Returning to education may not be as difficult as you think. You may be eligible to receive financial support to provide help with tuition fees, childcare and travel costs. As a starting point, check out Directgov's financial help for adult learners. This has lots of information about student fees and finance and can answer most of your initial questions.
Adult Learning Grant (ALG)
A big help to many mature students is the ALG which gives eligible students up to £30 a week to help them study. To qualify for ALG you'll need to be:
- 19 or over
- Studying a course that is at least 12 hours a week
- Attending college regularly
- Studying for your first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 qualification
- Earning less than £19,513 if you are single or less than £30,810 if you are a couple
If you're working part-time, or living at home, you could still get ALG. How much you will get will depend on your income and benefits. Ask in the Student Centre for more information about ALGs and how to apply or call the ALG Helpline on 0800 121 8989.
Career Development Loans
A Career Development Loan can help you gain the experience, training and qualifications you need to improve your job skills or even launch a new career. You can use it to fund a variety of courses with a wide range of organisations, so you are able to choose the course that best suits your needs. You can apply for a CDL if you are employed, self-employed or unemployed.
The key points about CDLs are:
- you can borrow anything between £300 and £8,000 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)
- you can apply for CDLs with Barclays, The Co-operative Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland
- the LSC pays the interest on your loan while you're learning and for one month after you've stopped training
- you repay the loan to the bank over an agreed period at a fixed rate of interest
A CDL is a personal loan between you and the bank, and you are responsible for repaying it to the bank. Before applying for a loan, check how much your monthly repayments will be, and that you feel confident that you will be able to make them.
For further information call the CDL helpLine on 0800 585 505 from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm seven days a week, email a CDL advisor or book a call back at a time to suit you.
Childcare
The College runs a nursery for students' children at the Chichester campus, which offers good quality, low cost childcare to students.
If you are 20 or under and you have children you can apply for help with childcare costs from a scheme called Care to Learn. If you are over 20 you can apply for help through the Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work
If you are not eligible for either of these schemes you can apply to the College for help with childcare costs. Contact the Student Funds team for more information.
Hardship Support Funds
The College does have some funds to support further education students who are experiencing hardship. The two main areas supported are travel and books and equipment costs. However any circumstance that stops someone attending college, or makes them consider leaving can be considered. Application forms are available from the Student Funds Team. The College will respond within 10 working days.
Residential Bursaries
These are available to full-time students taking landbased courses at our Brinsbury campus who live beyond a normal, daily, travel distance. The bursary is for accommodation costs or for travel costs, if the student wishes to stay at home. The bursary can be up to £80 a week for students living away from home. The bursary is means tested, so the amount a student receives will depend on their family's income. Applications for bursaries are made direct to the College, please speak to the Student Funds team for more information.