Finance

Degree Courses

Students can receive financial assistance for their tuition fees, making studying more affordable than you might expect. Student loans are available to cover the cost of tuition for up to four years of study. These loans are paid directly to the university once students have officially enrolled in their chosen course.

Students may apply for a tuition fee loan, and a maintenance loan for eligible courses.

If you get a loan to cover your tuition fees you do not have to pay anything until you start earning above the threshold.  You can obtain further advice and indicative examples by clicking the Student Finance link below. 

Maintenance Loans and Additional Support

New full-time and part-time students can apply for means-tested maintenance loans whether they are living at home or studying away from home. Full-time students with young children or dependent adults can apply for grants to help cover additional costs.

Full-time and part-time students with disabilities or additional learning needs can apply for resources and support through Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA).

For information on eligibility and the application process for funding, please visit the Government's student finance website using the links below.

www.gov.uk/student-finance  

To find out more about Student Finance, click here. 

Teacher Training bursaries (Post 16)

Bursaries

The Department for Education will be offering a Further Education (FE) initial teacher education (ITE) pre-service bursaries programme for the 2024 to 2025 academic year. Tax-free bursaries will be available to trainees who are training pre-service (i.e. before entering paid teaching employment) to teach high-priority subjects in the FE sector in England.

The eligible subjects and bursary values are set out in the table below.

For information on eligibility and bursaries, please visit the Department of Education's website via the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fe-funding-initial-teacher-education-ite-bursary/fe-ite-bursary-funding-manual-2024-to-2025

Advanced Learner Loans

If you are aged 19 or over and considering further education, you might qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan to help cover course fees. Most learners aged 19 and over, studying at Levels 3 to 6, are eligible. Applying is simple, with no credit check and no consideration of household income. Repayments start only when your income exceeds the threshold. Learn more at www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan  

If you complete an Access to HE Diploma and then finish an eligible higher education course,
Student Finance England will ‘write off’ any outstanding Advanced Learner Loan balances you owe for an Access to HE course once you complete a higher education course. This means you do not have to repay it. The higher education course must be eligible for student finance.

Adult Education

Many of our courses are offered at no cost, and even more may be free if you have a low income and want to enhance your skills.

Our GCSE English and GCSE Maths courses are free for individuals who have not yet achieved a grade 9-4 (A*-C) in GCSE English, have been UK/EU residents for the past three years, and live in Greater Manchester.

Our GCSE Biology is free for individuals who live in Greater Manchester, and have not achieved a full level 2 qualification (5 GCSEs grade 9-4 (A*-C), one A-Level, or two or three AS Levels, BTEC or NVQ Level 2, or its equivalent). If you do have a full level 2 qualification, the GCSE Biology course can be co-funded OR if you do have a full level 2 qualification, but your earnings are below £25,000, you may eligible for free funding.

Our Access to HE Diplomas are fully funded for individuals aged 19-23 without a Level 3 qualification. If you are 24 or older, you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan, which will get written off if you progress to a degree course.

For our Teaching Assistant and Early Years courses, you may be fully funded if:

If you are unemployed, economically inactive, employed or self-employed up to an including Level 2 and Level 3 if you earn below the following thresholds:

- £25,000 annual gross salary for Level 2 qualifications.
- £32,200 annual gross salary for Level 3 qualifications.

Discretionary Learner Support

If the course you are studying is funded by the 'Adult Education Grant' you may be able to access the Discretionary Learner Support fund. This fund is available to students 19 years and over and are facing financial hardship. Learner support can help to pay for things you need to attend your course. The money could help with travel, materials and equipment and childcare costs (Ofsted registered) for example.

Need more information? Contact us on 0161 6668215 or AdultEd@asfc.ac.uk