Fees and Funding

Learn more about your fees and funding options including guidance on tuition fees, learner loans and financial support.

The amount you pay to study will depend upon your personal circumstances and the course you are enrolling on to. If you are aged 16 to 18 years old your course is free. If you are aged 19 and over, the full cost of your course will include the tuition fee, examination fee and materials fee, where applicable. You can apply for financial help to cover fees if you meet specific criteria, find out more below.

If you have any further questions about the cost of your course or want to enquire about funding support, please click here to submit an enquiry form.

School Leavers (16 to 18)

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

Adult Learners (19+)

You may be entitled to a fee waiver on your course, provided you meet the following criteria: 

  • You are 19+ enrolling on an Entry 3, Level 1 or Level 2 course, unemployed and in receipt of an income-based benefit such as Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, National Insurance Credits, Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Employment Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit (UC) and receive £617 a month as an individual claim, or £988 a month as a household claim.
  • You are 19+ and have previously achieved a Level 2 qualification and are enrolling on to an Entry 3, Level 1 or a different Level 2 qualification but earn less than £25,642.50 if you live in London or £20,319 if you live outside of London.
  • 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).

Your enrolment will remain provisional until you have supplied the relevant documentation for review.

Please be aware that should a fee waiver be applied, the material fees and/or examination fees for your chosen course may still be payable.

School Leavers (16 to18) 

If you are aged 16 to 18 on 31 August 2023 you may be eligible for financial support to help you whilst you are studying, including bursaries and more.

Discretionary Bursary
You may be eligible for a discretionary bursary if you are aged 16 to 18 and have a household income of up to £30,000 per year. Discretionary bursaries are means-tested and are intended to support you with books, transport or course equipment costs. You may also be eligible for a discretionary bursary if you are aged between 19 and 24, with an Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP). Please remember you will need to meet the college’s standards on attendance to receive payment. Applications are available in the main reception area of each campus.

16 to 19 Vulnerable Young Person Bursary
You may be eligible for £1,200 across the academic year if you are aged between 16 and 19 and living in care (or are a recent care leaver) or living independently and in receipt of Disability Living Allowance/PIP and Income Support/ESA/Universal Credit. This bursary is intended to support you with course-related costs, such as travel, books, or equipment. Please remember you will need to meet the college’s standards on attendance to receive payment. Applications are available in the main reception area of each campus.

Care To Learn
If you are a parent aged under 20, you may be eligible for support as part of a government scheme. You can apply online through gov.uk

Free College Meals
If you are between the ages of 16 and 18 and receive a college bursary, you may be eligible for free college meals. You will receive £3 per day through the College's electronic meals system using your student ID card, or the funds will be paid directly into your bank account depending on the campus you attend, for the days you are timetabled to be in college.

Oyster card
If you live in a London borough and are 18 and under, you can also apply for a Zip Oyster photo card which gives you free or discounted travel around London on buses, the tube, DLR and overground. Find out more here.

Adult Learners (19+)

Some of our students may be eligible for financial support to help whilst they are studying, including bursaries that are dependent on the number of hours you are at college each week and household income.

19+ Bursaries
If your household income is £35,000 per year or below, you could be eligible for a bursary to assist you with books, transport or course equipment costs. Please remember you will need to meet the college’s standards on attendance to receive payment.

If you’re 19 and want help with childcare costs, you can apply for Care to Learn instead. You can still apply for Learner Support for help with other costs, like travel. Please remember you will need to meet the college’s standards on attendance and punctuality to receive payment. Applications are available in the main reception area of each campus.

18+ Student Oyster Card
If you live in a London borough, are 18 or older and studying a course for 15 hours or more per week, you can also apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photo card which gives you discounted travel around London on buses, the tube, DLR and Overground. Find out more here.

Once you have been invited to enrol and have completed all the necessary sections, you will be asked to declare which of the fee statuses are applicable to you.

Depending on your declaration, we will contact you directly requesting the necessary documentation to confirm your eligibility for a fee waiver.

Until you have provided the required supporting documents, your enrolment will remain provisional.

If you would like advice about whether you might be entitled to a fee waiver, please speak to a member of our Admissions team.

If you are not a British National and/or you have not been resident in the U.K. for the past three years then you will be classed as an Overseas student.

Your application will be subject to eligibility checks and we will need to see proof of VISAs or Settled Status. For Settled Status, you will need to click here to generate a share code so that our team can assess your settled or pre-settled status.

Capel Manor College is currently unable to sponsor international students for Student Route Visas (previously known as Tier 4 General Student Visas).

Student Finance England will write-off any outstanding Advanced Learner Loan balances you owe for an Access to HE course once you complete a higher education course. This means you do not have to repay it. The higher education course must be eligible for student finance.

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 studyingFind out more at www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan

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.

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 some courses, students may have to pay an extra equipment/consumable charge to cover the cost of the materials used.

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.

Our eligible National Skills Fund courses include:

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

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.

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.

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

2023-24

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