How you will support yourself financially throughout your time at college is something that we encourage you to do as early as possible. There are a number of grants, loans and funds available for students depending on what course you are studying. You will not be eligible for them all; unfortunately some learners may not be entitled to any.
Generally you can start applying for your student finance in the April before you start in September.
The following will give you an idea of what is available with relevant forms and links for you to be able to download or print off the required forms, if you need any more advice and guidance, help with form-filling or form-checking before you submit, we have a dedicated team of Student Liaison Officers who are ready to help. We want to make sure that you are accessing all of the financial support that is available to you.
Further Education
There are three main sources of funding available for Further Education students; these are the Education Maintenance Allowance (age 16-18), the Welsh Government Learning Grant (age 19+) and the Financial Contingency Fund.
You will send your EMA or WGLG application form and evidence to Student Finance Wales although you will also need to sign Learning Agreements for these at the college when you start.
Your FCF form needs to be submitted to your Student Liaison Officer at your base campus.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly payment of £30 to help 16-18 year olds with the cost of further education. Payments are made every two weeks as long as you meet the college attendance, performance and behaviour requirements. You will be given a lot more information on these during your induction to the college.
EMA is means tested; you will find the relevant criteria on eligibility at:
http://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/fe/ema.aspx
You can print off the application forms here or request them from your nearest campus:
Welsh Government Learning Grant
The Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG) can provide funding to help you with the costs of your education if you’re aged 19 or over and on an eligible course. If you’re studying full-time you could get payments of up to £1,500 a year or, if studying part-time, you could get up to £750 a year.
WGLG is means tested and the amount you get can also be affected by your dependence status, you will find the relevant eligibility criteria at:
http://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/fe/wglg-fe.aspx
You can print off the application forms here or request them from your nearest campus.
Financial Contingency Fund
The Financial Contingency Fund (FCF) aims to support you in lifting some financial barriers which might have an impact on you doing your course.
The fund can offer significant contributions towards the cost of your childcare fees if you have young children in a crèche or nursery or older children in after-school clubs. It can also help you financially with the costs of kit, course equipment, DBS checks and travelling costs if, for any reason, you are unable to access the free college transport network.
It can’t help with everything though, regrettably we cannot help with the cost of initial course fees (if there are any) and we can’t help you with any debts you may have incurred. Please speak to the relevant Student Liaison Officer at your base campus, details of which you will find here:
Graig
Debbie Williams, Coleg Sir Gar, Graig Campus, SA15 4DN debbie.williams@colegsirgar.ac.uk 01554 748036
Ammanford or Gelli Aur
Jamie Davies, Coleg Sir Gar, Ammanford Campus, SA18 3TA
jamie.davies@colegsirgar.ac.uk 01554 748305
Pibwrlwyd or Jobs Well
Filipe Nunes, Coleg Sir Gar, Pibwrlwyd Campus, SA31 2NH
filipe.nunes@colegsirgar.ac.uk 01554 748070
As with most student finance the FCF is means tested and is only available to those who can demonstrate financial hardship, as a general rule, if you are in receipt of EMA or WGLG and are on an eligible course then you should be eligible for the FCF.
The fund is provided to all Welsh colleges by the Welsh Government and the amount of money that is received to support students can fluctuate annually, as the amount of money we have is restricted, the fund is run strictly on a first come first served basis. As a result, you are strongly advised to apply for this fund as early as possible. Applications for childcare costs need to be submitted by the end of July and all applications for kit/equipment costs will not be accepted after the 31st October.
You can download the application form, guidance notes and childcare costing form below.
Higher Education
Funding for HE courses might sound like a minefield when you first look into it but there is plenty of material available and support from us to guide you through it should you need it. One key message is that you don’t have to pay any fees up front if you don’t want to.
Unlike in Further Education when you are only able to apply for grants, you will probably be able to access loans as well on a HE programme. Remember that you only pay back the loans, not the grants and bursaries. The information below should be able to give you some simple guidance before you start looking into it in more detail.
Full Time Funding
Tuition Fees
The fee for a full time college course this year is £9,000. However, you can get a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £3,810 and a Fee Grant of up to £5,190 to help you pay for the course fee. This is paid directly to the college on your behalf by Student Finance Wales.
Living Costs
There are also loans and grants available to help you with living costs. The amount of Maintenance Loan and Welsh Government Learning Grant you can get depends on your household income but it can be over £5,000 paid directly to your bank account in three instalments. One in each term.
The Special Support Grant replaces the Welsh Government Learning Grant for people who, as full-time students, can claim income related benefits.
Extra Help
You might be able to get extra help if you have a disability, mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty, or if you have children or an adult who depends on financially. You can also get help with your childcare fees if you incur costs for when you are in college.
Repayments
You have to repay any Maintenance Loan or Tuition Fee Loan you borrow from Student Finance Wales, but not until you have finished your course and your income is over £21,000 a year. Repayments will be taken off your salary and the amount you repay each month is based on your income, not what you borrowed. As a quick guide, you will pay 9% on what you earn above £21,000. The examples below should give you an idea of what to expect:
| Income each year before tax | Income from which 9% will be deducted | Approximate Monthly repayment |
| £21,000 | £0 | £0 |
| £25,000 | £4,000 | £30 |
| £30,000 | £9,000 | £67 |
| £35,000 | £14,000 | £105 |
| £40,000 | £19,000 | £142 |
| £45,000 | £24,000 | £180 |
| £50,000 | £29,000 | £217 |
How to Apply
You will find all the information you need in a lot more detail here:
http://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/
It is recommended that you use the online calculator which will give you a very good estimation of what support you are likely to be eligible for, you can also make your application for financial support online. If you need additional support with the application process or need your Student Liaison Officer to give you guidance, please give them a call and they will be happy to help.
Bursaries (*Link to the Registry Page?*)
The college has a number of bursaries available for full time students, however, they are cash limited - therefore the sooner you apply the better the chance you have of getting one. Applications must be made by the 1 November. All bursaries are subject to you meeting the College's entry requirements, rules and regulations.
The following information has been provided by our Registry department who process the application forms. Application forms are available online or will be available at enrolment. For further enquiries please contact: Heledd Edwards 01554 748383 or heledd.edwards@colegsirgar.ac.uk
College Bursaries for full time New Entrants – i.e. first year students (Not means tested)
These bursaries are available for full time New Entrants – i.e. first year students EC domiciled students who enrol to a full time Higher Education Course at the College (i.e., Degree, Foundation Degree or HND) and are still attending on 1 February 2016. NB: Students will normally only be eligible for up to one college bursary.
Internal Progression Bursary - £1000
This is payable in two instalments in March 2016 and June 2016 to students who progressed internally from a level 3 course at Coleg Sir Gar. Students must have applied through UCAS and will need to quote their UCAS number.
Partner Progression Bursary - £300
This is payable in March 2016 to students who progressed from a recognised partner School in 2014, i.e., a School that the College works with as part of the 14-19 Network or from programmes at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David or Coleg Ceredigion.
Care Leaver Bursary - £500
This is payable in March 2016 to a student who has previously been in local authority care.
Community First Bursary - £500
This is payable in March 2016 to students who normally live in Community First Wards in Wales (A list is can be obtained from the College’s Admissions Unit).
Welsh Medium Study Bursary - £500
This is payable in June 2016 to students who complete at least one module of their first year through the medium of Welsh.
Child Care Bursary - £500
This is payable in March 2016 to students who are parents with dependents (under 16 in full time education) living at the same address as them.
Successful Completion Bursary - £300
This is payable in June 2016 to students who complete their first year assessments (without any referrals) and progress to the second year of their full time Higher Education Course at the College (ie, Degree, Foundation Degree or HND).
Specific Transport Difficulties £300
This will fund a bus pass to the value of £300 for those students with specific transport difficulties.
College Bursaries for second and third year students – i.e. continuing students (Not means tested)
A limited number of bursaries are available for second and third year students, who are EC domiciled students enrolled on a full time Higher Education Course at the College (i.e., Degree, Foundation Degree or HND) and are still attending on 1 February 2016. NB: Students will only be eligible for up to one college bursary
These bursaries are cash limited - therefore the sooner you apply the better the chance you have of getting one. You can apply now using the form on the back of this leaflet and we will send you confirmation of eligibility. No applications will be accepted after 1 November 2015. All bursaries are subject to you meeting the College's entry requirements, rules and regulations.
Successful Completion Bursary - £300
This is payable in June 2016 to students who complete their second year assessments (without any referrals). ONLY available to second year students.
Care Leaver Bursary - £500
This is payable in March 2016 to a student who has previously been in local authority care.
Community First Bursary - £500
This is payable in March 2016 to students who normally live in Community First Wards in Wales (a list is can be obtained from the College’s Admissions Unit).
Welsh Medium Study Bursary - £500
This is payable in June 2016 to students who complete at least one module of their second or third year through the medium of Welsh.
Child Care Bursary - £500
This is payable in March 2016 to students who are parents with dependents (under 16 in full time education) living at the same address as them.
Specific Transport Difficulties £300
This will fund a bus pass to the value of £300 for those students with specific transport difficulties.