This topic contains the following:
Can I get further education funding in Northern Ireland?
If you normally live in Northern Ireland, and you and your course are eligible, you may be able to get funding from the government to take a course of further education. For more details, see Can I get further education funding in the UK?
If you’re eligible for funding in Northern Ireland and you’re 19 years old or older, the following information is for you.
Do I need to pay tuition fees?
You don’t need to pay tuition fees to study for:
- your first full Level 2 qualification (equivalent to five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C)
- your first full Level 3 qualification (equivalent to two A levels), as long as you’re 25 years old or younger
- a vocational course up to Level 3 (GNVQ higher or NVQ level 3). The course must be full-time and help to improve your work-related skills or to develop new vocational skills. It must last at least 30 weeks with 21 hours of study a week (or 15 hours and at least seven sessions).
For other courses you usually need to pay tuition fees, eg you have to pay fees to study for GCSEs, A Levels or AS Levels (unless you’re studying them along with a vocational qualification to a similar level).
However, many literacy and numeracy courses, and courses delivered online, are free to everyone. If you get income-related benefits, you can study a wider range of courses for free. For more information, see Learning for free.
Speak to your learning provider (eg your college) to find out if you need to pay fees.
Can I get help with costs related to my course?
You may be able to get a Further Education Award to help with costs related to your course, such as tuition fees, living costs, books and stationary. You can also get extra help with childcare costs. The following figures are for 2013/2014.
To get the award you must be:
- 19 years old or older on 1 July before your course begins (if you’re under 19 years old you may be eligible if you have to live away from home in order to undertake a full-time course)
- living in Northern Ireland
- studying at a publicly funded or approved college in Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland or the Republic of Ireland
- studying for GCSE, A Level or AS Level qualifications in combination with a vocational qualification at a similar level, or a university access course, or a course leading to the Trinity College London qualification
- studying full- or part-time on a course that lasts for at least one academic year. Part-time courses should take no longer than twice the time it would take to complete the full-time equivalent course, and should have at least eight taught and compulsory placement hours per week.
If you get an award you don’t need to pay the money back. The amount you can get depends on your household income:
- Tuition fee grant: if you’re studying at a college in Northern Ireland, you don’t need to pay tuition fees, but if you’re studying elsewhere, you can get up to £930 for a full-time course, or £465 for a part-time course – however, your college may charge you more.
- Maintenance grant: if you’re taking a full-time course you get a grant to help pay your living costs – up to £1,674 if you live with your parents (or £2,092 if you don’t live with them). If your household income is £38,806 a year or more, you don’t get anything.
- Grant for books and stationary: if you’re taking a part-time course you get a grant to help pay for your books and stationary, but no grant for living costs. You can get up to £265, but if your household income is £25,001 a year or more, you don’t get anything.
Your ‘household income’ means your income plus your partner’s income (if you live with them), if you’re one of the following:
- 25 years old or older
- responsible for a child
- you’ve supported yourself financially for more than three years
- you live apart from your parents and have no contact with them
- you’re married or in a civil partnership, or you have been.
If none of these apply to you, your ‘household income’ means your parents’ income.
You can’t get a Further Education Award if you’re getting another similar further education award from the government, eg an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) or a Department of Agriculture and Rural Development grant. For details of these, see:
To apply for a Further Education Award, you need to complete and return an application form, which you can get from the Western Education & Library Board. You can apply from the April before your course begins – apply as early as possible, because there aren’t enough funds to give an award to every eligible student who applies.
You can download a guide with full details from Education Support for Northern Ireland.
Can I get help with my travel costs?
If you travel by public transport to and from your school sixth form, college or a further education institution, you may be able to get help with the cost from your local Education and Library Board.
If you’re taking a course that leads to an apprenticeship, you should speak to your learning provider to find out whether they can offer you any help with your transport costs.
Can I get help if I’m studying away from home?
If you need to study away from home because your specialist course isn’t available locally, you may be able to get help with the cost of term-time accommodation.
Alternatively, if you want to study subjects like agriculture, art and design or horticulture at a specialist residential college, you may be able to get help towards the cost of accommodation.
To apply, contact your college directly.
What other government support is available?
As well as the support outlined above, other further education funding is available, depending on your circumstances. Find out more here:
What if I’m in financial difficulty?
If you’re facing financial hardship, you may get help from the Further Education Support Fund. For more information, see I’m a student in further education – where can I get help if I’m in financial difficulty?
I want to study at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise – what funding can I get?
If you want to take a full-time further education course at the Enniskillen, Greenmount or Loughry campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), you can get funding from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
For more information, see I want to study at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in Northern Ireland – what further education funding can I get?
Can I get funding to study while I work?
If you want to undertake a course of vocational training and work at the same time, you might consider doing an apprenticeship. Alternatively, some employers and other organisations may sponsor you to take a course of further education. For more information, see Can I get funding to study for further education while I work?
Can I get help to study for a City & Guilds qualification?
If you’re studying for a City & Guilds qualification or a National Proficiency Tests Council course, you may be able to get a bursary (a grant of money that you don’t need to pay back) to help with your living costs. See Can I get funding to study for a City & Guilds qualification?
Where can I find more information?
Here are some links to more information:
This information was updated in March 2013. NUS provides this information in good faith and has taken care to make sure it’s accurate. However, student finance issues can be complicated, and rules change frequently. You should contact the advice centre in your students' union, college or university for support if you’re uncertain or need more help.