Please note this information applies to 2023/24 courses.
Can I pay in instalments?
If your course fees are between £200 and £500 and the duration of your course is over ten weeks, you can take out an instalment plan of up to four payments. Your plan must not exceed the duration of your course. If your course fees are £500 or above and the duration of your course is over ten weeks, you can take out an instalment plan of up to six payments. Your plan must not exceed the duration of your course. A direct debit must be set up at the time of your enrolment and a declaration must be signed. The first payment of your plan must be paid at the time of enrolment. The remaining payments will be made on either the 6th or 28th of each month.
Please note:
It is your responsibility to ensure there are sufficient funds available in your account on the relevant payment dates. If you default on payments, the full amount will become payable within seven working days. Also, in line with college policy, you could be referred to our 3rd party debt collection agency and could be charged for any legal or other costs incurred by the college in recovering debt.
The vast majority of students pay their tuition fees using a student loan from their national student finance service. However, if you are self-funding your course, you could spread the cost of your course fees over a number of instalments. A direct debit must be set up at the time of enrolment and a declaration must be signed. If you withdraw from your course within 14 days of enrolment, no fees are payable.
Alternative payment conditions apply to international students. Please contact the International Office for further information on 0115 884 2218.
19+ Advanced Learner Loans
Aged 19+ and applying for a Level 3 or higher level course?
If you’re aged 19 or over and are thinking about studying a Level 3 or Level 4 course, the 19+ Advanced Learner Loan might be for you. The loan is there to help you with the cost of your course fees.
It’s easy to apply – your household income isn’t taken into account and there’s no credit check.
Repayments
You don’t have to pay any of your loan back until you’ve started earning over £27,295 a year.
If you leave or change course after two weeks or more, you’ll have to pay back any money that was paid to your college or training provider.
You can choose to pay off some or all of your loan at any given time with no extra charge.
Any outstanding balance is automatically written off 30 years after your scheduled qualification end date.
Example of repayment amounts
Payments will depend on the amount you earn over the repayment threshold during any given pay period, not the amount that you’ve borrowed.
Your pay period depends on when you receive your salary. This could be every week, every four weeks or a calendar month. Payments will stop if you earn below the repayment threshold for that pay period.
Repayments are set at 9% of your income above the minimum of £27,295 a year, £2,274 a month or £524 a week.
Interest on your repayments
You’ll be charged interest at the Retail Price Index (RPI) + 3% while you complete your course and until the following April after leaving your course.
After that interest is linked to your earnings.
So if you earn:
- less than £27,295, the interest is set at the RPI
- £27,295 to £47,835, the interest is set at RPI + up to 3% on a sliding scale
- over £47,835, the interest is set at RPI + 3%
