Fees and Finance

At BCA, we believe that personal financial circumstances should not be a barrier to your academic development. If finance is an issue for you, there’s a range of Government funded schemes that can help.

If you are aged between 16-18 at the start of your programme, there are normally no fees to pay. Also, if you are studying for a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification and do not already have this level of qualification you may be entitled to help with your tuition fee.

Other expenses that you may face during your time at BCA are cost of travel, childcare, uniform and other course related equipment. More information will be sent to you before you start your programme so you know what sort of expenses you will be facing. You can also get more specific information from staff at Open Days or by chatting to us via our Facebook fan page.

Learner Support Fund

This is a fund granted by the Government, that the college can use to help those students who are facing financial hardship or difficulty in paying for costs related to starting a course at BCA, such as the cost of transport, BCA accommodation, childcare or essential course costs.

There are two elements to this fund:

• Guaranteed – If you are in care, a care leaver, on Income Support (in your own name) or receiving both ESA and DLA then you may be eligible to receive a 16-18 Guaranteed Bursary of up to £1200 per year while you study in 2012/13

• Discretionary – You may be eligible to apply for help through the Discretionary Bursary to help pay towards your course costs in 2012/13 (This is solely dependent on your household income).

To apply for either the Guaranteed or Discretionary Bursary Funds, please complete an Application form (the same one for either fund) which are available from Student Services.

Please note that the forms are age specific so please make sure you complete the correct one for your age group.

24+ Advanced Learning Loan

Aged 24 or over and thinking about further education? If you’re starting a course on or after 1 August 2013 you may qualify for a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan. These loans help you pay the tuition fees charged by colleges and training organisations.

Most learners aged 24 and over,  studying at level 3 and above, will qualify for these new loans from the UK government. It’s easy to apply, your household income isn’t taken into account and there’s no credit check. You won’t have to pay anything back until your income is over £21,000 a year.

For more information, visit www.direct.gov.uk/advancedlearningloans. You can also call us here at BCA on 0800 0711 666 and ask for the Fees and Funding Advisor.

Care to Learn

If you are a young parent under 20 years old and need help funding child care, you may be able to get financial assistance from Care to Learn of up to £130 a week (maximum of 2 children).

For more information, or to apply, go online to www.direct.gov.uk/caretolearn or call their helpline on 0845 600 2809.

For any other information please call the Fees & Funding Advisor on 01628 824444 or email funding@bca.ac.uk

Need help with tuition fees? Click here for more information.