It’s really important that you don’t let money matters get in the way of you attending college.
For many students, courses at NHC are free. If you are aged 19 or over, then you may need to pay some course fees when you start your course. There may also be some small fees involved with equipment costs. We try to keep our fees as low as possible, whilst making sure that we can offer you a really great course that will help you get where you want to be in life.
There are a range of financial support options available to North Hertfordshire College students. For more information, please see below!
If you think you need financial support and would like further information, please contact NHC’s Student Services team or email moneymatters@nhc.ac.uk
Further education courses
No course fees, the government fully funds your course.
Higher education courses
Usually, higher education is only for students aged 18 or over once they have completed A-levels or level 3 qualifications (not including Access to HE).
Further education courses
It’s possible that you won’t need to pay any course fees if one of the following circumstances applies:
Not all courses meet the requirements to be funded by the ESFA, and are sometimes not available for fee-based financial support. If you have any queries about whether you could study your course for free, please contact enquiries@nhc.ac.uk
It’s possible that you won’t need to pay any course fees if one of the following circumstances applies:
Not all courses meet the requirements to be funded by the ESFA and are sometimes not available for fee remission. If you have any queries about whether you could study your course for free, please contact enquiries@nhc.ac.uk
Course fees vary from £4,635 to £6,125, depending on the course you choose to study. For more information, please check your course information page.
The NHS has you covered if you are thinking of studying for a health-related degree, take a look at what financial support is available here.
If you think you may be eligible for help with your enrolment costs, please ensure you bring evidence showing household income as being below £30,000 or evidence of being in receipt of any benefits.
The College is unable to give financial assistance without this evidence.
Eligible students aged 19 and above will be able to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan for eligible courses at levels 3, 4, 5 & 6, starting on or after 1st August 2016.
This is a government-backed loan that you can use to cover all or part of the cost of your tuition fees. There is no credit check and the loan does not depend on your household income. You won’t need to pay back the loan until you are in work and earning over £27,295 per year. Once you earn this amount, you will repay in monthly instalments. More information about repayment is available on the Government’s Student Finance page.
You might be eligible if you meet any of the following criteria:
You can apply for this loan once you’ve got a place on your chosen course. After you’ve accepted your place we’ll send you a learning and funding information letter which you need to complete your loan application. You can do this online on the UK government website.
This will depend on the course, the tuition fees charged by the College and the maximum amounts set by the Government. The minimum amount you may borrow is £300.
You can take out a loan for the maximum amount of your tuition fee or you can pay all or part of the tuition fee yourself. There is no loan to cover living or maintenance expenses.
Once you have completed your course, you will be eligible to apply for more Advanced Learning Loans to help you progress in your studies. You can have up to a total of four loans, but only one at any time.
Student Finance England (SFE) will pay your tuition fees to College once the course has started and we have confirmed your attendance on it. Your loan will start to accrue from the course start date.
You will only start to repay the loan after you have completed your course and are earning over £524 per week, £2,274 per month or £27,295 per year. More information about repayment is available on the Government’s Student Loan page.
If you are studying an Access to HE course and continue your studies to undertake a 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 the Higher Education course. The higher education course must be eligible for student finance. More information is available on the Government’s undergraduate finance page.
If you are studying on an HE course (i.e. HNC/HND, extended or foundation degrees), you will be able to apply to Student Finance England for a full tuition fee loan and additional funds (if on a full-time course) to help you with living costs while you are studying.
Please chat with us on our open events, or give us a call. You can also visit www.gov.uk/student-finance to apply.
If you are struggling with course-related costs (e.g. childcare, travel, kit, uniform, books, exams or lunch fees), you may be able to apply for help from the Learner Support Fund. The fund is available to assist students from low/no income families, those who are living independently or those who receive a state benefit.
We would advise all students to complete an application as soon as possible to ensure your studies are not impacted.
Here are some key details:
Please note that the College is unable to process any applications without this evidence. Missing evidence/information will delay outcomes on applications.
If you are 18 or under, you may be eligible to receive a free lunchtime meal at College if you or your family are in receipt of certain benefits. Please note that if you received free school meals at secondary school, this does not automatically mean you will receive free college meals. If you think you might be eligible, visit the Student Services team at your campus to fill in a free college meals application form.
If your application for free college meals is successful, you’ll get £3 a day in your sQuid catering purse to spend on college meals. To pay, you can simply scan your student ID card.
Please remember that if you don’t spend your full £3, this amount won’t be carried over to the next day. All students are able to get a sQuid catering account, so your eligibility for free college meals is discreet.
For more information, visit Student Services on your campus or contact 01462 424242.
You could be entitled to a bursary of up to £1,200 per year. Speak to Student Services if any of the following describes you:
You’re aged 16-18 and are:
Speak to Student Services for more information or email moneymatters@nhc.ac.uk.
There are a number of ways to gain support:
Some of the other places you could be able to access grants of bursaries from include:
Did you know you may be able to do an adult course without paying a penny?
You will need to meet one of the following criteria to qualify:
For more information or to apply, please call us on 01462 424242 or email enquiries@nhc.ac.uk
Don’t let course fees stop you from furthering your career. Explore our range of adult courses.
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