Fees and Finance Information

Please note, financial support and entitlement to loans and bursaries are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. To apply for financial support, you must be enrolled on to an eligible Leeds City College course.

If the below information doesn’t answer your questions, you may be able to find out more information from our policies or useful resources. For more information on how to pay your tuition fees please click here.

16-19 Year Olds

Fees (16-19)
  • If you are 16-19 years old, there will usually be no fees to pay for a full-time Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) course. There are some exceptions, please see the college’s fees policy 2022/23 for more information.
  • For people aged 16, 17 and 18, it is your age on the 31 August that is used to decide if you meet the eligibility criteria. If you are over 18, it is your age on the start date of the course that is used.

Adult Learners (19+)

Adult/Part-time courses

Fees for part-time and adult learning (19+) courses will vary, so please contact us for further information. Some of these courses are not funded by the government, which means that they are not eligible for waivers or concessions.

Adult education course fees can be found alongside each course in the guide. Long course fees and fees over £100 may be paid by an instalment plan. Please contact us for more information.

Adult Learning (19+)

Fees for adult learning (19+) courses will vary dependant on the level of study and personal circumstances, so please contact us for further information.

Fee concessions may be available dependant on personal circumstances and level of study. Please contact us for further details.

Paying Fees

All students will be expected to make arrangements to pay their fees at the time of enrolment. The college accepts payments by cheque and all major debit and credit card. Payments can be made in full or over 6 instalments via a recurring card payment plan.

Instalment payments are allowed on long courses (over 20 weeks) with a minimum value of £100 and an initial payment of 25% of the course fee, with the rest of the fee payable over 6 monthly instalments. Card payments can be made using the online payment portal.

Please note, this information on this page is updated regularly, but we cannot guarantee that the details will remain accurate, as government policy often requires changes to how we operate. Applicants receiving an offer of a place will be sent further updated information.

Please also note that information about financial support, loans, fees and funding is given based on information available from a range of sources, but does not claim to be complete. All applicants and students are advised to check how the information applies to their personal circumstances.

All details on the Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding rules can be found on the government website at gov.uk. For more information, please refer to our fees policy or contact us.

If you are 19-23 and plan to study a course at Level 3 including A levels, Access to HE diplomas, and professional qualifications, you may be eligible for free tuition. This is dependant on the qualifications you have previously achieved and the qualification you study. Please contact us for further information.

Community Learning Course Fees

For some courses funded through Leeds City Council, concessionary rates are available if you are in receipt of certain benefits.

Advanced Learner Loans

To help cover the costs of part or all of the fees, the government has introduced Advanced Learner Loans. These are government loan options that help bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, by providing financial support while you study.

You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan if you are:

  • Aged 19 or over
  • A resident in the UK
  • Accepted on to an eligible course at Level 3

The minimum you can borrow is £300 and the maximum depends on the fees for your course. You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan via Student Finance England. Your household income isn’t taken into account and there are no credit checks involved.

You must be aged 19 or over on the first day of your course and, in most cases, have lived in the UK for three years immediately before this and enrolling on to an eligible course.

If you would like more information on eligibility, please contact us or details can be found at gov.uk.

Once your offer has been confirmed and you’ve received the learning and funding information letter from college, you can register and apply for a loan online. You need to have an approved Advanced Learner Loan in place before you enrol. If you don’t, you will need to discuss your options with us at enrolment.

You do not need to pay your loan back until:

  • You have finished your course
  • You earn more than £25,000 per annum (or £480 a week or £2,083 a month) and repayments will stop and start in-line with these thresholds.

Repayment calculations are simple and any balance outstanding is written off after 30 years.

To work out your potential monthly repayments, take a look at the following example.

On a salary of £27,000

Subtract £25,000 from the annual salary (£27,000 – £25,000 = £2000).
Work out 9% of the remainder (9% of £2000 = £180).
Divide the figure by 12 (£180/12 = £15).
The monthly repayment would be £15 per month.
You don’t have to borrow the full cost of your course and you can choose to pay some or your entire loan at any time without any extra charge.

If you get a loan to cover tuition fees for an Access to HE course, then go on to successfully complete a HE course, your loan will be written off in most cases. Bursaries may be available so please contact us.

If you are 19-23 and have already achieved a full Level 3 qualification, are 24 or over, or you want to study at Level 4 or above, then full fees are payable regardless of personal circumstances.

Instalment Plan

If you choose not to take out an approved Advanced Learner Loan, or the qualification is not eligible for other public funding, or is over £100, you may be able to pay using an instalment plan.

You will pay 25% of your course fees at enrolment and the remainder will be spread between one and six months, depending on your requirements and the length of your chosen course. All fees must be paid in full, one month before the end of the course. The minimum course fee eligible for instalments is £100.

English and Maths

Adults and young people are entitled to free English and maths GCSE tuition if they do not already have a grade 4 (or C) in that subject.

Appeals

Students have the right to appeal a decision. This must be in writing to the Student Funds Manager within 21 days of receiving confirmation of an award or a rejection. The letter should set out the reasons for the appeal plus any further evidence to support the appeal. The decision of the Student Funds Manager will be given in writing within 14 days.

Leeds City College