Course fees and financial help

We’ll need to check the course you’re enrolling on, your age and your income.

You may be entitled to a free or reduced cost place if you’re working and earning less than £17,004.00 annual gross salary, or are actively looking for work and are receiving benefits including:  

• Job seeker’s allowance (JSA)
• Employment support allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit/Working tax credit with income of less than £18,000
• Income support
• Housing Benefit
• Pension guarantee credit
• Carer’s allowance
• Council tax reduction

In some cases you must be actively looking for employment.

You will need to provide evidence of any current benefits or credit statements you receive within 3 months of the start date of your course or a current employment contact which states gross monthly/annual wages. Other terms and conditions also apply. 

If you're on a low income we may be able to help you with expenses such as:

• Travel to and from your class – bus/train fares or petrol and parking
• Books, pens, folders etc
• Childcare while you learn
• Some of the course fees if you can’t get it for free

This support is for courses which lead to a qualification.

Call us on 0344 800 8020 option 5 or email adultlearning@norfolk.gov.uk to find out if you qualify.

Download application for financial support

Yes some of our courses are free. To be eligible for a free place on some courses will depend on your personal circumstances:

• English and maths courses are free if you have not already achieved GCSE grade C/4 or Level2 in Functional Skills in that subject. We offer Functional Skills English or maths from Entry to Level 2 
• If you are studying for a level 2 course and are aged between 19-23 and this is your first full level 2 qualification (depending on the subject you study)
• If you are studying for a level 3 course and are aged between 19-23 and this is your first full Level 3 
• If you are working and earning less than 17,004 annual gross salary, or if you are receiving benefits

Other terms and conditions also apply. If on receiving your learner agreement, we see that you are/are not eligible for a free place our Learner Experience team will be in contact with you.

If you’re aged 19 or over 31 August 2020, you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for some of our courses at Level 3 and 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 are earning more than £26,575 a 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

The loan can be taken out to pay for the full or partial amount of the tuition fee. The minimum loan amount you can take is £300.

You can apply for an Advanced Learning Loan online via the gov.uk website.

In addition to the Advanced Learner Loan there is a means-tested bursary to support learners who are on a low income who require support with other costs related to their course (e.g. travel or childcare costs). The bursary does not form part of the loan and is a separate application. The bursary can only be applied for if you are taking out the Advanced Learner Loan.

If you are interested in applying for an Advanced Learner Loan and bursary, please contact the Learner Services Team, who will be able to provide you with all the necessary information to apply for the loan. Email us on adultlearning@norfolk.gov.uk or call us on 0344 800 8020 option 5.

Your loan could be written off!

Student Finance England will ‘write off’ any outstanding Advance Learner Loan balances you owe for an Access to HE course, once you completed a higher education course. This means you do not have to repay it. There is a guide to this on the Student Loan website.

We don’t normally offer a refund unless we cancel the course.

Read our course fees policy. 

You might need to buy additional equipment or resources for a course.

For some courses you may have to pay an additional fee to take an exam.

You might have additional costs to pay.

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