Adult Fee Information

Funding your Course

As you may be aware students aged 19 and above may not be fully funded by the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) or the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and may be required to pay for their courses.

The fees you are required to pay or the remissions that you may be entitled to vary depending on your circumstances, where you live and the course(s) you wish to enrol onto. Fees and Remissions will be discussed with you at enrolment and basic summary is provided below. Where a remission is being claimed you may need to complete a self-declaration and/or provide evidence. 

For more detailed advice and how the remission rules apply your circumstances please contact our Adult Admissions team on 0121 602 7607 or email admissions@halesowen.ac.uk

Students within the West Midlands Combined Authority

A course may be fully funded by the WMCA depending on your eligibility

  • If you wish to study at level 2 and you are unemployed and looking for work.
  • If you wish to study at level 2 or below and are in receipt of a low income (less than £18,135). 
  • GCSE English and maths are free of charge for anyone who has not achieved a C/4 or above in those subjects.
  • Essential Digital Skills up to Level are free of charge for anyone who is assessed at below level 1 in their Digital skills.
  • If you are aged 19-23 studying your first full Level 2 qualification or your first full Level 3 qualification.
  • If you are aged 24 or older studying your first full Level 3 qualification and are receipt of a low income (less than £18,135) or Unemployed.

Students Outside the West Midlands Combined Authority

A course may be fully funded by the ESFA depending on your eligibility

  • If you wish to study at level 2 and you are unemployed and in receipt of certain benefits including: Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit. Other state benefits may also apply.
  • If you wish to study at level 2 or below and are in receipt of a low income (less than £17,004.00).
  • GCSE English and maths are free of charge for anyone who has not achieved a C/4 or above in those subjects.
  • Essential Digital Skills up to Level are free of charge for anyone who is assessed at below level 1 in their Digital skills.
  • If you are aged 19-23 studying your first full Level 2 qualification or your first full Level 3 qualification.

Advanced Learner Loans (Level 3 Courses)

If you are aged 19-23 and already hold a Full Level 3 or are aged 24 or older you will have to pay for courses at level 3 and above. However, most students qualify for Advanced Learner Loans from the UK government.  It is easy to apply; your household income is not taken into account and there is no credit check. You will not have to pay anything back until your income is over £26,576 a year.

If you think that an Advanced Learner Loan may be suitable for you please contact Admissions for further advice and we can send you the information you need to apply for the loan.

Payment Methods

Where students are required to pay for their courses these fees are payable at enrolment. Depending on the course you may be able to pay in full, by instalments, student loan or company invoice. 

If you choose to pay by instalments, these are collected on the first working day of the month by Direct Debit. You will be required to pay a minimum of 20% or £100 (whichever is higher) on the day of enrolment. There will usually be 5 Direct Debit collections in addition to the initial deposit.

A company may pay course fees on your behalf. We require a letter of authority from the company confirming the fees that they will be paying or a purchase Order. The company will then be invoiced for the fees (payable in 30 days). Any fees not confirmed to be paid by the employer need to be paid by yourself.

If you opt to pay your fees by student loan, please be aware that you are still responsible for the fees and will be required to pay them even if the loan is not approved or you withdraw from the course as the SLC will only pay whilst you are in attendance. 

Course Cancellations and Refunds

You will get a refund if you have already paid for a course; which we have had to cancel or which we agree with you is not suitable after initial assessment/interview and cannot offer you an alternative. You will not get a refund if you withdraw before the end of a course. The full costs of tuition will remain payable and this is a condition of enrolment. We reserve the right to re-arrange course dates, times and venues.

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