Support

If, at the start of your course, you are aged 19–24 with an Education Health Care Plan, you are unlikely to pay any tuition fees for our funded programmes. There may be additional charges for materials, trips, and kit to enhance your learning experience. These are kept to a minimum. If you are not a UK citizen, you can use the  UKCISA website to confirm if you need to pay an ‘overseas’ fee.

If you are enrolling on one of our courses that are not funded, such as our leisure courses, you will be required to pay the course fee in full.

If you are aged 19 years or older, living in England (but not in a devolved region) and do not have one of the following visa types then you will be eligible for ‘home fees’: 

• Student visa 

• Holiday/visitor visa 

• Skilled worker, health care worker, temporary worker, Global mobility or scale-up visa 

• A visa that imposes restrictions on study 

If you live in one of the following devolved areas, you will NOT be eligible for ‘home fees’ via Activate Learning: 

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority 

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority 

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 

• Tees Valley Combined Authority 

• West Midlands Combined Authority 

• West of England Combined Authority 

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority 

• North East Mayoral Combined Authority 

• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority 

• East Midlands Combined County Authority 

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority 

• Cornwall Council 

If you live in the Greater London Authority and do not have permission to live in the UK for 12 months from the start date of your course, please refer to the following website to check your eligibility for ‘home fees’: Information for Adult Skills Fund providers | London City Hall  

If you are eligible for ‘home’ fees and are enrolling on a funded course, you might not have to pay fees on a funded course if you are: 

• Earning less than £25,750* gross per year from either employment or self-employment. 

• Unemployed and on benefits (in your own name) or unemployed, not on benefits, and using the course to help you gain employment. 

• Aged between 19 and 23, enrolling on a full level 2 course, where this is your first full level 2. 

(*£27,007.50 if you live in the Greater London Authority) 

Contact us before enrolling to find out if your course is eligible. 

English and Maths qualifications 

If you are eligible for ‘home’ fees, you will not have to pay fees for English and maths courses at level 2 or below if you do not have a GCSE grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) in the same subject or an equivalent qualification (including overseas qualifications) or if you have been initially assessed as working below a grade 4 at GCSE in the same subject. 

Community Wellbeing or non-accredited Employability courses 

Some of our Community Wellbeing and Employability courses are free of charge for all learners who are eligible for ‘home’ fees. Where a fee is charged, you will not have to pay a fee if you are: 

• Earning less than £25,750 gross per year from either employment or self-employment

• Not working 

If you are aged 19 years or older, living in England (but not in a devolved region) and do not have one of the following visa types then you will be eligible for ‘home fees’: 

• Student visa 

• Holiday/visitor visa 

• Skilled worker, health care worker, temporary worker, Global mobility or scale-up visa 

• A visa that imposes restrictions on study 

If you live in one of the following devolved areas, you will NOT be eligible for ‘home fees’ via Activate Learning: 

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority 

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority 

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 

• Tees Valley Combined Authority 

• West Midlands Combined Authority 

• West of England Combined Authority 

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority 

• North East Mayoral Combined Authority 

• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority 

• East Midlands Combined County Authority 

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority 

• Cornwall Council 

If you live in the Greater London Authority and do not have permission to live in the UK for 12 months from the start date of your course, please refer to the following website to check your eligibility for ‘home fees’: Information for Adult Skills Fund providers | London City Hall 

If you are eligible for ‘home’ fees and are enrolling on a funded course, you might not have to pay fees on a funded course if you are: 

• Aged between 19 and 23, enrolling on a full level 3 course, where this is your first full level 3. 

• Enrolling on a ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ course and earning less than £25,750* gross per year from either employment or self-employment. 

• Enrolling on a ‘Free Courses for Jobs’ course and are unemployed and on benefits (in your own name) or unemployed, not on benefits, and using the course to help you gain employment. 

(*£27,007.50 if you live in the Greater London Authority) 

Contact us before enrolling to find out if your course is eligible. 

Please note: The fees quoted on our website for level 3 programmes are an annual fee, which may not be split evenly between the two academic years. We recommend that students deciding to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for their course apply for a loan to cover both years, ensuring the funds are secured at the start of the programme. Please contact us if you require more information about our course fees. 

Advanced Learner Loan 

If you are studying on a full-time Level 3 or 4 programme (not as part of an apprenticeship), you may be eligible to apply for a loan to help you pay your tuition fees. These loans are not means-tested or subject to credit checks, and you start repaying the loan when you earn over £27,295 per year. 

Loans for Access to Higher Education programmes are cleared if you go on to complete a higher education programme with the support of a higher education student loan. 

For more information regarding eligibility criteria, please visit www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans 

Please note: The following area is only for those with an offer for a course delivered at our colleges. For access online, a link will be sent with your joining instructions. 

Download your learning and funding information letter.

If your course is eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan, your course is non-funded, so you are not eligible for bursary funding until you have confirmation of the loan. You may apply to get financial support from the Loan Bursary Fund after you've received a letter approving your bursary.

Bursary funds cannot support course fees if you are eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan.

If you are aged between 19-23 when you start your programme, this is your first full Level 2 or 3 qualification, and your programme is eligible, you may not have to pay fees. Contact us to find out if you're eligible before enrolling.

If you are studying on a full-time Level 3 or 4 programme or apprenticeship, you are eligible to apply for a loan to help you pay your tuition fees. These loans are not means-tested or subject to credit checks, and you start repaying the loan when you earn over £27,295 per year. 

Loans for Access to Higher education programmes are cleared if you go on to complete a higher education programme with the support of a higher education student loan.

For more information regarding eligibility criteria, please visit the government website.  

Please note that the following area is only for those with an offer for a course at our colleges. For access online, a link will be sent with your joining instructions.

See our HE page for financial support information.