Money Matters

All full-time courses are FREE as long as you are under 19 on 31st August 2009*. This means that you will not have to pay tuition, examination or registration fees. There will not be charges for materials; however, there will be a charge for essential equipment in addition to a separate charge for trips.

Financial Help

There are four main forms of financial help available:

Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

An Educational Maintenance Allowance is a weekly payment of up to £30 which can help with your day-to-day costs such as travel, books and equipment. To find out more, contact South Kent College Student Services or visit http://moneytolearn.direct.gov.uk

Learner Support Fund

If you think you might have difficulty paying for equipment and you or your family are on a low income, you can apply for a grant from Learner Support Funds. To find out more, contact us by email learnersupportfunds@southkent.ac.uk or contact Student Services.

KCC Travel Grants

If you live more than 3 miles from the campus at which you will be studying, you can apply for a travel grant to help cover the costs. To find out more, contact Student Services who will give you contact details for your local KCC office.

Child Care Grants – Care to Learn

If you are a parent under 20 years of age, you can get help with child care costs for when you are at College, on a work placement and during private study time, as well as travel costs to and from a child care provider. To find out more, contact Student Services by telephone or email: learnersupportfunds@southkent.ac.uk

*Does not apply to HE courses.

If you are 19 or over, there is usually a tuition fee for full-time, part-time or evening courses; there may also be additional examination and registration fees and equipment, material or study visits costs.

However you may not have to pay the tuition fee (see section A) and you may qualify for other financial support (see section B).

There are many schemes available to help you with tuition fees, other costs, living expenses or travel and childcare costs. Some are loans (which you will have to repay) and some are grants (which you will not have to repay). The amount you will get depends on your personal circumstances.

A – Do you qualify for free tuition?

If you fit into any (or a combination) of the categories below, you may not (subject to available funding) have to pay the tuition fee on LSC funded courses, which are the majority of the courses on this website. Where this applies, you will see either or alongside the tuition fee.

Categories

• or You are unemployed and in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance (contribution-based).
• or You are in receipt of, or are an un-waged dependent of someone currently in receipt of any of the following "income-based" benefits:
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA).
  • Income-related Employments and Support ALlowance (ESA).
  • Income Support.
  • Working Tax Credit (your assessed household income needs to be less than £15,276 per year (amount subject to change).
  • Housing Benefit.
  • Council Tax Benefit (excluding the 25% single person reduction).
  • Pension Credit - Guaranteed only.
• You are studying for your first full Level 2 qualification, whatever your age. (You may also qualify for an Adult Learner's Grant – see point 3 of section B – Other Financial Support.)
• You are aged 19-24 on the 31st of August prior to the start of your course and studying for your first full Level 3 qualification. (You may also qualify for an Adult Learner's Grant – see point 3 of section B – Other Financial Support.)

B - Other Financial Support

You may be eligible for certain help with fees or costs either from the College or from Government schemes for adults.

1. Learner Support Fund

The College has limited Learner Support Funds to help with expenses related to coming to College. This can include help with travel costs, child care, equipment or personal hardship. Funds are awarded as a grant (not a loan) - which means that students will not have to pay them back - to the following categories of learners:

• Students with an income of less than £16,000* for a single person or £17,500 (amount subject to change) for a couple.
• Students who are in receipt of an income-based benefit.

How to apply for College Learner Support Funding

You can apply from the month of June prior to the start of your course. Please ask for a Learner Support Funds application form and appropriate expenses form(s). You may submit your application for help with travel or childcare expenses before the course starts.

You can contact Learner Support Funds by calling 01233 655581 or by sending an email to learnersupportfunds@southkent.ac.uk

2. Career Development Loans

These loans can help with tuition fees and other costs related to your studies e.g. books, exam fees, travel costs and childcare costs. If you attend a full-time course, your loan can also replace some lost income from wages or benefit entitlement to support your housing and personal living costs. You can borrow from £300 to £8,000. For information and application packs, please call 0800 100 900 or visit www.direct.gov.uk/cdl

3. Adult Learner Grant (ALG)

An Adult Learner Grant is a grant for adult students of up to £30 a week. ALG may apply if you are aged 19 or over and studying for your first full Level 2 or Level 3 qualification. For more detailed information, please contact Student Services or visit www.direct.gov.uk/alg

4. Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work

If you are over 20, not working and have a partner who is working, you could be eligible for this scheme if:

• You have one or more children aged 14 or under (18 or under if the child is disabled)
  AND
• You have a household income of £20,000 or less per year

For more detailed information and application packs, please contact Student Services or visit www.direct.gov.uk

5. Financial help with childcare

Help may be available from College Learner Support Funds if you are aged 20 or over. There are also Kent County Council (KCC) Grant Funded Early Education places for 3 and 4 year-olds available, dependent on criteria.

6. Financial support for Higher Education

If you are intending to join a Higher Education course you will, in most cases, need to apply for funding from your Local Education Authority. Tuition and Student Loans are available for full-time courses and you may also qualify for a maintenance grant. Tuition Fee and Living Cost Grants are available for part-time courses.

For more information, visit www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation

C – Fees and Payment

You will not be able to start your College course until one of the following happens at your enrolment session:

1. Evidence of tuition fee exemption is shown, for example a benefits letter clearly identifying DSS income.
2. A completed Learner Support Funds application form is presented, or evidence that they will assist with equipment/material/childcare costs.
3. All fees are paid on the day of enrolment (for courses lasting more than one year, the fees for the first year only are due). The fees due will include any tuition/exam/registration fees as stated for the course.
4. Where a material fee is payable, payment should be made as designated by your course tutor.

Accepted payment methods are:

• Cash
• Bank/Building Society cheque
• Credit/Debit card

If your employer is paying for the course, the company must provide a letter/purchase order on headed paper. The employer will then be invoiced within 7 working days.

Payment by instalment will not be accepted, except by express written authority of the Director of Finance or the Principal.

Overseas Students

Students from outside the EU will be liable for the full (unsubsidised) tuition fee (not shown in this brochure) for further and higher education courses.

Please telephone 0845 207 8220 for more information.

Refunds Policy

• No refund of the tuition fee will be made to learners who withdraw from a course after the advertised start date. Fees will be refunded in full if the College cancels the course.
• Full-cost course fee refunds will not be granted but a substitute delegate will be accepted.
• All refund applications must be made in writing to the Director of Finance, South Kent College, and will be considered individually.

All fees and policies are subject to change without notice. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on this website, the College does not accept any liability for errors or omissions. The College reserves the right to make changes including the discontinuation of courses at any time without notice. In such event, if a fee has been paid, an appropriate refund will be made.

Eligibility and information are subject to change and confirmation by the LSC Guidance for 2009/10.