Course Fees

The course fees can be viewed on the course information pages of the website, showing the fees payable depending on age. The fees shown are payable per year if the course duration is for more than one year**. Where courses include an exam fee it is for one sitting only. If students need to re-take an exam, then they will have to pay an additional fee. All fees shown apply to people aged 19 or over, who have been resident in the UK for the last three years or more.

For some courses, there are additional fees which are payable later or at enrolment and cover extra costs associated with the course, such as materials, trips etc. These will be discussed with you.

Payment by instalments will be available on courses of 24 weeks or more for students who are not sponsored by their company and where the total fee payable at enrolment is more than £325 – see ‘Spreading the Cost’ further down this page for more information. The full fee or, where applicable, the first instalment, plus a £25 administration fee, is payable upon enrolment. You will need to pay this before you can start the course.

Please note that for courses lasting more than one year, the fees shown represent the first year’s fee only. Further fees are payable in subsequent years**.

**Unless marked with a circle. See 19+ Advanced Learner Loans information further down this page.

Fees are payable on enrolment and failure to pay the fees could result in the learner being withdrawn from the course and the fees being recovered through our External Debt Collection agency.

Free Courses

For courses marked with a triangle, the College does not charge any compulsory fees if you are studying at Level 2 or below and you are aged 19 years or over and a student in one of the following categories:

• Students in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) including NI Contributions Only
• Students in receipt of Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• Students in receipt of Universal Credit whose take-home pay as recorded on their Universal Credit statement (disregarding benefits) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner). The learner wants to be employed and the College is satisfied that the learning directly relates to their employment prospects
• Students who are in receipt of any state benefits not listed above and whose income (disregarding benefits and UC payments) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner) and who want to improve their prospects of employment. The College must be satisfied that the learning is directly related to both the individual’s employment prospects and the needs of the local labour market. Students must state the name of the benefit
• Students who are in receipt of other state benefits not listed above and whose income (disregarding benefits) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner) and is not receiving any benefits who want to improve their prospects of employment. The College must be satisfied that the learning is directly related to both the individual’s employment prospects and the needs of the local labour market. Students must state the name of the benefit.
• Students in custody who are released on temporary licence (RoTL) and studying outside a prison environment and not funded through Ministry of Justice
• Students who are eligible for ESFA co-funding earning less than £35,000 annual gross salary (£2,916 monthly or £673 weekly). This must be evidenced with a wage slip or contract of work dated within 3 months of the learning start date or a current employment contract which states gross monthly/annual wages

Students in the following categories also receive full funding for ESFA funded qualifications based on the qualifications they hold on entry:

• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 2 taking an Entry Level or Level 1 course and wishes to progress to a legal entitlement at Level 2 (not available in the workplace)
• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 2 taking a legal entitlement qualification at Level 2 (classroom or workplace)
• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 3 who are currently taking a legal entitlement qualification (classroom or workplace)

Free Courses for Jobs

• Students aged 19+ qualification which was approved for funding and appears on the Free Courses For Jobs List (classroom or workplace) and meet the earning threshold of £35,000 or who is unemployed and the course has an X symbol
• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 3 taking a legal entitlement qualification (classroom or workplace)

English and maths

• Students aged 19+ and do not have a GCSE in English or maths at grade 4 or above (or a qualification which is at a comparable or higher level) will be eligible for full funding.

Digital Skills

• Students who are 19+ and assessed as having digital skill levels below level 1.

Distance Learning

Eligibility criteria for a FREE Level 2 Distance Learning course:

• Learners must be aged 19 years or over as at the current academic year
• Must have lived in the UK/EEA for the last three years
• Must currently reside in England, in a post code outside of:
  • Greater Manchester Combined Authority
  • Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
  • West Midlands Combined Authority
  • West of England Combined Authority
  • Tees Valley Combined Authority
  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
  • Greater London Authority
  • Sheffield City Region Combined Authority
  • West Yorkshire Combined Authority
  • North East Mayoral Combined Authority

An administration fee will be incurred if you withdraw from the course.

Please note that fees apply to some distance learning courses. Course fees are published on the course information page. For advice on fee remission please see the Free Courses section above.

Devolution

From August 2019, funding decisions for education became devolved to local government in several counties of England. This transfer of funding from central government to combined authorities has created fundamental changes to areas that we as an education and training provider can operate in.

We regret that we can no longer offer FREE courses in:

• Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority
• Cambridge & Peterborough
• Greater London Authority (GLA)
• Greater Manchester, Liverpool City
• North East Combined Authority
• North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA)
• Tees Valley
• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
• West of England
• West Midlands
• West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

If you are unsure if your postcode falls into one of the combined authorities, please email distancelearningteam@btc.ac.uk or call 01823 366 612 and we’ll be able to help you.

Students in the following categories also receive full funding for ESFA funded qualifications based on the qualifications they hold on entry.

Students in the following categories also receive full funding:

• Students in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) including NI Contributions Only
• Students in receipt of Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• Students in receipt of Universal Credit whose take-home pay as recorded on their Universal Credit statement (disregarding benefits) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner). The learner wants to be employed and the College is satisfied that the learning directly relates to their employment prospects
• Students who are in receipt of other state benefits not listed above and whose take-home pay (disregarding benefits and UC payments) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner)
• Students who are not receiving any benefits, but want to be employed. The College must be satisfied that learning is directly relevant to the individual’s employment prospects and the needs of the local labour market.
• Students in custody who are released on temporary licence (RoTL) and studying outside a prison environment and not funded through Ministry of Justice
• Students who are eligible for ESFA co-funding earning less than £35,000 annual gross salary (£2,916 monthly or £673 weekly). This must be evidenced with a wage slip or contract of work dated within 3 months of the learning start date or a current employment contract which states gross monthly/annual wages.

Students in the following categories also receive full funding for ESFA funded qualifications based on the qualifications they hold on entry:

• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 2 taking an Entry Level or Level 1 course and wishes to progress to a legal entitlement at Level 2 (not available in the workplace)
• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 2 taking a legal entitlement qualification at Level 2 (classroom or workplace)
• Students aged 19-23 who do not currently hold a full Level 3 taking a legal entitlement qualification at Level 3 (classroom or workplace)
• Students aged 19+ who have not previously attained a GCSE grade A*-C or 4-9 in Maths or English taking Functional Skills or GCSE Maths or English, or other Maths and English qualifications which are part of the legal entitlements at Entry Level, Level 1 or Level 2, if they have been assessed to be at a lower level than the aim they are studying. Assessment will be carried out using a online tool which meets the national literacy and numeracy standards.

19+ Advanced Learner Loans

Advanced Learner Loans are available for eligible FE and non-prescribed HE courses at Level 3 and above for students aged 19+.

Eligible courses include:

• A Levels
• QAA Access to Higher Education
• Tech Level and Applied General Qualifications the DfE recognise in their 16-19 Performance Tables
• Other designated qualifications that offer progression routes to a particular occupational area, direct entry to a specific job role, continuing professional development in an occupation or upskilling or reskilling in an occupational area.

Where a course is paid for by an Advanced Learner Loan the elements of the fee not paid by the Student Loan, should the student withdraw, will become a debt to the student.

Students who enrol for a course without payment because they have applied for a Loan will be invoiced for the annual course fees if they are not subsequently awarded the Loan. They will be given a period of 42 days from their start date to complete the process.

How to Apply

You will be able to apply for a Loan from 30 May 2024 for courses that start between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. It is recommended that you complete an online application to enable your application to be dealt with more quickly; visit the Direct.gov website. You will need your Learning and Funding Information Letter, which was sent to you with your offer to be able to do this. If you do not have this information or need further support with making your application, please contact our Information and Guidance team on 01278 441234.

To see the range of courses we offer, click here.

For further information about Advanced Learner Loans, please visit the following websites:

Advanced Learner Loans – Gov.uk
Money Advice Service
Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Policy

Help with your Fees

If you don’t qualify for a free course or an Advanced Learner Loan, and you are on a low income, you may be able to receive support from our Learner Support Fund to cover some or all of your fees.

You should apply to the College for Learner Support Funds as soon as possible. In exceptional cases, these funds may also support travel costs.

Demand is very high and we may not be able to meet the needs of everyone who applies, so you should aim to submit your application as early as possible.

Student Support can help you with this; call 01278 441233 or email studentsupport@btc.ac.uk

Fees for overseas students may vary from those shown on our website.

Refunds

All course fees and additional fees are non-returnable from three weeks prior to the course start date, unless it is subsequently cancelled by the College or is oversubscribed. If any course is cancelled or already full, you will receive a full refund.

Spreading the Cost

If you do not wish to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan, the College offers payment by instalments. This is only available if you are paying your own fees, are attending a course of 24 weeks or more and the total fee payable at enrolment is more than £325, inclusive of additional fees.

The first instalment will be £325 or 50% of the fee, whichever the greater, with the remaining amount payable in two equal instalments on 1 November 2024 and 1 February 2025.

Instalments will be collected by Direct Debit.

There will be an additional administrative charge of £25 for this facility, which must be paid with the first instalment. You will also be required to complete an instalment agreement form and Direct Debit Mandate. These forms will be available from our Finance office: creditcontrol@btc.ac.uk.

Childcare Fund

This helps students with up to 90% of the cost of childcare for courses shown with a triangle.

Apply through Student Support on 01278 441233 or email studentsupport@btc.ac.uk to check availability.

To reserve a place for your child at the Bridgwater Campus Childcare Centre, call 01278 441270.

Legal Entitlement Qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3

You will not be charged any course or additional compulsory fees if you are aged 19 to 23 and enrolling on a legal entitlement qualification at Level 2 or Level 3, and have not previously achieved a full qualification at this level or higher.

You would also be eligible if you do not currently hold a full Level 2 qualification or above, and are studying at Entry Level or Level 1 in order to progress to Level 2.

Speak to our Information, Advice & Guidance team on 01278 441234 for help completing your application form, or email info@btc.ac.uk.

Advanced Learner Loan Bursary

If you are applying for an Advanced Learner Loan, you may be eligible to apply for help with the costs of travel, additional learning support, childcare and in exceptional circumstances, on-campus accommodation.

This funding is extremely limited and early application is recommended. Priority will be given to students with special educational needs.

Please contact Student Support on 01278 441233 for details or email studentsupport@btc.ac.uk.

University Level

If you are applying through UCAS, you can apply for loans and grants via Student Finance England here.

Contact Student Support on 01278 441233 for details or email studentsupport@btc.ac.uk for more information.