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Student Support and Benefits Handbook 2021/22

Chapter 1: Further education student support

This chapter covers:

1. Student support in England (below)

2. Student support in Wales (here)

3. Student support in Northern Ireland (here)

Basic facts

– Financial support available for further education students is generally split between that for students aged 16 to 19 and that for those aged 19 and over.

– The support is different in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, most support is discretionary; you are not guaranteed any assistance. In Wales and Northern Ireland, support usually depends on your income, but may not be guaranteed.

In this chapter, the term ‘student’ is used to refer to someone on a further education course or programme. You may be referred to as a ‘learner’ by your college or learning provider, or by other agencies.

1. Student support in England

In England, funding for further education is largely in the form of discretionary awards made by individual colleges and local providers, along with a few national entitlement-based schemes. Many students aged 19 or over must pay fees for their courses, although they may be able to access loans to cover the cost.

Support for students in England is funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

Support for 16–19 year olds

Tuition fees

Subject to certain residency conditions, which are broadly the same as for the 16–19 bursary fund (see below), if you are under 19 on the 31 August prior to your enrolment and you are starting either a full- or part-time further education course funded by the ESFA, you do not have to pay tuition fees. Some private colleges or providers, however, may charge a fee.

16–19 bursary fund

The 16–19 bursary fund is the main form of support for the costs of learning for those aged 16 to 19. To be eligible, you must have been aged under 19 on the 31 August in the academic year you start your course.

The fund pays a guaranteed amount to a small number of students who meet specific criteria (see below). For most people, however, payment is at the discretion of the local learning provider – ie, your college, school or work-based learning provider. Amounts are not guaranteed, and funding is limited. If you are aged 19 or over, you may be able to get a discretionary bursary if you are continuing on a course you began before you turned 19 or if you have an education, health and care plan.

 

Who is eligible

You must be studying at a recognised school, sixth-form college, further education college or with a work-based learning provider. This can include traineeship programmes, but you cannot receive bursary funding if you are undertaking a waged apprenticeship. You must also meet certain residency requirements. You must be:

•a UK citizen or a person who is ’settled’ in the UK within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971 (ie, you have the right of abode or indefinite leave to enter or remain), and ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years prior to the start of the course; or
•a European Union (EU) citizen (or her/his spouse, civil partner or child) and ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area (EEA – see here) or Switzerland for three years prior to the start of the course, provided you live in the UK and enrolled before 31 December 2020. You will be eligible for support for the duration of the course if so. Note: it is not yet known how EU/EEA learners wishing to start a course after this date will be treated; or
•an EEA or Turkish migrant worker (or her/his spouse, civil partner or child) ordinarily resident in the UK at the start of the course and ordinarily resident in the EEA for the three years prior to the start of the course; or
•an officially recognised refugee (or her/his spouse, civil partner or child), or you must have been granted humanitarian protection; or
•the child of a diplomat.

Note: some temporary absences abroad may be disregarded when assessing your entitlement. Rules on residency are complicated, so if you are in doubt, speak to an adviser in the student services department in your college or contact UKCISA. See Appendix 2 for the contact details.

There are special rules if a student from England studies in Wales or Scotland, and vice versa. If you are a student living in Wales, but travelling to England for your course, you should first apply for an education maintenance allowance in Wales (see here) if you are eligible. You are not entitled to apply for the vulnerable students bursary (see below), although you can apply for a discretionary bursary. Any support received from Wales is taken into account when assessing need.

Students living in England and studying at a general further education college in Wales should apply for help through the Financial Contingency Fund (see here). Students living in England and studying at a sixth-form college or special college in Wales should apply to their home local authority for help from the 16–19 bursary fund. Students living in England are not entitled to apply for a Welsh education maintenance allowance.

If you are a student living in Scotland, but travelling to England for your course, you should apply for an education maintenance allowance in Scotland. See CPAG’s Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook for more details. You are not entitled to support from the 16–19 bursary fund in England. Students living in England, but travelling to Scotland for their course, should apply to their home local authority for help from the 16–19 bursary fund, and are not entitled to apply for a Scottish education maintenance allowance.

 

Guaranteed funding

You can receive a bursary of up to £1,200 a year if you are:

•in local authority care, including if you are an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child; or
•a care leaver; or
•in receipt of universal credit (UC) or income support (IS) because you are financially supporting yourself and anyone dependent on and living with you, such as your child or partner; or
•a disabled young person getting both employment and support allowance (ESA) or UC and disability living allowance (DLA) or personal independence payment (PIP) in your own right.

You must provide evidence that you qualify – eg, a letter from your local authority confirming you were in care, or from Jobcentre Plus confirming you get a relevant benefit. Note: if you claim ESA in your own right while living with your parent(s), any child benefit s/he gets for you stops.

You will receive the full amount if you study for a course of at least 30 weeks and you have relevant expenses. You may receive less than the full amount of £1,200, or no bursary at all, if your course is shorter than 30 weeks, you study part time, your financial needs are met from another source, or you do not have relevant expenses. Providers can, however, pay more than £1,200 if they consider it appropriate. Payment may be made in one lump sum, regular cash payments, or in the form of travel passes or other in-kind support, or a combination of these. Payment is withheld if you stop attending your course.

Guaranteed bursaries for vulnerable students are not taken into account when calculating your entitlement to UC and means-tested benefits (see Chapters 21 and 22).

 

General funds

For most students, support from the 16–19 bursary fund is not guaranteed. However, providers can make payments to support students who would otherwise face barriers to participation. This might include funding to meet the cost of books, equipment and transport, or other costs as appropriate.

Providers have the discretion to decide who should receive support, how much to pay and whether any conditions should be attached – eg, relating to attendance or behaviour.

Providers can also choose to buy books or equipment on behalf of individuals or groups of students, if they consider them to be in need (the fund should not be used to buy equipment for all students regardless of their situation). In other words, you may not receive any support in cash and you may have to return any books or equipment provided in this way.

If you are unhappy about a provider’s decision, you can complain through its standard complaints procedure.

Armed forces bereavement scholarship scheme

The armed forces bereavement scholarship scheme provides additional support for children of servicemen/women killed on active duty since 1990. The scheme offers an annual grant of £1,500 per year to help with the costs of learning on further education courses lasting up to three years. It does not pay for repeat years.

To qualify, your parent must have died while in service with the UK armed forces and her/his death must be attributable to that service.

Parent

A person counts as your ‘parent’ if s/he was your biological or adoptive parent, or you were the subject of a special guardianship order, or if s/he was your step-parent and had financial responsibility for you. A foster parent does not count.

If your parent dies while you are in further education, support can be backdated to the start of the current term. It starts from the next term if s/he dies during a vacation.

Support is not means tested. You must study at an institution in the UK, although you do not have to be resident in the UK. If you go on to university, you can receive further help from the scheme (see here).

Further information is at gov.uk/support-military-bereaved-children.

Care to Learn

Care to Learn is a scheme funded by the ESFA to help young parents in England pay for their childcare costs while in full-time or part-time further education, Foundation Learning or other non-employed work-based learning schemes. If you are eligible, the scheme pays for the costs of registered childcare while you are at school, college or on placement, including fees that must be paid during holidays, deposits and registration fees, ‘taster’ sessions for up to five days, plus the cost of transport to and from the childcare provider. You can claim up to a maximum of £175 a week per child if you live in London or up to £160 a week per child if you live elsewhere.

The amount you receive is not taken into account as income when working out your entitlement to social security benefits and tax credits.

However, if you are in receipt of childcare help through UC, working tax credit or a learning programme funded by the European Social Fund, you cannot get help from Care to Learn. You are also expected to take up your full entitlement to a government-funded early education place, but Care to Learn can pay for any additional costs. Your local authority can advise you on your entitlement.

You can apply if you were aged under 20 at the start of your course, living in England and caring for your own child(ren). You must want to start or continue a publicly funded course at school or sixth-form college, or to start a course at a further education college. If you are studying on a course in Scotland or Wales, you can receive help, but your usual place of residence must be in England.

The scheme only funds registered or approved childcare. If you are uncertain whether or not your childcare is registered or approved, speak to your college’s student services department. If you have informal childcare arrangements, you can apply for support through the discretionary support funds (see here).

You must meet residency conditions similar to those for higher education support (see here). However, there are some differences – eg, asylum seekers under the age of 18 can receive help from Care to Learn, and asylum seekers aged 18 and 19 can receive help if they are also care leavers.

For further information, including how to apply, see gov.uk/care-to-learn or phone 0800 121 8989 (textphone 0800 917 6048).

Transport

Local authorities have responsibility for ensuring appropriate provision of home-to-school or home-to-college transport for those aged 16 to 18.1s509 EA 1996 This might not be free of charge. Contact your college or local authority for further information, or see gov.uk/subsidised-college-transport-16-19 for details of local policies. Many colleges and sixth-form colleges provide subsidised transport – ask them for details.

 

1     s509 EA 1996 »

Meals

Further education providers are required to provide free meals to disadvantaged young people. You are eligible if you meet the residency conditions for learner support (see here), and are aged 16–18 on the 31 August prior to the academic year. To receive free meals, you must be regarded as ‘disadvantaged’. This means that either you or your parents receive certain benefits or your/their income is below £16,190 for the purposes of child tax credit (see Chapter 19). From 1 April 2018, you are eligible for free meals if you or your parents get UC and your/their net earnings do not exceed £7,400 a year.

If you started your course before 1 April 2018 and were eligible for free meals, you can continue to receive them until you complete your course, even if your/your family’s income is more than this amount.

The free meal does not have to be a lunch if, because of the pattern of your course, breakfast would be more suitable. Institutions are responsible for assessing applications for free meals. All students applying for a free meal for the first time in the 2020/21 academic year must submit an application (either by the student or by a responsible adult on their behalf) to the institution in which they are enrolled. Ask your college or learning provider for more information on its policy. Guidance for colleges and providers is at gov.uk/guidance/free-meals-in-further-education-funded-institutions-guide-for-the-2020-to-2021-academic-year.

Residential bursaries

If a course you want to do is not available locally, you may be able to get help with accommodation for one further afield. Some specialist colleges that concentrate on agriculture, horticulture or art and design offer residential bursaries through the discretionary support funds. There are 50 of these colleges – see gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-financial-support-for-students. See here for more information about assistance from the discretionary support funds. The bursaries are available for full-time study and are also for travel costs if you have to live at home but travel significant distances to college.

If you wish to study a course not on the above list, but which is not available locally, you may be able to receive help under the residential support scheme. This offers up to £3,458 a year (£4,079 in London) for accommodation costs, provided the course is your first level two or level three qualification, requires 15 hours’ attendance a week, is at least 10 weeks long and is not available within 15 miles or a two-hour return journey by public transport from your home or long-term lodgings. You must also be ordinarily resident in England and, to receive support in the 2020/21 academic year, you must be aged 16 or older but younger than 19 on 31 August 2020. If you are 19 or older, you are eligible for a bursary if you are continuing on a course you began when you were under 19, or you have special educational needs and have an education, health and care plan. The amount you receive depends on your family income – in general, colleges must ensure that support is targeted at those students ‘facing the most significant financial barriers to participation’. More information is available from gov.uk/residential-support-scheme.

Disabled students

Colleges administer funds for students with learning difficulties or disabilities. If you have additional needs or costs related to a learning difficulty or disability, ask your college or learning provider for information about how to access extra help.

Asylum seekers

Although most public funds are not available to you, if you are an unaccompanied asylum seeker aged under 18, you can apply to the 16–19 bursary fund (see here) for assistance. This can only be in-kind support and not cash. If you are under 18 (or under 20 and a care leaver) and have childcare costs, you can also apply for help from the Care to Learn scheme (see here).

For other sources of funding, contact the the Ruth Hayman Trust at ruthhaymantrust.org.uk.

Support for students aged 19 and over

Tuition fees

In general, students who are 19 and over must pay tuition fees for further education.

Subject to residency conditions, free tuition is available in certain circumstances, including if you are:

•studying a basic literacy or numeracy course;
•aged 19 or over and undertaking GCSE maths and/or English, provided you do not already hold these at grades A–C or at level four or higher;
•aged 19–23 at the start of a course of vocational training that leads to your first level two qualification (the equivalent of five GCSEs at grades A*–C or at level four or higher), but note that the GCSEs themselves are not funded under this provision;
•aged 19–23 at the start of a course for your first full level three qualification;
•aged 19–23 at the start of your course and you are a level four ’jumper’ – ie, you have a level two qualification and are moving directly onto your first level four course without having studied for a level three qualification;
•aged 19–23 at the start of your course and undertaking an apprenticeship (intermediate, advanced or higher level);
•aged 24 or over at the start of your course and undertaking an apprenticeship;
•aged 19–24 and have an education, health and care plan, or a section 139a learning difficulty assessment, for certain courses that meet the aims of the plan/assessment;
•aged 19 or over at the start of your course and you get jobseeker’s allowance, or ESA and you are in the work-related activity group, or you get UC and must undertake skills training;
•aged 19 or over at the start of your course and you get another social security benefit in addition to the ones in the bullet point above, at the discretion of your college or learning provider;
•aged 24 or over and you have left the British armed forces after 10 years’ service or you have been medically discharged due to injury in active service, for the first full level two or level three qualification; or
•studying an English as a second or other language qualification, in certain circumstances.

If you qualify, the ESFA pays your tuition fees for the course. The rules are complicated, so check whether you are eligible with your college or learning provider. Detailed guidance is also available at gov.uk/government/collections/sfa-funding-rates.

If you are not in any of the above groups, you may have to pay tuition fees. Students aged 19–23 taking courses above level three, or courses at level two and three after their first such course (other than apprenticeships), and students aged 24 or over at the start of the course and undertaking qualifications at level two or above (other than apprenticeships), must pay fees in most cases. There are loans available to help (see below). If you have difficulty meeting the costs of your fees, get advice from your student services department on your options.

Advanced learner loan

If you are aged 19 or over (or aged 24 or over if your course started before 1 August 2016) at the start of your further education course and are charged fees, you may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost. Loans are available for courses at levels three, four, five and six (levels three and four only if you started your course before 1 August 2016).

Note: if you are aged 19–23 and have not yet completed a full level two or full level three course, you should not be charged tuition fees for your first such course.

The loans are administered by the Student Loans Company on behalf of the ESFA.

You can take out up to four loans, either concurrently in the case of A levels (ie, you can have four at once, if you are taking up to four A levels in one year), or consecutively (ie, four separate years of loan funding) for other qualifications. The minimum loan you can get is £300; the maximum cannot exceed the ’funding rate’ stipulated by the ESFA for the course, which can be several thousand pounds. You may also be restricted to the amount your college or learning provider is willing or able to make available, and your loan may therefore be lower than the fees you are charged.

The residency rules that apply to higher education student support (see here) also apply. Note: from 1 August 2019, if you have been transferred to the UK as an unaccompanied child under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and are given leave to remain because you do not qualify for refugee or humanitarian protection leave, you are eligible to receive an advanced learner loan. The rules can be complicated, so if you are in any doubt about your entitlement, get advice from your student services department.

Repayment terms and conditions are the same as those for loans in higher education taken out by students who started their courses on or after 1 September 2012 (see here). Repayments start once you have completed your course. Although it is possible to make voluntary repayments, you should consider whether this is of financial benefit to you, given that outstanding loans are written off after 30 years and many people may not repay their loans in full. Ask your student services department for advice.

If you take out one or more advanced learner loans in order to pay for an ’access to higher education’ course, these are written off if you proceed to higher education and complete the course. However, if you take out loans for other further education courses, these are not written off if you go on to complete a higher education course.

More information on advanced learner loans, including links to the application form and guidance documents and resources for advisers and other intermediaries, is available at gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan.

Disabled students

Colleges administer funds for students with learning difficulties or disabilities. If you have additional needs or costs related to a learning difficulty or disability, ask your college or learning provider for information about how to access extra help. Note: additional funding for disabled students in receipt of an advanced learner loan should come from the Loan Bursary Fund instead (see here).

Discretionary support funds

You may be able to get additional help for your living or course costs through discretionary learner support funds. These are amounts of money given to colleges and other providers by the ESFA for students in need. You must meet the same residency criteria as for students in higher education to receive any support (see here). If you get an advanced learner loan, you must apply to a separate bursary scheme (see here), although in practice the rules of both schemes are similar. You can receive help from these funds if you are undertaking a traineeship, but not if you are receiving help for childcare and/or travel through Jobcentre Plus. There are three types of payments:

•hardship funds (see below); and
•residential bursaries (see here); and
•childcare support (see below).

 

Hardship funds

These are general funds to enable students to access a course or stay on a course, or to encourage attainment. They can pay for books and equipment, transport, course-related trips, emergencies or, in exceptional circumstances, tuition fees.

Your college or learning provider has discretion on how to prioritise spending and on the assessment criteria, so the support available to you depends on your college. If you want to challenge a decision, your college or learning provider must have an appeals procedure.

 

Childcare support

Support can be offered to meet the costs of any registered childcare for students aged 20 or over. The support available is unlikely to be more than that available through the Care to Learn scheme (approximately £5,000 a child), but this may differ between colleges and providers. Funds are often oversubscribed and no particular sum is guaranteed. Payments can be made directly to the childcare provider or to you, depending on your college’s/provider’s policy. If you are aged under 20 and starting a new course, apply to the Care to Learn scheme (see here) for help with registered childcare.

Loan Bursary Fund

The Loan Bursary Fund provides support for disadvantaged and vulnerable students. All students who have had a loan approved by Student Finance England and have registered for their course are potentially eligible to apply, depending on their needs and circumstances.

The Fund provides discretionary support for students in hardship and for other expenses, such as childcare and travel. It can be used at the discretion of the provider to cover a student’s needs in an emergency. Additional learning support is also available – eg, for teaching assistant support, specialist equipment, technology and necessary adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.

The bursaries are granted at the discretion of each college.

Meals

Some students aged 19–25 who are subject to a learning difficulty assessment or an education, health and care plan may be entitled to free meals. You must be regarded as ‘disadvantaged’. This means that either you or your parents receive certain benefits or your/their income is below £16,190 for the purposes of child tax credit (see Chapter 19). From 1 April 2018, you are eligible for free meals if you or your parents get UC and your/their net earnings do not exceed £7,400 a year.

If you started your course before 1 April 2018 and were eligible for free meals, you can continue to receive them until you complete your course, even if your/your family’s income is more than this amount.

The free meal does not have to be a lunch if, because of the pattern of your course, breakfast would be more suitable. Ask your college or learning provider for more information on its policy. Guidance for colleges and providers is at gov.uk/guidance/free-meals-in-further-education-funded-institutions-guide-for-the-2020-to-2021-academic-year.

Other sources of support

City and Guilds bursary

A small number of bursaries are available to help with the costs of study for students on qualifying City and Guilds or former National Proficiency Tests Council courses. To qualify, you must be living in the UK and intending to study in the UK. Applications are considered twice a year, in April and September. For more information, see cityandguildsfoundation.org/bursaries.

Apprenticeships

If you are undertaking an apprenticeship at any level, your employer must pay you at least the minimum wage for apprenticeships. If you are under 19, this is £4.15 per hour. If you are aged 19 or over, the minimum wage is £4.15 an hour for the first year of the apprenticeship, after which you must be paid at the standard rate for your age. This is at least £6.45 an hour if you are aged 20, at least £8.20 an hour if you are aged 21 or over, or at least £8.72 an hour if you are aged 25 or over. See gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships for further information. These minimum wage rates apply from 1 April 2020 and are reviewed annually. Note: these are the minimum wage rates and many employers offer more. However, some employers pay less, particularly in otherwise low-paid sectors like hairdressing and social care. If you are being paid less than the correct minimum wage rate, this is illegal, and you should contact Acas. See gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights for more information.

2. Student support in Wales

Support for 16–19 year olds

Tuition fees

Subject to certain residency conditions, if you are under 19 on the 31 August prior to your enrolment and you are starting either a full- or part-time further education course funded by the Welsh government, you do not have to pay tuition fees. Some private colleges or providers, however, may charge a fee.

Education maintenance allowance

The education maintenance allowance is a payment of £30 a week (paid fortnightly) to eligible students who meet certain course, residence and income conditions.

To receive an education maintenance allowance:

•you must be participating in a programme of full-time education (at least 12 guided learning hours for at least 10 weeks) at a recognised school, sixth-form college or further education college;
•you must meet certain residence conditions (see here). You do not have to study in Wales to qualify, provided you live in Wales and your school or college is participating in the scheme;
•you must have been aged between 16 and 18 on 31 August 2020.

In addition, your gross (before tax) household income must be below £20,817 if you are the only child in the household, or £23,077 if there are additional young people studying full time and eligible for child benefit in the household. The income assessed is usually that of your parents or guardians. If you live with only one parent, your other parent’s income is not assessed and any maintenance s/he pays is not counted as income. Benefits (including child benefit) and tax credits are disregarded when calculating your household income. The household income figure used is that for the previous tax year. For applications for 2020/21, this is the 2018/19 tax year. Any income you have (eg, from a part-time job) is not included.

Provided you meet the other standard conditions, if you are an ’independent student’ (see below), you automatically receive the full allowance of £30.

Independent students

You count as an ‘independent student’ if you:

– are responsible for a child; or

– live apart from your parents and are estranged from them, and you are not under the care of the local authority; or

– are under the care of the local authority – eg, with foster parents; or

– are classed as a young person in custody.

Payments are available for up to three full academic years and depend on your meeting the conditions set out in your agreement (see below).

Applications made after the start of the course can only be backdated for 28 days, so it is important to apply within 28 days of the start of your course.

Education maintenance allowance payments are disregarded when calculating your family’s entitlement to means-tested benefits. Therefore, you can receive an education maintenance allowance in addition to any benefits you or your family are claiming.

 

Education maintenance allowance agreement

To receive your weekly payments, you are required to sign an education maintenance allowance agreement provided by your college or learning provider (this may be referred to as a contract or something similar). It sets out what you are expected to achieve in terms of attendance and academic work and is signed by you, your parents (or another responsible adult) and the college/learning provider. If you fail to meet part of the contract in any week (eg, you do not attend classes or hand in homework), you are not paid your allowance for that week.

Although payments depend on 100 per cent attendance, some types of absence are permitted or ’authorised’. However, it is advisable to notify your college or learning provider of any absences if you want to be considered for your payment and any bonuses, particularly if you know in advance that you will be absent.

Authorised absences can include sickness, unavoidable medical appointments, religious holidays, emergency caring duties, driving tests, family funerals or representative duties such as a college governors’ meeting. Note: jury service is not normally considered to be an authorised absence, as the guidance states you should seek to defer your service to a holiday period or until after the course.

Holidays are not generally considered acceptable reasons for absence. Colleges make the final decision on authorised absences, and you should discuss with your own provider any absence you may have to take.

Financial Contingency Fund

If you are studying at a college, you may be able to get additional help for your living or course costs from the Financial Contingency Fund. This is similar to the discretionary support funds in England (see here).

Support for students aged 19 and over

Tuition fees

There is no guaranteed help with fees if you are aged 19 or over. However, some colleges may run schemes providing full or partial remission if, for example, you are on a low income, are disabled or are in receipt of means-tested benefits. Ask your college what it provides.

Welsh government learning grant

If you are aged 19 or over on 1 September 2020 and on a low income, you may be eligible for a means-tested Welsh government learning grant of up to £1,500.1E(ALGS)(W) Regs A grant of at least £450 is available if you are on a full-time course (500 contact hours or more a year) and your household income is below £18,371. If your household income is below £12,236, £750 is available. The full £1,500 is available if your household income is less than £6,121. Part-time students (those who have between 275 and 499 contact hours a year) can receive a reduced grant of £300, £450 or £750 on the same income bands. The household income figure used is that for the previous tax year. For applications in 2020/21, this is the 2018/19 tax year.

You are not entitled if you have previously received a Welsh government learning grant for a course at the same level.

The grants are administered through Student Finance Wales, but students may attend any institution in the UK. More information is available at studentfinancewales.co.uk/fe.

 

1     E(ALGS)(W) Regs »

Financial Contingency Fund

If you are studying at a college, you may be able to get additional help for your living or course costs from the Financial Contingency Fund. This is similar to the discretionary support funds in England (see here).

Other sources of support

Apprenticeships

Apprentices in Wales must be paid the minimum wage at the appropriate rates (see here). Apprentices in Wales do not pay tuition fees. More information is available from Careers Wales at careerswales.com.

3. Student support in Northern Ireland

Support for 16–19 year olds

Tuition fees

If you are a full-time student, your tuition fees are paid in full. If you are a part-time student, concessionary tuition fees may apply.

Education maintenance allowance

In Northern Ireland, the education maintenance allowance scheme is similar to that in Wales (see here). However, there are some differences. Students in Northern Ireland are entitled to an education maintenance allowance in 2020/21 if they turned 16, 17, 18 or 19 between 2 July 2019 and 1 July 2020. Your course must comprise at least 15 guided learning hours a week.

You are eligible for a payment of £30 a week if you are the only young person in your household or are an ’independent’ student (see here) and your gross (before tax) annual household income is £20,500 or less. If you have one or more siblings either aged under 16, or under 20 and in full-time education or training, your gross annual household income must be £22,500 or less.

You are paid fortnightly.

Two £100 bonus payments are available if you have met the goals in your education maintenance allowance agreement (see here). These are usually provided in January and June.

More information on the Northern Irish education maintenance allowance is at nidirect.gov.uk/articles/education-maintenance-allowance-explained.

Care to Learn

The Department for the Economy’s Care to Learn scheme is designed to help young parents in Northern Ireland pay their childcare costs while in full- or part-time further education. If you are eligible, the scheme pays for the costs of registered childcare while you are at school, college or on placement, including fees that must be paid during holidays, plus the cost of transport to and from the childcare provider, up to a maximum of £165 per child a week. It does not affect, nor is it affected by, any benefits and tax credits you may receive.

You can apply if you are aged 16 or over but under 20 at the start of your course, live in Northern Ireland and fulfil certain residency requirements, and you care for your own child(ren). You must wish to start or continue a publicly funded course at school or a sixth-form college, or to start a further education or higher education course at a further education college. If you are already receiving childcare funding from other government sources (eg, through working tax credit), you are not eligible for this scheme and should apply to the college’s support fund if you need further help.

The scheme only funds childcare from a provider registered with the Health and Social Care Trust.

More details are available at nidirect.gov.uk/articles/care-learn-scheme.

Support for students aged 19 and over

Tuition fees

You are not charged tuition fees if you are studying a full-time eligible vocational course up to level three – eg, NVQ level 3.

Full-time course

A ’full-time course’ is defined as a course lasting for a minimum of 30 weeks and comprising at least 15 hours and at least seven sessions a week, or 21 hours a week with no sessional requirement. GCSE, A level or AS level subjects are not eligible, except when studied in combination with a relevant vocational qualification at a similar level.

If your course does not qualify for tuition fee remission, you may be able to receive discretionary help from your college support fund.

Further education grants

If you are on a full-time further education course, you can apply to the regional Education Authority office for a non-repayable maintenance grant, called a further education grant. This can also provide additional help with tuition fees, if required. There are also extra allowances, similar to those available in higher education (see here), for students with dependants, disabled students and care leavers. All these grants (except for disabled students’ allowances) are means tested.

There are residency requirements, and you cannot be in receipt of another award, such as an education maintenance allowance (see here) or a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs grant (see here), at the same time. Further education grants are discretionary – there are insufficient funds to provide all applicants with grants, so you should apply as soon as possible.

Note: the closing date for applications for full-time and part-time students was 30 September for the 2020/21 academic year. Students applying for the 2021/22 academic year do not have to wait for their exam results. Applications open from the end of March 2021.

For further information, see eani.org.uk/fegrants, or contact The Education Authority, Further Education Awards Section, 1 Hospital Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone BT79 0AW, tel: 028 8225 4546 or email: fegrants-wr@eani.org.uk.

 

Maintenance grant

You may qualify for a means-tested maintenance grant of up to £2,092. The maximum amount is available if your household income is less than £21,331, and a partial amount if your household income is between £21,331 and £38,805. No maintenance grant is payable if your household income exceeds £38,805. Application forms and detailed guidance can be found at eani.org.uk/fegrants.

 

Childcare grant

If you have children and incur childcare costs, you can claim a childcare grant. How much you receive depends on your household income and the number of children you have. To apply, indicate on your application for a further education grant that you require help with childcare costs, and you are then sent an application for a childcare grant. Alternatively, see the forms and leaflets section at eani.org.uk/fegrants.

If you are aged under 20 at the start of the course, you should apply to the Care to Learn scheme in Northern Ireland to cover your childcare costs (see here).

 

Disabled students

Disabled students who require additional support should apply to their college or learning provider for assistance. Contact the disability adviser at the college in the first instance.

 

Part-time courses

Part-time courses attract funding at lower levels. If fees are charged, you may qualify for fee support of up to £465 a year. A means-tested course costs grant of up to £265 is available. You cannot receive any help if your income exceeds £25,000 a year. See eani.org.uk/fegrants for more details.

Support funds

There are two discretionary funds administered by colleges that offer additional help if you are a part-time or full-time further education student aged 19 or over. Support funds are aimed at those experiencing financial difficulties and may include help with living costs and/or fees. Eligibility criteria apply. The additional support funds are aimed at students with learning difficulties who are not in receipt of other help for disabled students, such as a disabled students’ allowance, and can be used to pay for additional support, such as IT hardware or assistance with notetaking.

Other sources of support

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs grant

If you are attending a further education course at the Enniskillen, Greenmount or Loughry campuses of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, you may be eligible for financial support from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

To be eligible, you must be ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland and meet certain other residency requirements. You can be any age.

A means-tested living costs grant of up to £1,659 is available if you live in your parents’ home, or up to £2,362 if you do not. Further allowances may be available if you have children or adult dependants, or if you are a care leaver or have a disability.

Further information can be found at eani.org.uk/help-available/further-education-grants/daera-application-formbooklet.