Financial Support

The College offers students aged 16-18 three areas of bursaries.

The Vulnerable Young Persons Bursary

This is a payment of up to £40 per week towards the costs of coming to College up to a maximum of £1,200. To be eligible for this bursary you must be:

• aged 16 to 18 as of 1st September
• in care
• a care leaver
• receiving Income Support (IS), or Universal Credit (UC) because you are financially supporting yourself or financially supporting yourself and someone who is dependent on you and living with you, such as a child or partner
• receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in your own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC in your own right

Lakes College will process the information you have provided in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The data will be processed for purposes connected to your studies. If you are under 18 this may be shared with your parent of guardian. In addition there may be special circumstances where the Principal considers it appropriate to discuss educational reports with your parent or guardian.

The Travel Bursary

• College will provide stagecoach passes where students aren’t eligible for the county council pass, subject to household income (less than £30,000 or in receipt of Universal Credit), provided you live more than 2 miles away, or the weekly equivalent if you use the train.
• If you live in a household dependent on benefits or a low income then there are funds available if you are starting a course at Lakes College. Click here to view the county council bus pass criteria Click here to view the application form for the county council bus pass Click here to view the code of conduct / behaviour for the county council bus pass

Click here to view the county council bus pass criteria

Click here to view the application form for the county council bus pass

Click here to view the code of conduct / behaviour for the county council bus pass

Free School Meals

• A student must be aged 16 or over but under 19 on 31 August 2024 to be eligible to receive a free meal.
• Students aged 19 or over are only eligible to receive a free meal if they are continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 to 18 (‘19+ continuers’) or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
• Free meals are targeted at disadvantaged students. Free meals in further education defines disadvantage as students being in receipt of, or having parents who are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:
  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC))
  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 pa
•  A student is only eligible to receive a free meal when they, or a responsible adult on their behalf, have made a successful application to the institution where they are enrolled.

If you think you are eligible for any of the financial support options listed and you have not received an email inviting you to apply, please contact studentfinance@lcwc.ac.uk or call 01946 552709

The funding the College has to help you with the cost of studying comes from a government fund and is public money. The assistance you receive is a discretionary award. It will always be conditional on your attendance at College. While we recognise that students face financial pressures, the funding you are applying for is not a right and the College has a duty to make sure that the funds are awarded fairly and to the students most in need.

Can I get any help with the costs of studying?

Receiving Benefits

You may not have to pay tuition fees on certain courses if you receive one of the following:

• Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Universal Credit
• Council Tax Benefit (single occupancy doesn’t apply)
• Financial support for asylum seekers who have been in the UK for six months or more

You will need to bring proof of your benefits to your enrolment session

• If you work and earn less than £25,000 a year, you could be entitled to a free course if you’re studying up to a Level 2 qualification.

You will need to bring proof of your income to your enrolment session

Level 2 and 3 Courses

You may not have to pay tuition fees if:

• Aged 19 to 23, enrolling on a level 2 course and do not already have a full level 2 qualification or higher
• Aged 19 to 23, enrolling on a level 3 course and do not already have a full level 3 qualification or higher

Aged 19 or over and planning to study one of our level 3, 4 or 5 courses?

Check out our Advanced Learner Loan section below for more details

Is your Employer paying your fees?

If your employer or a sponsor is paying your fees, payment can be made in full at enrolment by cheque. Cheques need to be payable to ‘Lakes College West Cumbria’. Alternatively, we can invoice your employer or sponsor. If you would like us to raise an invoice, please bring a letter from your employer or sponsor, stating:

• That they accept liability for your fees
• Details of who to invoice
• Or arrange for your employee to fill out this form

Are you paying your own fees?

We can offer you an instalment plan for most courses where the fees are more than £100. We’ll ask for:

• The first instalment at enrolment (at least 10% of the total cost)
• Subsequent instalments are paid by direct debit – please bring your bank details with you to enrolment
• The instalment plan is not available for some courses, such as short courses
• The fees must be paid for in full prior to the end of the course.

You can pay your fees over a maximum of 10 instalments Alternatively, you can pay in full by cash, cheque, debit or credit card. For more information, please call Lakes College on 01946 839 300.

If you think you are eligible for any of the financial support options listed and you have not received an email inviting you to apply, please contact studentfinance@lcwc.ac.uk or call 01946 552709

If you’re aged 19 or over and you want to study A Levels, an Access to Higher Education Diploma, or a Level 3 to 6 Vocational Qualification, you’ll need to pay your college or training organisation for the cost of your course.

The Advanced Learner Loan is a government-funded loan to help learners. It’s easy to apply for, doesn’t take your household income into account and doesn’t involve a credit check.

Most learners aged 19 or over who apply will qualify for these loans from the UK government, through Student Finance England (SFE). You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan online.

Key facts:

• Your household income isn’t taken into account
• There’s no credit check
• You won’t have to pay anything back until your annual income is over £25,000, if your income drops below this amount repayments stop.
• Each month you pay back 9% of any income over £25,000.

Example

Click here to find out more about how to apply

Click here to read a guide on how and when to repay 

Your step-by-step guide on how to apply:

1. Choose one of our eligible courses
2. Apply for your chosen course online or complete an application form
3. Attend an interview and receive an acceptance letter
4. The College will provide you with details of how to apply for the loan. You cannot apply for the loan until you receive a ‘learning and funding information letter’ from the College
5. Apply for your loan online – if you have a valid passport your loan can be approved in minutes.
6. You will receive a letter from Student Finance England (SFE) to tell you if you have been approved
7. Start your course – September onwards
8. The College will inform SFE of your attendance after two weeks
9. SFE pay the loan direct to the college for your fees

For further information, contact our Student Services team on 01946 839300 or visit the National Careers Service website. You can also apply online here.

Click here to download a PDF version of fees.

Did you know there is financial help available if you want to go to study one of our Higher Education courses? So you don’t have to pay for course fees up front!

Find out more about how and when to apply for student finance here.

Tuition Fee Loan
English or EU full-time or part-time students can apply online to Student Finance England for a tuition fee loan. This is paid directly to the College on your behalf.

Maintenance loans and grants (full-time students only)
Tuition fee loans pay for your course. Maintenance loans and grants help with living costs (e.g. accommodation, books and bills). Tuition fee and maintenance loans are repayable but maintenance grants are not. Your repayments are linked to your income. You only make repayments when your income is over £25,000 a year. If your income drops below this amount repayments stop.

Each month you pay back 9% of any income over £25,000.

Monthly loan repayments

After 30 years, if you have not paid back your loan any outstanding balance will be written off.

How to apply
Apply online to Student Finance England https://www.gov.uk/student-finance

For more information on estimating what your loan repayments will be visit
http://www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/scheme/rep/repayment-calculator/sfe/

If you are a full-time Higher Education student and have received your full maintenance loan entitlement but are experiencing financial hardship, you may be eligible for a hardship bursary. For more information, email studentfinance@lcwc.ac.uk or call 01946 552709.