Fees and Funding

An Advanced Learner Loan can help with college or training tuition costs in England. How much you get depends on what you are studying and what you are charged in tuition fees. The minimum loan is £300 and it will be paid directly to your college or training provider. The loan does not depend on your current employment status and is not means tested. You will only start repaying the loan once you have completed your course and are earning more than £25,000 per year.

You are eligible for a loan if you are: aged 19 or over on the first day of your course, enrolling onto a Level 3 course or above, and a resident in the UK/EU/EEA for at least three years before the start date of your course.

The eligibility criteria can vary depending on when you started studying. Find out more at www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan

Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund

After you have received a letter approving your Advanced Learner Loan, you can apply for the Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund. The money from this can help you pay for course materials, classroom assistance for a disability or learning difficulty, or to cover childcare or residential costs. This can be paid directly to you, your landlord or your childcare provider.

Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/learner-support

City & Guilds offer bursaries to people who study for a City & Guilds qualification in sectors that have huge skills shortages and are extremely valuable sectors for the future of the UK. 

The land-based industry has been highlighted as a key sector needing trained, skilled workers and this includes qualifications in agriculture, floristry, environment, countryside and conservation.

Bursaries cover the total cost of studying in the form of a grant, so learners can study for their qualification without worrying about paying anything back. The bursary programme opens three times a year in May, September and January. 

To check eligibility and find out more, further details can be found at: https://cityandguildsfoundation.org/bursaries-funding-for-training/

For more detailed information, you can read our Fees and Refunds Policy documents here:

2021-22

2022-23

When you come in to enrol you will be assessed as to what fee you need to pay and whether you meet the criteria for waived tuition and examination fees. If you would like advice about whether you might be entitled to a fee waiver, please speak to a member of our Admissions team.

The College administers Discretionary Learner Support Funds provided by the government to support further education students’ financial needs. This can help to pay for accommodation, travel, books, equipment and child care. The Admissions team can provide further information and application forms for all support funds.

For some courses the College may make an extra equipment/consumable charge to cover the cost of the materials used.

Material/consumable fees paid at enrolment are non-refundable.

The National Skills Fund aims to help adults to gain the valuable skills they need to improve their job prospects and support the economy.

Any adult aged 19 and over, who does not already have a level 3 qualification (equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A levels) or higher, can access hundreds of fully-funded level 3 courses.

This offer is part of the government’s long-term commitment to remove the age constraints and financial barriers for adults looking for their first level 3 qualification.

To find out more and check if your course is eligible visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/national-skills-fund

Our eligible National Skills Fund courses include:

• Environmental Conservation and Countryside Management Advanced Diploma (Level 3)
• Advanced Technical Diploma in Horticulture (Level 3)
• Agriculture (Farm Management) Advanced Diploma (Level 3)

Overseas students are those who have not been resident in the UK for the three years prior to the start of the course. There is an annually agreed tuition fee for overseas students. Please note that tuition fee waivers do not apply to overseas students and overseas students cannot apply for bursaries from the College’s Discretionary Learner Support Funds.

If you are already in work and just want to further your training, you may be able to get a Professional and Career Development Loan. However, this will largely depend on what course you are looking to complete.

This loan is a bank loan that has to be paid back. You start repaying the loan (plus interest at a reduced rate) one month after leaving your course.

The government pays the interest while you study and for one month after you leave your course. After this time, you start repaying the loan and interest.

Registration fees for all students under 19 are paid by the College. All students aged 19 and over (except those exempt from tuition fees) are required to pay registration fees. Registration and examination fees are payable in full at enrolment and may be subject to change as the price is set by the exam’s awarding body.

Registration fees and tuition fees paid at enrolment are non-refundable.

For 16 to 18 year olds

If you are aged 16 to 18 years old your course is free.

For those aged 19 and over

You will not have to pay tuition fees for government funded courses if:

• You are 19 to 23 years old, enrolling onto an Entry 3, Level 1 or Level 2 course, unemployed and in receipt of ‘active’ state benefits such as income and contribution-based Job Seeker’s Allowance, or work-related Employment and Support Allowance
• You are 19 to 23 years old, a UK citizen living in England and do not have a full Level 2 qualification (five GCSEs at grades A to C, Level 2 Diploma or equivalent) and are enrolling on a Level 1 or full Level 2 course
• You are 19 to 23 years old, a UK citizen living in England and have not previously achieved a full Level 3 qualification (two A levels or four AS levels or Level 3 Diploma or Access to Higher Education Diploma)
• You are 19 to 23 years old, have previously achieved a Level 2 qualification, are enrolling on to an Entry 3, Level 1 or a different Level 2 qualification but earn less than £20,962.50 if you live in London or £17,004 if you live outside of London

You will not be able to enrol without bringing your current documents confirming evidence of your ‘active’ benefits. Documents dated more than three months prior to enrolment cannot be submitted as evidence.

Once fully enrolled all fees are non-refundable unless the College takes the decision to close the course.

Tuition fee loans cover the cost of your undergraduate course fees, and are paid directly to the university or college.

There is no age limit on eligibility for tuition fee loans, so anyone can apply, providing that they are going to be studying for their first undergraduate degree. 

Depending on where you live, there are different options available, and you will need to apply to different organisations. Students from England can apply for a tuition fee loan wherever they choose to study in the UK.

A means-tested maintenance loan is available to all students who are eligible for student finance. Adult learners can apply for grants and bursaries to help pay for courses and training.

Check the tuition fee costs for your course on the UCAS search tool.

The funding will be used to support small group sizes for the delivery of:

• Maths and English
• Vocational Level 1 and Level 2 provision
• Teaching to students who we have identified as being from an economically disadvantaged background
• Teaching to students who we have identified with special education needs and disabilities

Group sizes will be limited to a maximum of five learners and the fund will only be used for the associated tuition costs.

These additional small group tuition activities will be time-tabled ensuring attendance can be monitored. They will also be incorporated into the College’s quality processes, including lesson observations and “walk in” reviews.

The learner experience will be included in, and monitored through, our learner satisfaction surveys.

The College has contracted staff to deliver this programme of work.