2. 2
Introduction 3
Who is this booklet for? 3
Further Education or Higher Education? 4
Learning at work 5
Further Education (FE) funding 5
Learning at level 2-3 5
Learning at levels 3-4, at age 24+ 5
Learning above level 4 6
Loan repayments 6
Higher Education (HE) funding 7
Tuition fee loans 7
Part-time students 7
Loan repayments 7
Funding for apprenticeships 8
Professional and career development loans 9
Other types of funding 10
Useful contacts 11
Contents
3. 3
Those who wish to improve their career
prospects through study while
remaining in work often assume there
won’t be any financial assistance
because they are already employed.
This isn’t the case, but unravelling the various
funding options is time-consuming and confusing
for both employees and employers.
This guide is designed to provide clear
information on what funding is available on
tuition fees only. It does not set out to cover
other personal funding areas such as income
support or council tax exemption, but you will
find some basic information on additional
funding at the back of this booklet.
Who is this booklet for?
• Learners considering Further or Higher
Education study while remaining at work,
where tuition fees are not being paid by
their employer.
• Employers who are unable to assist with
tuition fees, but who nonetheless wish to
encourage and support employees’
development.
Please note that the information in this
booklet serves as guidance only.We strongly
recommend that prospective learners contact
both the course provider and any potential
funding agency before enrolling, to ensure
funding is available in their personal
circumstances.
Introduction
4. 4
Qualifications can be taken at any age
in order to continue or return to
education or training, however it can be
helpful to understand where these
qualifications fit.
Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE)
funding are covered by different funding bodies,
so it’s important to understand which category
applies to the courses under consideration
.
Further Education
In the UK, Further Education bridges the gap
between compulsory education up to age 16 and
degree-level courses.
It covers a wide variety of qualifications, from
entry level up to level 3 (eg literacy, numeracy or
basic computer courses, GCSEs, National
Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), BTECs, A-levels
and Access courses), and usually allows learners
to study full or part-time so they can fit their
learning around work and other commitments.
Further Education is usually undertaken at a
further education or community college,
although there are also work-based courses
available.
Higher Education
Higher Education offers a diverse range of courses
and qualifications, from Higher National
Diplomas (HNDs) and foundation degrees to first
degrees. Although many courses take place in
universities, an increasing number are distance
learning or work-based courses where you learn
on the job.
Further Education
or Higher Education?
Level 8
Doctorate
PhD
Level 7
Master’s degree
MA, MSc, MPhil Graduate
apprenticeships
Level 6
University degree
BA, BSc
Level 5 Foundation
degree
FdA, FdSc
HND
Higher
apprenticeships
Level 4 HNC
Level 3
Level 3 extended
diploma (national
diploma)
Level 3
diploma (national
diploma)
Advanced-level
apprenticeships
Access courses
Level 2
GCSE
Grades A-C
Level 2 diploma
(First diploma)
Intermediate -level
apprenticeships
Level 1
GCSE
Grades D-G
Level 1 diploma
(Foundation diploma)
Entry Level 1 Key Stage 3
Level 2 diploma
(Foundation)
A Level
A 2
A 3
Qualification levels table
5. 5
There are a number of ways for learners
to get support to develop their skills with
colleges, universities or through their
own employer. For the learner to be
considered for public funding, both the
college or training organisations and the
specific course must be eligible; the
course provider will advise on this.
Further Education (FE) funding
Learning at level 2-3
Any learner aged 19 or more who has not yet
achieved a qualification at level 2 or 3 is eligible
for public funding to achieve a qualification at
that level.
This funding comes from the Skills Funding
Agency’s Adult Skills Budget*, which supports
classroom and workplace learning.Workplace
learning is defined as:
• any learning aim mainly delivered within a
workplace and in connection with the
employed learner’s occupation or their
employer’s business, and
• any learning in an apprenticeship framework.
Learners studying towards a level 2 vocational
certificate or diploma, or a level 3 vocational
diploma (national diploma), are currently eligible
for full funding. Level 3 vocational certificates
(national certificates) are publicly funded, but on a
co-funded basis only.
Learners aged 19 and over, excluding apprentices,
are eligible for full funding to take GCSE English
and maths if they do not currently have these
qualifications at grades A* to C, no matter what
other qualifications they already hold. Note that
this funding is for a full GCSE course, not for re-sits
to obtain an A* to C grade.
Learning at levels 3-4, at age 24+
If the learner is 24 or over when they start, and
looking to learn at level 3 or 4 or as part of an
advanced-level or higher apprenticeship, the
provision is not supported by the Adult Skills
Budget.They may however be supported by 24+
Advanced Learning Loans.
The government is introducing these loans from 1
August 2013, to help people aged 24 or over carry
out level 3 or 4 Further Education learning aims or
advanced-level or higher-level apprenticeships.
Loans can be used to fund the following types of
publicly funded education, no matter how the
study is carried out:
• A programme of A-levels (including AS,A2 and
full A-levels).
• Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Access to
HE diplomas.
• Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
certificates at levels 3 and 4.
• Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
diplomas at l
Learning at work
Essentials: 24+ Advanced Learning Loans
• These are loans rather than grants, and the learner will
have to repay them. See page XX for more on repayments.
• The Student Loans Company* will be responsible for
assessing whether learners are eligible.
• The minimum loan is £300.
• Learners don’t have to borrow the full cost of their course.
• Getting a loan doesn’t depend on household income, and
there’s no credit check.
• The college or training organisation receives the money
directly, once they’ve confirmed that the learner has
attended the course for two weeks.
>>* For more information on the Skills Funding Agency or the Student Loans Company, please see the ‘useful contacts’ section on page XX.
6. 6
Short courses (sometimes known as units) and
awards at level 3 and above are not eligible for
funding through a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan.
Learners can apply for a maximum of four 24+
Advanced Learning Loans, but:
• can only get one loan at a time
• can’t apply for another loan to repeat the
same level of a course (eg a learner cannot get a
loan to fund a level 3 certificate in French when
they have previously had a loan to fund a level 3
certificate in Italian).
Learning above level 4
For the 2013/14 academic year onwards, 24+
Advanced Learning Loans funding above level 4
will be available only for higher apprenticeships at
level 5 and 6. (The various qualification levels are
shown on page X.)
Loan repayments
Repayments on 24+ Advanced Learning Loans are
linked to income, and the learner will only start
to make these when their income is more than
£21,000 a year. If income drops below this level,
the learner will stop repaying the loan.
If the course finishes before 2016, repayments
won’t start until April 2016. Part-time students
sometimes start repayments while they’re still
studying.
If the learner earns more than £21,000, they will
start making monthly repayments at nine per
cent of earnings above that level. For example, if
they earn £25,000 they pay back nine per cent of
£4,000 (£360) over the course of the year – this
would be £30 per month. For more examples of
monthly repayments, see table:
Learning at work continued
Learner’s annual income Monthly repayments
£21,000 and under No repayments
£25,000 £30
£30,000 £67
£40,000 £142
£50,000 £217
£60,000 £292
7. 7
Degrees, foundation degrees and higher
qualifications are funded through an HE
stream, even if you take the qualification
at a college of further education.
Tuition fee loans
If you’re a UK or EU full-time or part-time
student, you can apply for a tuition fee loan.
The course needs to be recognised for funding
and undertaken at a UK institution, and needs to
be one of the following:
• a first degree, eg BA, BSc or BEd
• a foundation degree
• a Certificate of Higher Education
• a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
• a Higher National Certificate (HNC)
• a Higher National Diploma (HND)
• a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
• a top up from an HNC, HND or foundation
degree to an honours degree
• initial teacher training
• further training of youth and community
workers
Part-time students
Part-time students need to study their courses at a
rate of at least 25% of an equivalent full-time
course in each academic year.This is known as
‘course intensity’. Learners should check course
intensity with their university or college.
Loan repayments
Repayments on tuition fee loans are linked to
income, and the learner will only start to make
these when their income is more than £21,000 a
year. If income drops below this level, the learner
will stop repaying the loan.
Higher Education (HE) funding
For more information on the Student Loans Company, please see the ‘useful contacts’ section on page XX.
Essentials: tuition fee loans
• These are loans rather than grants, and the learner will
have to repay them. See page XX for more on
repayments.
• The Student Loans Company* will be responsible for
assessing whether learners are eligible.
• There is no age limit.
• The college or training organisation receives the
money directly.
>>
Full-time student Tuition fee loan
Full-time Up to £9,000
Full-time at a private
university or college
£30
Part-time student Tuition fee loan
Part-time Up to £6,750
Part-time at a private
university or college
Up to £4,500
8. (HE) funding continued
If the course finishes before 2016, repayments
won’t start until April 2016. Part-time students
sometimes start repayments while they’re still
studying.
If the learner earns more than £21,000, they will
start making monthly repayments at nine per
cent of earnings above that level. For example, if
they earn £25,000 they pay back nine per cent of
£4,000 (£360) over the course of the year – this
would be £30 per month. For more examples of
monthly repayments, see below:
Funding for apprenticeships
Funding for apprenticeships is best discussed with
the employer and prospective learning provider,
but funding comes from the National
Apprenticeship Service* – with the size of the
contribution dependent on the sector and the age
of the candidate. If the apprentice is:
• aged 16–18, 100 per cent of the cost of the
training is funded
• aged 19-24, up to 50 per cent is funded
• aged 25 or over, any contribution will depend
on the sector and area in which the learner
operates.
The money is usually paid directly to the
organisation that provides and supports the
apprenticeship; in most cases this will be a
learning provider.
24+ Advanced Learning Loans
The government is introducing these loans from 1
August 2013, to help people aged 24 or over
carry out level 3 or 4 further education learning
aims or advanced-level or higher-level
apprenticeships.
However, for the 2013/14 academic year
onwards funding above level 4 will be available
only for higher apprenticeships at level 5 and 6.
(You can see the various qualification levels on
page X.)
If higher apprenticeships include qualifications
that are eligible for HE student support, such as
foundation degrees, the learner will be able to
make a second (and separate) loan application for
that HE course, in addition to their apprenticeship
loan.
* For more information on the National Apprenticeship Service, please see the ‘useful contacts’ section on page XX.
Learner’s annual income Monthly repayments
£21,000 and under No repayments
£25,000 £30
£30,000 £67
£40,000 £142
£50,000 £217
£60,000 £292
8
9. 9
Professional and career
development loans
These are bank loans set at a competitive interest
rate, which learners aged 18 years or over can use
to help pay for learning that leads to work or that
will improve their employability.
The loans can be used to support any full-time,
part-time or distance learning courses for up to
two years, as long as the course leads to a trade,
occupation or profession.
Like any loan, learners must repay the money
they borrow, but the Skills Funding Agency* will
pay the interest on the loan while the learner is in
learning and for up to one month afterwards.The
learner then repays the loan to the bank over an
agreed period at a fixed rate of interest.
The loans are administered by banks; you pay
interest on them, normally at a rate equivalent to
5-6 per cent APR.They are available for between
£300 and £10,000, and you can get them from a
range of high street banks.
Note: these are conventional unsecured debts,
and you should talk to your bank for more
information.
10. 10
This guide is focused on support for
paying tuition fees, but learners have
access to a variety of other funding
sources depending on their
circumstances:
Please note this is a general guide for learners
starting their studies from 1 September 2013
and is by no means a definitive list of the sources
of funding available. It is only accurate at the
time of going to press. For further details please
contact the relevant organisations mentioned in
this publication.
Other types of funding
Type of funding
Further Education Higher Education
Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time
Tuition Fee Support • • • •
Adults Dependent Grant •
Child Benefit • • • •
Childcare Support • • •
Child Tax Credit • • • •
Council Tax Exemption / Reduction • • • •
Disabled Student Allowance • •
Employer Support Allowance • • • •
Help with health costs • • • •
Housing Benefit • • • •
Income Support • • •
NHS Bursaries • •
Parents’ Learning Allowance •
Access to Learning Fund • •
Professional and Career Development Loan • • • •
Working Tax Credit • • • •
* For more information on the Skills Funding Agency, please see the ‘useful contacts’ section on page XX.
11. 11
For more about funding, the following
links and organisations may prove useful.
Education levels and types of study
Ofqual Comparing qualifications levels
www.ofqual.gov.uk/help-and-advice/comparing-
qualifications/
Learning at work
The Campaign for Learning
National Learning atWork Day
www.learningatworkday.com
The National Careers Service
http://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
The Lifelong LearningAccount
http://direct.gov.uk/lifelonglearningaccount
Skills for Life www.move-on.org.uk
Student Loans Company
http://www.slc.co.uk/services.aspx
Skills FundingAgency
http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/
NationalApprenticeship Service
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
Government education and learning
Government information on help if you're at school,
planning to go on to further or higher education,
looking for training or interested in a student or
career development loan.
www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-
help
www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance
Telephone: 0845 300 50 90
Textphone: 0845 604 44 34
Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9am-5.30pm
Useful contacts
12. To learn more about our flexible, practical CPD proposition, or to
arrange a meeting and find out what we can offer you, contact
Jo Stark at Solent Enterprise Centre.
Tel: 02380 319869
Mobile: 07714 296170
Email: jo.stark@solent.ac.uk
