Almost all higher education courses will involve a tuition fee payable to the university or college running the programme. For full-time and some part-time courses there is also the matter of funding for living expenses.
If you are thinking about full-time degrees, HNDs or diplomas as well as postgraduate certificates of education you should contact Student Finance England for details of possible help with tuition fees as well as access to student loans and disability, dependants’ and childcare grants (The contact details for Student Finance England can be found on the Directgov website by following the link at the bottom of this page) They will also have details of assistance (loans and disability allowances) for part-time students. Funding for assistance with course fees or other costs for many courses is not easy to come by, but there might be help from:
- research councils (for postgraduate or higher degrees)
- sponsorship from employers or the armed forces
- trade union support, or
- support from the National Health Service for specific courses
Charitable Trusts can sometimes help as can some colleges with ‘Access’ funds or ‘Hardship’ funds. Contact the University or College for further details. Career development loans are available for some professional and vocational courses.
In addition to this, There are 3 education trusts in Shropshire. Please select the link for more information on this page.
Directgov has information explaining the new arrangements for student finance. Select the link for more information.