Finance for Higher Education at HCT
Support for Full-time students
Tuition Fees:
To obtain help towards your tuition fees you must first apply to your Student Loan Company. You will be assessed on income either as an independent student or that of your parents. An independent learner is one of the following:
- Over the age of 25,
- Married at the start of the course,
- Has no living parents,
- Has been supporting themselves for 3 years prior to the course start date.
For all those to whom this does not apply, assessment will be based on your parent’s income. You can apply by requesting forms from your Student Loan Company or on-line at www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk .
Application packs are also available from Herefordshire College of Technology’s Learner Services Department. If your circumstances change during your course, you will need to notify your Student Loan Company.
Your application may result in you receiving either:
- A tuition fees grant (which is non-repayable)
- A tuition fees loan, which will be repayable in the same way as your main student loan
Which of these you receive will depend on your circumstances; the Student Loan Company will decide which of the above you are eligable for. Any tuition fees awarded will be paid directly to HCT.
Maintenance Grant:
There is a government grant which is paid directly into your bank account in 3 instalments, along with your loan. Again, the Student Loan Company assesses this and there are income thresholds. Any award made to you does not have to be repaid.
There are other grants available for learners in certain circumstances (e.g. those with dependant children or those with disabilities.)
Student Loan:
Many of our learners take up their student loan entitlement. This loan is made up of a 75% basic entitlement, which is not means tested and 25% that is means tested; therefore this part of the loan may reduce or increase depending upon your household or parental income.
This loan is paid to you each term. Any loan will have to be repaid but only once you have left education and are earning above the set amount (currently £15,000 per year.)
Support for Part-time students
Tuition Fees & Course Grant:
Similar to full-time students, part-time learners must apply to their Student Loan Company to obtain financial support for their studies. To qualify you must study 50% or more of a full time equivalent. The assessment takes place on income. Learners who have already studied for a previous degree will not qualify for help with tuition fees.
To request an application form, call the DfES Application Line on 0800 731 9133 or to speak to someone for advice call the DfES Advice Line on 0845 300 5090. Please remember that your fees may exceed the value of your grant, so there may be a balance for you to pay. The course grant will be payable to you, the fees grant is paid directly to the College. You do not have to repay these grants.
Career Development Loans:
If you cannot get support through the Student Loan Company or any other funding, you may be able to apply for a career development loan (CDL). Anyone aged 18 or over living in Great Britain and planning to work in the UK or European Union after their training can apply for a loan. To get a copy of this application, contact the CDL information line, on 0800 100 900.
Additional Help
There is limited help available for full and part time HE learners in cases of financial hardship. This help is administered directly by HCT. Please contact Financial Support on 0800 032 1986 for further details.
Further advice is available at www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk. This site provides information on the financial help available to students and it is possible to calculate an estimate of the support to which you may be entitled.
Financial help when enrolling on a partnership course:
Those students enrolled with other institutions providing franchised courses at HCT (e.g. Worcester University or Hereford College of Arts) may be eligible for additional bursaries, depending on financial circumstances. The institution you enroll with can provide all the necessary details
Disabled Students Allowances (DSA's)
The DSA provides extra financial help if you want to study a higher education course and have a disability, ongoing health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty like dyslexia. For further information on the DSA visit www.direct.gov.uk. You can also contact our DSA Coordinators Annie Fish on 01432 365546 and Hannah Pickford on 01432 365546 to find out how to apply.
Further Education Loans
The introduction of FE Loans will provide support for those aged 24 and over to access advanced (Level 3) and higher (Level 4) Further Education Courses and Apprenticeships from the 2013/14 academic year.
For the first time FE Loans will give learners in further education access to financial support similar to that which is available in higher education for tuition costs, from the Student Loans Company. This means rather than an individual having to pay for their course upfront they have the option of accessing an FE Loan that they will only start to repay once they have left the course and are earning over £21,000.
Due to these not yet being introduced at time of print full information is not yet widely available. There will be a programme of communications activity to inform potential learners about the availability of FE Loans and set out the terms and conditions very clearly. We expect this activity to be in place by the start of the 2012/13 academic year, in preparation for the introduction of FE Loans that year.
Online Resources
The student finance section of the 'Student Room' website has the latest news and advice for all students, including those going to university.
www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance
Students can also follow Student Finance England at www.facebook.com/SFEngland and www.twitter.com/sf_england to take part in student finance surgeries.
