Fees and Finance

If you are 16-18 years old, there will usually be no fees to pay for a full-time Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) course. There are some exceptions, please see the college’s fees policy 2019/20 for more information.

For people aged 16,17 and 18, it is your age on the 31 August that is used to decide if you meet the eligibility criteria. If you are over 18, it is your age on the start date of the course that is used.

If you are aged 19-23, full-time FE course fees are up to a maximum of £1,100 plus exam fees and any course extras. Waivers are available depending on each individual, please see the college’s fees policy 2019/20 for more information.

If you are aged 24 or over and taking a FE course below Level 3, course fees are a maximum of £1,100 plus exam fees and any course extras. Waivers are available depending on each individual, please see the college’s fees policy 2019/20 for more information.

Please note, the ESFA will no longer fund 19-23 students on a Level 3+ course who have already achieved a Level 3 qualification or 24+ students on a Level 3+ course. All fees are payable for these courses and can be paid for by students, employers or through an Advanced Learner Loan.

College fees may include tuition fees, awarding body registration fees or examination and certification fees and course-specific charges. Please note, college fees may vary according to your age, level of study, type of programme and course location.

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 as well as instalment payments by direct debit.

Instalment payments are allowed on long courses (over 20 weeks) with a minimum value of £100 with an initial payment of 25% of the course fee, with the rest of the fee payable over a maximum of four further direct debit payments.

Please note, this 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 what the Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding rules from 01 August 2019 to 31 July 2020 can be found on the government website at gov.uk. For more information, please refer to our fees policy or contact us.

If you are 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.

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

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 at gov.uk.

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 balance outstanding 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 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.

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.

Leeds City College works in partnership with Ofsted-registered childcare providers to help student parents with childcare costs so they can overcome barriers which may prevent them from continuing in learning

To find out more about our childcare costs, click here for our FAQ.

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.