complete your course compared with an equivalent full-time course.
For example, if a three-year full-time course takes six years to complete part-time, then the part-time course has an intensity of 50 per cent.
Course grant - You can apply for the same maximum amount of course grant no matter what the intensity of your course.
To find out more about the fee and course grant, including the amounts available, look on www.direct.gov.uk/
Access to Learning Fund (ALF)
The Access to Learning Fund provides discretionary financial assistance for learners in Higher Education – particularly these learners who need financial help to meet extra costs that cannot be met from other sources of support.
To be eligible you must be:
A home learner
An undergraduate learner (part time or full time following a higher education course
To apply for the Access to Learning Funds, please contact Learner Services, Filton College On 0117 9092297 or email Alex.Hodges@filton.ac.uk
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