We know that higher education costs can be a barrier, so we have staff trained to give you the most up-to-date advice and guidance. Tuition fee loans are generally available to help you fund your studies, however, the college can also offer payment plans to suit your circumstances.
Higher Education Fees
Whatever a student is charged in the first full year of a course will be the fee that they are charged for all subsequent years unless the year is only a part-year when a reduced fee will apply.
Our fees for 24/25 are £61.88 per credit. Please refer to the individual factsheet for your course to determine how many credits you will be studying and the full cost. For example, an HND is worth 240 credits, so the cost of this would be £14,850 over two years (£7,425 per year). An HNC is worth 120 credits, so the cost would be £7,425 for one year.
Applications for funding for these courses could be made to Student Finance England/Wales.
Diplomas (Professional Qualifications)
The cost of these depends on the awarding body. Please refer to the individual factsheet for your course to determine costs. Applications for funding for these courses should be made to www.gov.uk, provided you are aged over 19.
Payment Methods
At enrolment, you will be required to pay or advise us how you intend to pay your fees. The methods of payment are:
- In full at enrolment by cheque, debit or credit card
- Payment via sponsored by your employer - please bring a letter from them confirming this to enrolment
- By Direct Debit in four instalments
- Student Finance Loan.
At this point, you will be subject to the terms and conditions within our Fees Policy. If you need any information, advice or guidance about applying for funding, please contact our Student Services Team who will assist you through the process on 01743 653111.
HE (Higher Education) Loans for students studying an HNC, HND, BA, PGCE, or Foundation Degree
Student Finance England (SFE) is a service provided by the Student Loans Company. They provide financial support on behalf of the UK Government to Students from England entering higher education in the UK. To find out what you can get see their interactive quick start-guides.
Students living in Wales but studying in England need to apply through Student Finance Wales. For guidance or to apply go to www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
If you are successful in obtaining a Tuition Fee Loan, you need to show the financial notification letter (with barcode) at enrolment to enable the funding to be released to the college.
If you are entitled to a Tuition Fee Loan to cover the entire cost of your studies, you will not need to pay for your fees upfront. You will only begin to repay fees after graduation and when you are earning at least £25,000 per year. However, if you have previously taken out funding from Student Finance England / Wales or already have studied at HE level, this may impact how much you are allowed to borrow.
If you enrol on a HE Course and decide to apply for a loan to cover the fees it is your responsibility to apply to Student Finance for the Loan as soon as possible. Failure to make arrangements for payment within 14 days of enrolment may result in you being asked to leave the course. Please bring in your confirmation letter from Student Finance to the college as soon as you receive it.
Please take it to reception and ask them to send it to Ann Powell, in Finance. Alternatively please email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you are studying:
- A Shrewsbury College HE Course please enter Shrewsbury College on your application to Student Finance. You will receive an invoice from us within a few weeks of enrolment
- A Full-time Staffordshire University Course, please enter Staffordshire University on your application to Student Finance. You will receive an invoice from Staffordshire University
- A Part-time Staffordshire University Course, please enter Staffordshire University on your application to Student Finance and Shrewsbury College as the campus. You will receive an invoice from us within a few weeks of enrolment.
If you are unsure which college/university to enter on your application to Student Finance, please ask before applying. If you do not apply for a Student Loan or you are unsuccessful with your application, you will be required to pay the fees yourself. For further information or assistance with your loan application please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Maintenance Loan
If you are studying full-time, you may also be able to apply for a Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs.
Students on our higher education courses can apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance to help with the cost of having a non-medical helper, specialist equipment, and the cost of extra travel and other items for your course, such as extra books and photocopying.
Disabled Students' Allowance
To show that you qualify for Disabled Students' Allowance you will need to provide evidence that you have a disability, mental-health condition, medical condition, or a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, which affects your ability to study.
You may need to pay for any tests or letters to prove that you qualify. If you cannot afford this you may be able to get financial help through the college and our Student Services team can advise on this.
We recommend that you apply for the DSA as soon as possible and you do not have to wait until you have a confirmed place at college, although you can apply at any stage of your course.
If you have completed an online application form for Student Finance and indicated that you want to apply for a DSA, Student Finance England will send you a DSA application form with your details already filled in for you to sign and return with evidence.
You will need to wait for an approval letter from your DSA Funding Provider before you arrange a DSA Needs Assessment. They will look at your application and let you know whether you qualify for Disabled Students' Allowances.
After you receive the approval letter, you can go ahead and arrange your Needs Assessment at a location that suits you; some Needs Assessment Centres may even be able to undertake home visits. You should attempt to do this as soon as possible after receiving DSA approval.
You can choose any DSA Needs Assessment Centre that best suits your location from the DSA Needs Assessment Centre Directory.
You must reapply for DSA for every academic year of study at whichever institution you choose.
More information on this can be found at:
Advanced Learning Loan - Level 4 Diplomas
HE students aged 19+ studying Level 4 & 6 Counselling Courses and would like a Student Loan would need to apply for an FE (Further Education) Advanced Learner Loan rather than a HE Loan.
If you are successful in obtaining an Advanced Learner Loan, you need to show the financial notification letter (with barcode) at enrolment, to enable the funding to be released to the college. If you are entitled to an Advanced Learner Loan to cover the entire cost of your studies, you will not need to pay for your fees upfront - you will only begin to repay fees after the course has finished and when you are earning at least £25,000 per year. The loan doesn’t depend on your income and there are no credit checks. Repayment thresholds depend on what repayment plan you are on and more information is available on the GOV.UK website.
You may also be eligible for money from the Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund. If you need help with some costs while studying, e.g. childcare, travel, or trips related to your course, you apply directly to Shrewsbury Colleges Group for the Bursary Fund. You can apply as soon as you’ve received a letter confirming your Advanced Learner Loan. In most cases, you don’t have to pay back money from the Bursary Fund.
Please refer to Direct Gov website for further information.
Payment in full
If you intend to pay your fees in full, payment will be due at enrolment. Payment can be made by cheque, debit card, or credit card.
Payment by instalments
Payment may also be made by direct debit - usually in 4 instalments. The first payment (25%) will be due at enrolment and further payment dates will be agreed at this point.
Payment by your Employer
If you are being sponsored by your employer, fees can be invoiced to your employer directly, provided you produce a letter at enrolment confirming the arrangement. Employer-sponsored student fees must be paid within 14 days of receipt of the invoice and if the fee is not received, the student becomes liable for the fee.
Taking a Break (Intermit) (HE Courses)
If you request to take a break from your studies and this is agreed to, you will remain on the same fee package that you signed up for at the start of your course. If, however, you chose to withdraw and then reapply to return to the same or different course, you would be subject to the tuition fee in place at that time.
Intermitting fees for Staffordshire and BTEC students would be due as follows:
| Term 1: | 50% |
| Term 2: | 75% |
| Term 3: | Full total of fees |
Withdrawal (HE Courses)
If you decide to withdraw from your studies the following fees will be due:
| First two weeks | No charge |
| Term 1: | 25% of total fees |
| Term 2: | 50% of total fees |
| Term 3: | Full total of fees |
The full Fee Policy is available in our Policies and Procedures section.
Further Information
Martin Lewis from Money Saving Expert offers a FREE TV programme and lesson plan demystifying the cost of university for young people, parents and teachers.
The National Union Students website also has information about student finance.
The National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA) is a charity working to help students by providing advice, information, and training.