The College of North West London - Willesden (CNWL)

Fees

We are the champions of affordable, quality education. Your course fees, if any, will depend upon your personal circumstances, such as your residential status (home or international), age, and whether you are in receipt of benefits, and then finally on the course itself and how it is funded.

In order to calculate your fees we assess the information you supply on your application and enrolment forms. In addition you will be required to provide documentation to verify your status. This may include evidence of your eligibility for benefits or visa/immigration papers, depending on your personal circumstances.

Further Education

All our Further Education (FE) courses (Entry to Level 3) are free to EU residents who are under 19 years old on the 31st August . For a few courses you may be expected to contribute towards the cost of specialist materials and resources. However, depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for financial help from the College’s Learner Support Fund. You should apply for any such financial support as soon as you have been offered a place. If you are aged 19 or over on 31st August and you are a UK/EU resident you will normally be required to pay a course fee.

How much will my course cost?

The cost of your course will include tuition fees and examination fees, where applicable. Where a course requires additional specialist materials, there may be an additional cost. Some courses are cheaper than others because they are part funded by the government; some of these courses may also attract concessionary fees for some people.

Part Funded Courses

You may be eligible for a concession if:

• You are aged 19-23 years old and are studying at the level of your chosen course for the first time. This applies to Level 1 and 2 courses. Where appropriate, you will have no fees to pay apart from the cost of any specialist materials or equipment used during your course.
• You are unemployed and in receipt of a ‘work-related’ benefit such as Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), or work-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). In such circumstances, you will have no fees to pay apart from the cost of any specialist materials or equipment used during your course, if applicable.
• You are unemployed and in receipt of an ‘income-based’ benefit, such as Income Support or Housing Benefit there are some courses where you not be required to pay any fees apart from the cost of any specialist materials or equipment used during your course, if applicable.
• You are an asylum seeker in receipt of financial assistance (NASS), you may be eligible for concessionary fees.

Fee remission/concessionary rates

Concessionary rates are now available for learners that meet the following criteria:

• You are aged 19-23 years old and are studying a Level 2 course for the first time.
• You are aged 19-23 years old and are studying a Level 3 course for the first time.
• You are unemployed and in receipt of a ‘work-related’ benefit such as Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), or work-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
• You are unemployed and in receipt of an ‘income-based’ benefit, such as Income Support or Housing Benefit.
• You are an asylum seeker in receipt of financial assistance (NASS).

Higher Education

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.

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 residential requirements and you don’t already have a degree.
• 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 me getting a mortgage:
• Not true: student loans are unsecured loans from the government and are not like credit cards of commercial loans.

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.

16-19 Tuition Fund

Student eligibility

All students must be on a 16 to 19 study programme or T Level. The funding should be used to support the tuition activity above and beyond what is already set out in the planned educational activity of the programme. The following students are eligible for tuition via the 16 to 19 tuition fund:

• students that have not achieved a grade 6 in GCSE English and/or GCSE maths at age 16 and would need catch-up support
• students from the 27% most economically deprived areas of the country (based on the index of multiple deprivation) and would need catch-up support
• students that are economically disadvantaged who meet the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund eligibility criteria and would need catch-up support to reach their full potential will be eligible, even where their prior attainment is high
• students aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health, and care (EHC) plan are also eligible for support, subject to meeting the eligibility for the fund