All students must pay the full fee for HE courses. A student loan facility is available for Higher Education courses. Further information can be found below or at gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance or www.slc.co.uk, along with how to apply, or you may contact the HE Information and Advice team on 020 7258 7221.
Student loans & grants
If you are a UK student planning to study a full-time or part-time higher education course you may be eligible for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of your course. If you study full-time you may also be eligible to receive a maintenance loan and a
grant to assist you with living costs.
These loans do not require repayment until you have finished your course and you are earning more than £21,000 per year, although you can start repaying them sooner if you wish.
Full-time students
Tuition fee loan
The amount paid to the College will be the actual cost of your course for each year of study up to a maximum of £9000. You can apply online at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance.
Interest on your student loans
You’re charged interest on your loan from the time the first payment is made to the College until you pay your loan back in full. The amount of interest you’re charged varies (see table below). The actual interest rates depend on the rate of inflation.
| Your income per year | Interest rate on your loan |
|---|---|
While you're studying | Rate of inflation plus 3% |
£21,000 or less | Rate of inflation |
£21,000 to £41,000 | Varies between the rate of inflation and the rate of inflation plus 3 per cent depending on your income |
£41,000 or above | Rate of inflation plus 3% |
Maintenance loan
- You can receive up to £8432 if living outside of your parental home and up to £4806 if you live with your parent(s).
- You must be under 60 at the start of your course.
- If you qualify for a Maintenance Grant the loan you receive will be reduced by up to £1625.
- 65% of the loan is non-means tested, and the remaining 35% is means –tested. Apply online at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance/.
Maintenance Grant for living costs (full-time students only)
You can apply for a Maintenance Grant to help with your living costs. Maintenance Grants are available to students whose household income is £42,614 or less. Your household income is your parents’ or partner’s income and your own.
The maximum Maintenance Grant is £3,482 a year if your household income is under £25,000.
Part-time students
The amount paid to the College will be the actual cost of your course to a maximum of £6750 per year.
Your course needs to be at least 25% of a full-time course to qualify for a loan. Further information is available on the Student Finance
England website.
Further information for students from England
For information about the finance package on offer for students from England starting higher education, please see the BIS student finance page www.bis.gov.uk/studentfinance
For further details please see www.direct.gov.uk/yourfuture which will help you understand the application process cycle.
Higher Education fee myths
Myth: I can’t afford to do an HE Course, it’s too expensive:
Not True: there are no upfront costs if you meet
Myth: all universities/colleges are charging £9,000:
Not true: some universities are charging less and many FE Colleges charge less than £6,000.
Here at City of Westminster College HE fees start from only £2,750 per academic year. Financial help is also available through loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
Myth: the loan repayments will be massive:
Not true:
you only start repaying when you’re earning over £21,000 and if you earn less you don’t pay anything back.
Myth: student debt will stop
Not true: student loans are unsecured loans from the government and are not like credit cards
How fees are used
The fees for our HE courses depend on your particular course, as unlike Universities we don't charge a flat £9,000 per year. It's why studying with us is so affordable in comparison. Below is a graphic showing where your fees go.