Are you aged 16 to 18?
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 www.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
How to contact South Kent College Student Services
- Ashford
- Learner Support Funds 01233 655581
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 01233 655580
- Dover
- Learner Support Funds 01304 244343
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 01304 244343
- Folkestone
- Learner Support Funds 01303 858240
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 01303 858240
*Does not apply to HE courses.
If you are aged 19 or over…
If you are aged 19 or over, there is usually a tuition fee for 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 - read section A. You may also qualify for other financial support – read section B.
There are many schemes available to help you with tuition fees, living expenses, travel and childcare costs or other 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 one or more of the categories below, the charge for tuition fees may be waived.
- 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 2009 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).
- You are in receipt of, or dependent on someone who is in receipt of:
- Jobseekers Allowance (contribution-based)
- Jobseekers Allowance (income-based)
- Income support
- Working Tax Credit (your assessed household income for 2008/09 must be less than £15,050* per year)
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit (excluding the 25% single person reduction)
- Pension Credit – Guarantee Benefit
* This amount may be subject to change
B – Other Financial Support
You may be eligible for 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 you will not have to pay back. To be eligible to apply, you must be in receipt of, or dependant on someone who is in receipt of:
- Jobseekers Allowance (contribution-based)
- Jobseekers Allowance (income-based)
- Income support
- Working Tax Credit (your assessed household income for 2008/09 must be less than £15,050* per year)
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit (excluding the 25% single person reduction)
- Pension Credit – Guarantee Benefit
*This amount may be subject to change.
How to apply for College Learner Support Funding
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 must submit your application for help with travel or childcare expenses before the course starts. You can contact Learner Support Funds by telephone or email 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)
Adult Learner Grant is a grant for adult students of up to £30 a week.
You may be eligible if:
- You are aged 19 or over and studying for your first full Level 2 qualification (e.g. NVQ 2, GCSEs, BTEC First) OR
- You are aged at least 19 and studying for your first full Level 3 qualification (e.g NVQ 3, A-levels, BTEC National)
For more detailed information, please contact Student Services or visit www.moneytolearn.direct.gov.uk
4. Financial help with child care
Help may be available from College Learner Support Funds if you are 20+ years of age. There are also Kent County Council (KCC) Grant Funded Early Education places for 3 and 4 year-olds available, dependent on criteria.
5. 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.
C - Fees and payment
You will not be able to start your College course until one of the following happens at your enrolment session:
- You show evidence of tuition fee exemption, for example a letter clearly identifying Income Based benefit.
- 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.
- 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 Deputy Principal for Finance and Resources or the Principal.
Refunds policy
No refund of the tuition fee will be made to learners who withdraw from a course after the advertised start date. Full-cost course fee refunds will not be granted but a substitute delegate will be accepted. Fees will be refunded in full if the College cancels the course. All refund applications must be made in writing to the Deputy Principal for Finance and Resources, South Kent College, and will be considered individually.
Tuition fees for courses lasting more than a year displayed in this guide are on a per annum basis. It is likely that only the tuition fee will be payable in subsequent years of courses lasting more than 12 months. In these cases, learners should expect an increase in the annual fee charged.
How to contact South Kent College Student Services
- Ashford
- Learner Support Funds 01233 655581
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 01233 655580
- Dover
- Learner Support Funds 01304 244343
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 01304 244343
- Folkestone
- Learner Support Funds 01303 858240
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 01303 858240
