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Financial support for students
Financial
support for specific qualifications
Colleges of further education
are for adults of all ages, backgrounds and interests. They have some academic
courses but also many practical and vocational courses.
Academic courses
These courses are for people who want to specialise in a particular subject
(Economics or Science, for example) or for students who want to go to university.
These are the academic qualifications you can get:
- GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
- AS levels and A levels (A2s)
Click here to find a list of all the colleges of further education in the UK
Vocational
courses
These courses prepare students for a particular job or a general area, or
for the next level of vocational study. These are some of the qualifications
you can get:
- GNVQs (General National Vocational Qualifications). They usually
last 2 years
- AVCEs, or vocational A levels
- NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications)
- National Certificates and National Diplomas. They are usually
in business or technical subjects
- Foundation degrees. They provide basic knowledge and skills in a
particular area (in Art, for example)
- BTEC First Diploma (FD) - BTEC Higher National Certificate or Diploma
(HNC or HND) - BTEC National Award, Certificate or Diploma (NA, NC or ND)
- City and Guilds Vocational qualification
- MAs (Modern Apprenticeships)
Some of these courses take 3-6 months to complete but most of them take 1
to 2 years. At the end of these courses you can start the next level of vocational
training or you can start looking for a job in the area you are interested
in.
University: degrees
Undergraduate (First) degree: traditional bachelor's degree, also called
honours degree. It is about arts and sciences and require 3 or 4 years of
full-time study to complete. Some take longer than 4 years. The degree includes
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Sciences, etc.
Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) - Higher National Certificates (HNCs)
- Diploma in Higher Education: they take 1 or 2 years to finish. They can
be used as a qualification to look for work or to go to university.
Foundation degree: vocational higher education qualification that takes
2 years of full-time study to complete.
Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) - Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) - Master's
degree (MA) - Doctorates (PhD, Dphil): postgraduate degrees to specialise
in an area. They can take from 9 months to 6 years, depending on the subject
of the course and if it is full-time or part-time course.
Click here to find a list of higher education colleges and universities in the UK
Plymouth College of Further
Education
Kings Road Centre
Devonport
Plymouth
Devon
PL1 5QG
Tel: 01752 305 300
Fax: 01752 305 343
E-mail: reception@pcfe.ac.uk
Goschen Centre
Saltash Road
Keyham
Plymouth
PL2 2DP.
Tel: 01752 305282
E-mail: receptiongc@pcfe.ac.uk
PEGTS Training Centre
Estover Road
Plymouth
PL6 7PQ
Tel: +44 (0)1752 775572
Fax: +44 (0)1752 770929
Click here for their website.
Plymouth College of Art
and Design
Tavistock Place
Plymouth
Devon
PL4 8AT
Tel: 01752 203 434
Fax: 01752 203 455
E-mail: enquiries@pcad.ac.uk
Click here for their website.
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
Tel: 01752 600600
Click here for their website.
Financial Support for Students
If you are an asylum seeker you are considered as an international student. This means that you will have to pay international student fees for your studies (it can be very expensive) and you cannot apply for financial support. If you have been in the UK for over 3 years you have the right to pay "home student" fees. This means you will be considered as a British student and will pay lower fees. You can take an ESOL course for free. If you receive benefits or if you are supported by NASS or a social service department, you can get low prices for some part-time courses or do them for free.
If you are a refugee you are considered as a home student. This means you pay home student fees and can apply for any kind of student support. Some colleges of further education also have special low prices for refugees.
If you are a migrant,
your situation can vary. You will be considered as a home student if:
- you have permanent residence in the UK and have been resident in the UK
for 3 years
- you are a migrant worker from the European Economic Area (EEA: Austria,
Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden) and you have been resident in the EEA for 3 years
- you are from the European Union
In these cases you will
have the same rights as British citizens - you will have access to home student
fees. But you still have to contact your Local Authority (LA) for help with
student support. Your Local Authority can tell you what kind of student support
you can apply for, and how to do it.
To find your Local Authority, look
at this page
If you are a migrant from outside the European Union, you will be considered as an international student, and you will have to pay international student fees (which can be very expensive). You will not have the right to apply for student support.
For advice on student support,
you can call the LearnDirect advice line:
0800 100 900 (from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm seven days a week)
Remember that some courses are free all over the UK, for example, literacy
and numeracy courses. You will find information about this at your local college
of further education.
See Table 1 - Fees System and Table 2 - Student Support to have a summary of student support opportunities. Click here for tables
Other grants for international students studying in the UK
International students can apply for some scholarships and bursaries given by UK institutions.
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO) scholarships
for postgraduate studies or research in the UK
www.chevening.com
- Commonwealth Scholarship and
Fellowship Plan
for postgraduate and a small number of undergraduate
www.csfp-online.org
or www.acu.ac.uk
- Department for International
Development Shared Scholarship Scheme
for students from Commonwealth countries on postgraduate courses
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/funding/sharedscholarship.asp
- Many smaller schemes exist for
students from particular countries or ethnic backgrounds. Contact your local
British Council office, or your Embassy or High Commission.
www.britishcouncil.org
(find your local office under "Contact Us")
Types
of financial support
There are different types of financial support you can apply for.
- Learner Support Funds
Available in colleges. They are especially for people who already receive
other forms of benefits and have financial problems. The fund could be a grant
or a loan - a grant is money you do not have to pay back, a loan is money
you receive but you will have to pay back when you finish studying. You apply
for Learner Support Funds directly at your college.
- Grants and bursaries
You could get a grant, which is money you do not have to pay back. Bursaries
are similar to grants but they are usually related to specific professions
(for example, doctors). For grants and bursaries you have to contact your
college - they will give you an application form you will have to complete.
- Financial Support for
City & Guilds courses
City & Guilds courses are for people who need a specific qualification
(for example, to work as an electrician in the UK). You can take these courses
at local colleges. The City & Guilds Association gives grants to persons
who cannot pay for their qualification.
To apply for support you:
- must be 16 or over 16
- must live in the UK
- must take a City & Guilds course
You can download the application
form from their website - click
here
Complete it, print it and
send it to this address:
City & Guilds
FREEPOST LON 13578
London
EC1B 1HS
Financial support
for specific qualifications
You can get financial support if you want to get a specific qualification:
- to become a qualified teacher
- to be a social worker
- to work in health care
Qualified Teacher
To become a fully qualified teacher in the UK you need the Qualified Teacher
Status (QTS). For graduates, there are two ways to get QTS:
- taking a postgraduate course, such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
(PGCE). It normally takes 1 year full time and 2 years part time.
- training in a school and learn the job. It can take between 3 months and
1 year, depending on your level of experience.
If you want to get a QTS you can apply for a training bursary. Contact your Local Authority or call the LearnDirect advice line.
Social work
You can get financial support from the General Social Care Council if you
want to get a qualification to work as a social worker. Contact the General
Social Care Council:
Bursaries Information line
Tel: 020 7397 5835 (9am - 12:30pm Monday to Friday)
Email: bursaries@gscc.org.uk
Bursaries
General Social Care Council
Goldings House
2 Hay's Lane
London, SE1 2HB
Jobs in healthcare
The National Health Service (NHS) offers bursaries to students who want to
train to work in the health care area (doctors, nurses, carers, therapists,
etc.). Contact:
NHS Careers
Advice line: 0845 606 0655
Email: advice@nhscareers.nhs.uk
Learning at work
If you already work and you want to get a vocational or academic qualification,
your employer could pay for your training. This could be free basic skills
training, training relevant to your job, or asking an experienced member of
staff to train you. The "Learning through Work" scheme gives you
the opportunity to study for a short course or a university level qualification
without taking time off from your work. Your employer could pay for your course.
If you are a member of a trade union your Learning Representative can help
with your training.
Education
for children (refugees and asylum seekers)
The Education Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) can help asylum seekers
and refugee families to find a place at school for their children.
They will:
- help families to complete all admission forms
- support asylum seeker children with free meals at school
- support with transport to and from schools: it should be free
Pre-school children (3-4 year old) are entitled to 5 free sessions every week
(a session is usually 2 ½ hours).
Contact:
Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS)
c/o Craneswater Junior School
St. Ronan's Road
Southsea
PO40PX
UK
General Telephone: 023 92 73 3130
e-mail: general.emas@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
In Plymouth
Contact Helen Taylor, telephone: 01752 673 618 or 01752 673619
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