Deeside College - Financial Support

What financial help can I get?

Financial help for those on full-time courses

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) -
Will you get paid to come to college?

If you’re aged 16-18 and studying full-time in college, you could get paid up to £30* a week, just for coming to college! On top of this, if you attend all your classes and keep up-to-date with your work and exams/assessments, you may receive extra bonus payments.

Payments will be made to students, if their household income is £31,580* or less per year. Contact Student Services for an application pack.

*figures for 2008-9

Assembly Learning Grant (ALG)

If you’re living in Wales and are aged 19+, you can apply for an Assembly Learning Grant (ALG). Assembly Learning Grants are funded by the National Assembly for Wales and provide extra money for students who might otherwise experience financial difficulty while studying. You can apply for the ALG in addition to a student loan or other forms of support and you don’t have to pay it back at the end of the course.

ALGs are means tested and to qualify, your family’s residual income must be less than £17,251* a year and you may receive between £450* and £1,500*.

* figures for 2008-9

Learner Support Fund

For a limited number of full-time courses, funding may be available towards the costs of books, kits or uniform.

To apply for this funding, students have to complete a form and provide evidence of financial Income/Benefits; please phone Student Services on 01244 834511 for details.

For further details, please contact Student Services on 01244 834511.

Don’t forget, if you’re under 19 and studying full-time, your parents can still claim child benefit.

Financial help for those on part-time courses

Fee Concessions

You may be entitled to financial assistance (a reduction of up to 50% of the course fees on most, but not all, courses) if you fall into any of the following groups:

You are aged under 19.
You are in receipt of state benefits, ie, income support/job seekers allowance/pension credit.
You have low income.

Please note that to qualify for these reductions, proof of your age or benefits must be provided. Some programmes/courses are not available at concessionary rates eg Counselling Certificate/Diploma - please contact Student Information Services for further information on 01244 834511.

Learner Support Fund

Individual Learning Accounts (ILA) Wales

To be eligible for an Individual Learning Account (ILA) Wales:

you must be aged 18 or over and be living in Wales
you or your partner must be claiming income related benefit (see below) ; or you must have qualifications equal to NQF (National Qualification Framework) level 2 or below.

The following information will help you to determine your eligibility.

Are you or your partner claiming any of the following income related benefits?

If so we could pay all of your course costs up to £200 a year, no matter what qualifications you already have. If your course is more than £200, you will need to pay the difference. Visit the ILA Wales website at www.ilawales.com or phone 0800 100 900 for details.

Career Development Loans

A career Development Loan is a deferred repayment bank loan designed to help individuals to pay for vocational (job related) education or training. Further information is available at www.lifelonglearning.co.uk - or phone Student Services on 01244 834511 for details.

ESF (European Social Fund) Projects via Deeside College

There are several ESF projects that offer funding to small to medium sized organisations and their employees (including voluntary workers) towards the costs of training to meet specific business needs. For further information about your eligibility, please contact either Vicky Barwis, European Officer on 01244 831531 ext 4154 or Commercial Services on 01244 834545.

Useful Websites

Student Finance Wales