Course fees and financial help for adult learners

Most of our learners are entitled to a free course, a reduced course fee and/or financial help. This depends on your personal circumstances.

Please note that, courses where the course number ends in an L and Apprenticeships are not eligible for concessions or financial help.

Do you need to pay the course fee?

The information in this section does not apply to courses where the course:

• is at level 3 or above,
• is not funded by the government (the course code ends in an L), or
• is an Apprenticeship (see separate sections).

On all other courses, you will not pay a fee if any of the following apply to you:

• You are claiming Universal Credit, or another means tested benefit as a single claim and any other monthly income you receive (not including the benefits) is under £617 per month
• You are claiming Universal Credit, or another means tested benefit as a joint claim and any other monthly income you receive (not including the benefits) is under £988 per month
• You are employed and have an income under £20,319 per year
• You are over state retirement age and have an income under £20,319 per year.
• You are joining an English or maths qualification course and you do not have a GCSE grade C/4
• You are joining a Digital Skills/ICT qualification course and you do not have a Level 1 qualification in Digital Skills/ICT
• You are joining an Independent Living Skills or Lipreading course.

In addition, if you have an income of between £20,319 and £33,955 per year you will pay a reduced fee of between 25% and 75% of the course fee (the reduction depends on your personal circumstances).

If you apply online, please choose the 'Apply: Financial Support' option and one of our team will be in contact to discuss the reduced fee with you. If you apply over the phone, please ask to speak to our Learner Services team.

Also, if you have an income of less than £33,955 per year, we can pay your childcare, travel and equipment costs in full. This includes:

• Travel costs to and from your classes - bus/train/taxi fares or petrol and parking
• Course materials such as books, pens, folders etc.
• Childcare while you learn, even if your course is online.

We may also be able to loan you a computer.

Please note that you will be asked to provide evidence of any benefits or income so we can claim the additional funding for your course.

Courses at level 3 and above

Certain courses we run at level 3 can be fully funded by the government. You will not have to pay the fee if any of the following apply to you:

• This is your first full level 3 qualification
• You are claiming Universal Credit, or another means tested benefit as a single claim and any other monthly income you receive (not including the benefits) is under £617 per month
• You are claiming Universal Credit, or another means tested benefit as a joint claim and any other monthly income you receive (not including the benefits) is under £988 per month
• You are employed and have an income under £20,319 per year.

Where your level 3 or 4 course is not eligible for government funding, you may have the option to pay using an Advanced Learner Loan.

Advanced Learner Loans

If you are aged 19 or over, you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for some of our qualification courses at Level 3 or 4.

An Advanced Learner Loan isn't like other loans because:

• It doesn't depend on your income
• It doesn't have to be paid back until you earn more than £27,295 per year
• Repayments are linked to how much you earn, not how much you borrow
• It won't affect your credit rating
• Your current credit rating doesn't affect the application.

Find out more about Advanced Learner Loans and how to apply.

Courses that are not funded by the government (course codes ending in L)

Some of the courses we run do not get any government funding. The costs of running these courses are covered purely by the fees we charge and so there are no concessions or financial support arrangements available.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are funded, so we do not charge any fees for our apprenticeships.

As apprenticeships are employer led and apprentices are employed, there is no financial support available as any additional costs around travel, equipment and books, etc. should be picked up by the employer. Childcare costs should be picked up by the apprentice as part of their normal employment contract.

Contact us

For advice or more information, call 0344 800 8020 (option 5), or email adultlearning@norfolk.gov.uk to speak to one of our friendly Learner Services team.

Frequently asked questions

Class cancellation and refunds

Class Cancellations

We reserve the right to cancel courses that fail to recruit minimum numbers. If this becomes necessary, we will contact you by post, telephone, email or text. Please let us know if your contact details change.

Course Refunds

It is not the policy of Norfolk County Council to refund fees automatically when a change in circumstances prevents or discourages a learner from continuing with a particular class.

Read our course fees policy (PDF) [163KB].

What if I live outside the UK/EU?

You might have additional costs to pay.

Call us on 0344 800 8020 option 5 or email adultlearning@norfolk.gov.uk for advice.