Fees & Funding: Post-16 courses

Students aged between 16 and 18 years from low income families may be eligible for Free Meals. Students will be offered vouchers up to the value of £3.50 per day to be used in one of our College cafe’s. Free meals are targeted at students who are in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits: 

• Universal Credit with net earnings less than £7,400 PA. 
• Income Support 
• income-based Job Seekers Allowance 
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 
• support under part V1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• the guarantee element of State Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit (provided not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190 as assessed by HMRC and not receiving WTC. 

If you are aged between 16 and 18 years and think you may struggle with costs for full time education you may be eligible to receive a bursary. Students most in need will be eligible to receive a Vulnerable Student bursary of £1,200 a year, this group includes: 

• Students in care 
• Care leavers 
• Young people claiming Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves. 
• Disabled young people who receive Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance / Personal Independence Payments 

Other students aged between 16 and 18 years facing genuine financial difficulties can apply for a Discretionary Bursary for assistance with course related costs such as travel. 

Students living with parents / guardians, who receive benefits and have a household income of £30,000 or less, may be eligible for support from this fund. 

The College will be responsible for awarding all bursaries to students and will also decide the amount, when they are paid and will set conditions that students should meet to receive a bursary e.g. behaviour or attendance. Application forms will be available from June 2025. 

For more information, please visit www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund 

Depending on your household income, you could receive £40 a week. This is paid every 2 weeks, so you could receive £80 every fortnight. The student must be aged 16–18 years on 31st August 2022 and has to have a permanent address in Wales at the start of their course to apply to the Welsh EMA. For more information, please call 0300 200 4050 or to download an application form, visit www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/ema. 

Welsh Government Learning Grant FE is for students aged 19 or over who are studying a course of Further Education at a college. If you are eligible you could receive up to £1,500 a year. Find out more or download an application form. 

Learners aged under 20 years at the start of their course with childcare costs should apply to the Care2Learn scheme. 

Learners aged 20 years and over can apply to the College Hardship Fund for help with childcare costs. 

If you are aged 19 years or over, and are experiencing financial difficulties you can apply to the hardship fund for assistance with travel costs, course fees, equipment, materials  and childcare costs. Applications are assessed each term and not all applications will be successful as the College has a limited amount of funding available. Application forms will be available from June 2025. 

All care leavers will receive a Cash Bursary of £1,000 in their first year, and will also receive a Care Leaver Bursary of £1,000 in both their second and third year. Evidence of being a care leaver must be in the form of an original letter showing care leaver status from your local authority. 

This bursary is intended to provide financial assistance to students who would otherwise be prevented from attending a further education course at Hereford College of Arts due to unreasonable daily travelling distance from home. The student’s journey must take two hours or more or, they must live in an area where public transport is not easily accessible to them. Most applicants will move to temporary, rented accommodation. Application forms shall be available from June 2025. This bursary is assessed on the student’s household income and not all applications will be successful as the College has a limited amount of funding available. 

For further information about accommodation, please email housing@hca.ac.uk 

For further information about finance or to request an application form for any of the College bursaries, please email funding@hca.ac.uk 

Students aged 19 years and over, studying a level 3 qualification (Diploma in Foundation or Extended Diploma) may be eligible to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan. These loans pay for the tuition fees charged by the College and are available from Student Finance England. To qualify, household income is not considered and learners will not have to repay anything until they have left College and earning above the repayment threshold. For more information about Advanced Learning Loans, please visit www.directgov.uk/advancedlearningloans. 

Students who have taken an Advanced Learning Loan to pay for their tuition fees may also be eligible to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan for assistance with travel costs or course related expenses. Application forms will be available from June 2025.