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Finance and Welfare Support for 19+ Students

Adult student smiling holding a pen sitting with iPad and notes in learning centre

How to apply for financial support

Shortly after you have enrolled, a unique application form will be sent to the email address you supplied at enrolment. If you do not receive this email, please email supportfund@leedscitycollege.ac.uk for a new link to be sent out. Once you have completed the application, it will then outline what evidence you will need to bring and where to take it.

If you have a gross household income of £30,000 or below, you could be eligible for support with meals and travel at Leeds City College. This support is not available to students on a Higher Education course.

  • Help with travel
    • Students will be assessed on their travel eligibility using the shortest walking distance on Google maps
    • We are able to provide First (through mTicket codes or paper passes), Arriva, Transdev, and in exceptional cases, Metro
    • Students will be provided with the most appropriate travel pass (First, Arriva, Transdev)
    • 19+ Students must live at least 1.5 miles based on the shortest walking distance from college to be eligible for travel support
  • Help with meals
    • Students receiving Learner Support Funds for meals are entitled to a daily spend of £3.60 using the cashless meal system
    • Students are eligible for meal support on every day that they are required to attend College
    • Students will not be able to use their meal cards to purchase confectionery and drinks. Drinking water will be made available
    • Supermarket vouchers will be provided to students on work placement, including internships, to the value of £3.00 per day
  • Help with childcare

    Further Education students who are 20 years of age or over, and meet the income eligibility for their course, can apply for assistance with childcare fees during their timetabled hours of study. A contribution of up to £7,000 to cover childcare costs may be made per student over the course of the academic year.

    To apply for childcare support, complete the following steps:

    • Download the 2023/24 childcare application form on the link provided below
    • Arrange for the childcare quote form to be completed by your childcare provider. The childcare quote form must be submitted with the childcare application form
    • Ensure that the childcare provider you are going to be using is registered with Leeds City College
    • Please take your completed childcare application form, birth certificate or Child Tax Credit award notice with your income evidence to your curriculum admin team for checking
    • If you can provide a completed childcare quote form at this stage then please do so, however, if you are unable to do so, you will be asked to submit your childcare quote form once your application has been assessed and your childcare has been provisionally approved
    • The checklist on the front of the childcare application form must be signed off confirming that your application is complete before it can be submitted

    Please note, funding will not be agreed upon until you have returned the signed childcare agreement. The childcare agreement must be signed by both the student and the childcare provider.

    The maximum contribution towards childcare per student per academic year is up to £7,000. The daily cap is now £55 and the cap on a morning or afternoon session is £30.

    Childcare Application Forms

    Leeds City College Form

    Harrogate College Form

    Keighley College Form

    Quote Forms

    Leeds City College Quote Form

    Harrogate College Quote Form

    Keighley College Quote Form

    For further details on the process for applying for childcare 2023-2024 please click here.

  • Help with kit and equipment

    The college may be able to help you with equipment you need to complete your course – this can include the loan of a digital device and help with connectivity. The college can also help with costs towards specialist course equipment and UCAS fees.

  • Welfare support

    The college has a Welfare Team, supporting students to overcome barriers that are impacting attendance, progression and achievement. These could be issues such as money worries, housing problems, loss of income and access to benefits.

    Advice is offered directly to students, or support is given to curriculum staff to help students with their issues. We also refer to external organisations for on-going support.

    The team has a childcare adviser who provides targeted support to young parents, ensuring a smooth transition into college by helping find childcare places and manage relationships with childcare providers.

    Advice and support are given on a range of social, economic and wellbeing issues to remove barriers to education and enrich the young parent’s experience of college.

    Contacts:

    welfare@leedscitycollege.ac.uk
    childcareadvice@leedscitycollege.ac.uk

Useful links

Online Payment Portal

Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding rules

Childcare Application Forms

Leeds City College Form

Harrogate College Form

Keighley College Form

Quote Forms

Leeds City College Quote Form

Harrogate College Quote Form

Keighley College Quote Form

Fees

Fees for part-time and adult learning (19+) courses will vary, so please contact us for further information. Some of these courses are not funded by the government, which means that they are not eligible for waivers or concessions.

Adult education course fees can be found alongside each course in the prospectus. Long course fees and fees over £100 may be paid by an instalment plan. Please contact us for more information.

Fee concessions may be available, depending on personal circumstances and level of study. Please contact us for further details.

Support Information

  • Paying fees

    All students will be expected to make arrangements to pay their fees at the time of enrolment. The college accepts payments by cheque and all major debit and credit cards. Payments can be made in full or over 6 instalments via a recurring card payment plan.

    Instalment payments are allowed on long courses (over 20 weeks) with a minimum value of £100 and an initial payment of 25% of the course fee, with the rest of the fee payable over 6 monthly instalments. Card payments can be made using the online payment portal.

    Please note, the information on this page is updated regularly, but we cannot guarantee that the details will remain accurate, as government policy often requires changes to how we operate. Applicants receiving an offer of a place will be sent further updated information.

    Please also note that information about financial support, loans, fees and funding is given based on information available from a range of sources, but does not claim to be complete. All applicants and students are advised to check how the information applies to their personal circumstances.

    All details on the Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding rules can be found on the government website here. For more information, please refer to our fees policy or contact us.

    If you are aged 19-23 and plan to study a course at Level 3 including A levels, Access to HE diplomas, and professional qualifications, you may be eligible for free tuition. This is dependant on the qualifications you have previously achieved and the qualification you study. Please contact us for further information.

  • Community Learning Course fees

    For some courses funded through Leeds City Council, concessionary rates are available if you are in receipt of certain benefits.

  • Instalment plan

    If you choose not to take out an approved Advanced Learner Loan, or the qualification is not eligible for other public funding, or is over £100, you may be able to pay using an instalment plan.

    You will pay 25% of your course fees at enrolment and the remainder will be spread between one and six months, depending on your requirements and the length of your chosen course. All fees must be paid in full, one month before the end of the course. The minimum course fee eligible for instalments is £100.

  • English and maths

    Adults and young people are entitled to free English and maths GCSE tuition if they do not already have a grade 4 (or C) in that subject.

Advanced Learner Loans

To help cover the costs of part or all of the fees, the government has introduced Advanced Learner Loans. These are government loan options that help bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, by providing financial support while you study.

You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan if you are:

  • Aged 19 or over
  • A resident in the UK
  • Accepted on to an eligible course at Level 3

The minimum you can borrow is £300 and the maximum depends on the fees for your course. You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan via Student Finance England. Your household income isn’t taken into account and there are no credit checks involved.

You must be aged 19 or over on the first day of your course and, in most cases, have lived in the UK for three years immediately before this and enrolling on to an eligible course.

If you would like more information on eligibility, please contact us or details can be found here.

Once your offer has been confirmed and you’ve received the learning and funding information letter from college, you can register and apply for a loan online. You need to have an approved Advanced Learner Loan in place before you enrol. If you don’t, you will need to discuss your options with us at enrolment.

You do not need to pay your loan back until:

  • You have finished your course
  • You earn more than £25,000 per annum (or £480 a week or £2,083 a month) and repayments will stop and start in-line with these thresholds.

Repayment calculations are simple and any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years.

To work out your potential monthly repayments, take a look at the following example.

On a salary of £27,000

  • Subtract £25,000 from the annual salary (£27,000 – £25,000 = £2000)
  • Work out 9% of the remainder (9% of £2000 = £180)
  • Divide the figure by 12 (£180/12 = £15)
  • The monthly repayment would be £15 per month

You don’t have to borrow the full cost of your course and you can choose to pay some or your entire loan at any time without any extra charge.

If you get a loan to cover tuition fees for an Access to HE course, then go on to successfully complete a HE course, your loan will be written off in most cases. Bursaries may be available so please contact us.

If you are aged 19-23 and have already achieved a full Level 3 qualification, are 24 or over, or you want to study at Level 4 or above, then full fees are payable regardless of personal circumstances.

Help with travel

  • Students will be assessed on their travel eligibility using the shortest walking distance on Google maps
  • We are able to provide First (through mTicket codes or paper passes), Arriva, Transdev, and in exceptional cases, Metro
  • Students will be provided with the most appropriate travel pass (First, Arriva, Transdev)
  • 19+ Students must live at least 1.5 miles based on the shortest walking distance from college to be eligible for travel support

Help with meals

  • Students receiving Learner Support Funds for meals are entitled to a daily spend of £3.60 using the cashless meal system
  • Students are eligible for meal support on every day that they are required to attend College
  • Students will not be able to use their meal cards to purchase confectionery and drinks. Drinking water will be made available
  • Supermarket vouchers will be provided to students on work placement, including internships, to the value of £3.00 per day

Help with childcare

Further Education students who are 20 years of age or over, and meet the income eligibility for their course, can apply for assistance with childcare fees during their timetabled hours of study. A contribution of up to £7,000 to cover childcare costs may be made per student over the course of the academic year.

To apply for childcare support, complete the following steps:

  • Download the 2023/24 childcare application form on the link provided
  • Arrange for the childcare quote form to be completed by your childcare provider. The childcare quote form must be submitted with the childcare application form
  • Ensure that the childcare provider you are going to be using is registered with Leeds City College
  • Please take your completed childcare application form, birth certificate or Child Tax Credit award notice with your income evidence to your curriculum admin team for checking
  • If you can provide a completed childcare quote form at this stage then please do so, however, if you are unable to do so, you will be asked to submit your childcare quote form once your application has been assessed and your childcare has been provisionally approved
  • The checklist on the front of the childcare application form must be signed off confirming that your application is complete before it can be submitted
Adult learners in the classroom smiling

Please note, funding will not be agreed upon until you have returned the signed childcare agreement. The childcare agreement must be signed by both the student and the childcare provider.

The maximum contribution towards childcare per student per academic year is up to £7,000. The daily cap is now £55 and the cap on a morning or afternoon session is £30.

For further details on the process for applying for childcare 2023-2024 please click here.

Help with kit and equipment

The college may be able to help you with equipment you need to complete your course – this can include the loan of a digital device and help with connectivity. The college can also help with costs towards specialist course equipment and UCAS fees.

Welfare support

The college has a Welfare Team, supporting students to overcome barriers that are impacting attendance, progression and achievement. These could be issues such as money worries, housing problems, loss of income and access to benefits.

Advice is offered directly to students, or support is given to curriculum staff to help students with their issues. We also refer to external organisations for on-going support.

The team has a childcare adviser who provides targeted support to young parents, ensuring a smooth transition into college by helping find childcare places and manage relationships with childcare providers.

Advice and support are given on a range of social, economic and wellbeing issues to remove barriers to education and enrich the young parent’s experience of college.

Policies and Useful Resources

Learner Support Fund Policy Student Privacy Notice Learner Support Frequently Asked Questions Benefits Information Adult education budget Eligibility for Advanced Learner Loans Student Finance England for Advanced Learner Loan applications Information on fees and funding

Information on fees and funding is correct at the time of publication, however may be subject to change due to college and government policy decisions.

Appeals

Students have the right to appeal a decision. This must be in writing to the Student Funds Manager within 21 days of receiving confirmation of an award or a rejection. The letter should set out the reasons for the appeal plus any further evidence to support the appeal. The decision of the Student Funds Manager will be given in writing within 14 days.