Fees & Financial Help

Returning to education may not be as difficult as you think. You may be eligible to receive financial support to provide help with childcare and travel costs as well as
fees payable to the College.

Getting started

All students aged 19 years or over on the 1^st September are expected to pay for tuition, registration, exam fees and all other course related costs, however assistance with these costs may be available if you are taking a Skills Funding Agency funded course.

For a list of funded courses, please refer to the Adult Course Directory|. 

Financial Help

Types of financial help available to adults include:

• Tuition and Exam Fee Remission
• Level 2/3 Entitlement
• Adult Learning Grant
• Care to Learn
• Free Childcare for Training and Learning at Work
• Learner Support Fund
• Professional and Career Development Loan
• Accommodation and the Residential Bursary Scheme

For further information on the range of support available to you, please contact
Student Services on Tel: 01483 44 85 60 or Email: studentservices@guildford.ac.uk|

Tuition and Exam Fee Remission

Fee Remission is available for students 19 years of age or over that are enrolled on Government funded courses and are in receipt of a means tested benefit e.g.

• Income Support
• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Jobseekers Allowance
• Income Related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit Guarantee
  

Those that are found to be eligible for Fee Remission will not need to pay tuition fees.

Note: Disability Living Allowance and Incapacity Benefit are NOT means tested benefits and therefore cannot be used as evidence for your Fee Remission application.

Level 2/3 Entitlement

Level 2 – If you are over 19 and studying your FIRST FULL Level 2 qualification that is Government funded you may be eligible for a reduction in your tuition fees.

Examples of previous Level 2 course are:

• NVQ 2
• 5 GCSE’s A-C
• BTEC First Diploma
• GNVQ Intermediate
• 1 A Level
• 2 or more AS Levels

 

Level 3 – If you are between 19-25 studying you FIRST FULL Level 3 qualification that is Government funded you may be eligible for a reduction in your tuition fees.

Examples of a previous Level 3 course are:

• NVQ 3
• 2 or more A Levels
• GNVQ Advanced
• National Diploma

 

Note: If you are aged over 25 you may still be eligible for Level 3 entitlement if you do not already hold a qualification higher than a Level 1 and your course is not available at a Level 2 or this is deemed as the appropriate route of study for you.

Adult Learning Grant

This is a payment of £10, £20 or £30 per term time week for students over the age of 19 that are studying in full time education. Students must have 100% attendance every week to receive payments.

To apply you must be:

• Enrolled on your FIRST full Level 2 or 3 course. (see above for Level 2 or 3 qualifications)
• 19 or over (at the start of the academic year)
• Settled or ordinarily resident in the UK for 3 years prior to the start your course
• On a low household income (less than £19,513 if you are single or £30,810 if you have a live in partner)
• NOT in receipt of ‘out of work benefits’
• Taking a Skills Funding Agency funded course that is at least 12.5 hours per week (450 hours per year/150 hours per term).

Care to Learn

If you are a young parent, Care to Learn can help pay for your childcare and travel costs while you're studying a College course funded by the Learning and Skills Council.

Care to Learn will pay for:

• Childcare costs while you learn, including while you are on placement
• Childcare costs for extra home/private study
• A childcare deposit (up to £250) if one is charged
• Any necessary childcare fees payable during holidays in order to retain your child's place
• Necessary travel costs to and from your childcare provider
  

In order to apply for the Care to Learn scheme you must be:

• A parent under the age of 20 at the start of your college course
• Caring for your own children (whether you are a Father or a Mother)
• Living in England
• Using a registered childcare provider
  

To apply for the Care to Learn scheme then please visit the Care to Learn website

Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work

You may be eligible for FREE childcare if:

• You are a parent of a child aged 14 or under
• You are not in any type of paid employment
• Your household income is £20,000 or under in the previous tax year
• You are in a family where your partner works full time or over 16 hours per week

NB: If you are not eligible for the Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme you may still be eligible for childcare from the College Learner Support Fund (see below).

Learner Support Fund

The Learner Support Fund is designed to help support students with costs that arise when starting or taking a Government Further Education course. Awards can be made in addition to most grants like ALG, Fee Remission and Level 2 or 3 Entitlement. These funds are limited and are prioritised for students that are facing extreme financial hardship.

To apply you must be:

• Enrolled on a Government funded course
• A resident in England or Wales for the last 3 years.
• On a low household income or receiving means tested benefits

Awards are made towards ESSENTIAL course costs (identified by your Faculty as being required to complete the course) and calculated at rates we consider to be reasonable. This could be for books, visits, materials, equipment, uniform and travel expenses.

You can also apply for a contribution towards childcare support, you childcare provider needs to be Ofsted registered and if you are awarded assistance the funds will be paid directly to the provider. Funds are very limited and we are not able to help every student.

Professional and Career Development Loan

A Career Development Loan is a bank loan designed to help you pay for work-related learning. You don't have to start paying your loan back until one month after you stop training.

You can apply to borrow anything between £300 and £10,000 to help you fund up to two years of learning (or up to three years if the course includes one year of relevant practical work experience)

Further details can be found at direct.gov.uk| or you can call 0800 585 505 to speak to an advisor. 

Accommodation and the Residential Bursary Scheme

The college has up to 100 places available to live on-site at our Merrist Wood campus and we offer a Residential Bursary scheme to assist students with their accommodation costs at the Merrist Wood Halls of Residence.

In order to be eligible for the Residential Bursary the following must apply:

• You are studying your first full level 2 or 3 full time vocational course
• You have been ordinarily resident in England for the three years prior to the start of your course
• A similar course is not available locally to your home (within reasonable travelling distance)
• Your course is Government funded

If you would like further details about the Merrist Wood Halls of Residence call the Accommodation office on 01483 88 4093 or click here|

More Information

For more information about fees and financial support at Guildford College contact Student Services Tel: 01483 44 85 60 or Email: studentservices@guildford.ac.uk|