Financial support for College students

If you do have to pay course fees, you can either pay in full at enrolment, or payment can be made in 4 equal instalments:

Level 1 & 2 courses - the first instalment must be paid when you enrol, then 3 further instalments in November, February and April.

Level 3 courses – instalments are due by the end of October, January, March and May

If you are aged 19 and over on the first day of your course and want to study a full Level 3 qualification, but are not entitled to fee remission, you may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan.

This is a non-means tested loan and is available from the UK Government to pay the tuition fees of full level 3 qualifications (course exclusions apply) starting after 1st August 2016. The loan is paid directly to UCB to cover the cost of your tuition, and does not have to be repaid until you are earning over £25,000 a year.

For more information, please visit the Advanced Learner Loans section of the Gov.UK site.

If your fees are being paid by your employer - please bring a letter, on headed paper, from your employer; confirming this and clearly stating who the invoice should be raised to.

If you have any questions about the information on this page, please contact our Finance Department on 0121 232 4013 or walk in and speak to a member of our office on the First Floor of The Link building.

To be eligible for free meals, the Government states students must be aged 16 to 18, a UK resident; and in receipt of, or have parents who are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:

• Income support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit*
• UC with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including any benefits they get)

You will need to provide evidence of your household’s award of the above qualifying benefits.

* Please note that although qualifying benefits do include the Working Tax Credit run-on which is paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit; Working Tax Credit itself is not a qualifying benefit for free meals, and a parent or student in receipt of Working Tax Credits is not entitled to a free meal (this is a common question that is asked).

If you had Free Meals at school or College last academic year, then you can continue to receive these, although you may need to provide us with evidence from your previous provider.

There is no specific deadline for applying, but your childcare support will only be paid from the beginning of your course if you apply either before your course starts or within 28 days of starting your course.

If you apply after that, your childcare support will only be paid from the beginning of the week that your application was received as this support cannot be backdated.