We are aware that the cost of Higher Education can be a barrier, so we have staff trained to give you the most up-to-date advice and guidance on this. Tuition fee loans are generally available to help you fund your studies, however, the college is also able to offer payment plans to suit your circumstances. There are a number of local charities that also support students to undertake Higher Education which are listed here.
Higher Education Fees
Staffordshire University/BTEC Edexcel
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 22/23 are £56.25 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 £13,500 over two years (£6,750 per year). An HNC is worth 120 credits, so the cost would be £6750 for one year.
Applications for funding for these courses could be made to Student Finance England/Wales.
Diplomas
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, providing you are aged over 24.
Payment Methods
At enrolment, you will be required to pay or advise us how you intend to pay your fees. At this point, you will be subject to the terms and conditions within our Fees Policy which are outlined below. If you need any information, advice or guidance in relation to applying for funding, please contact our Student Services Team who will assist you through the process on 01743 342322.
Tuition Fee Loans - Foundation Degrees/HNC/HND
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 £21,000 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 are studying full-time, you may also be able to apply for a Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs.
Students with a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty are eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This is an award to help pay for extra costs you may have to pay as a direct result of your disability or specific learning difficulty. We would encourage you to submit your application for this as early as possible as it can take some time for it to be processed.
Please refer to Student Finance England/Wales website for further information.
Advanced Learning Loan - Level 4 Diplomas
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 £21,000 per year. The loan doesn’t depend on your income and there are no credit checks.
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 cash, 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 invoice and if the fee is not received, the student becomes liable for the fee.
Taking a Break (Intermit)
If you request to take a break from your studies and this is agreed, you will remain on the same fee package that you signed up to 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
If you decide to withdraw from your studies the following fees would 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 uni for young people, parents and teachers.