Students may be eligible for support if they are studying a full time course, including sandwich courses at a UK university or publicly funded college, which will lead to one of the following:

First degree (BA, BSc, BEd.)
Diploma of Higher Education (Dip HE)
Higher National Diploma or Certificate (HND, HNC)
Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
Foundation year, which forms an integral part of one of the above courses

The financial support is based on an assessment carried out by the local authority and is means tested based on household income.

Loan applications can be completed online (PN1 or PR1 forms).

Late applications

After your course starts, if you decide that you want to apply for financial help you must apply no later than 9 months after the first day of the academic year of your course. However, in certain circumstances this limit can be extended.

Your application will generally take approximately 6 weeks to process.

Part-time study

Part-time undergraduate students studying at least 50% of an equivalent full-time course are entitled to receive a Fee Grant, depending on your household income.

Your college or university should be able to tell you whether your course qualifies.

There are three different rates of fee grant depending on how intensive your course is. For example, if you study at a rate equivalent to 75% of a full-time course, you could qualify for a higher fee grant than a student studying at a rate equivalent to 50% of a full-time course.

You can also apply for assistance with course related costs worth up to £1,095.

If you are on a part-time teacher-training course, you are not eligible for part-time grants but you may qualify for full-time support.

Students who already have a degree cannot normally apply for this support.

Additional part-time support

Part-time undergraduate students studying at least 50% of an equivalent full-time course may be entitled to receive Adult Dependants’ Grant, Childcare Grant or Parents’ Learning Allowance.

Your college or university should be able to tell you whether your course qualifies.

Gap year

If you apply to study at an institution but then decide to take a gap year, don’t forget to inform your chosen institution as soon as possible.

You should keep your confirmation safe as you will need to inform the local authority of your decision and also for proof when you reapply for the following year.

Grants and funding

Further education grants

Are you in full-time further education? Are you studying A levels, BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council), GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualification) etc?

If yes, then the following may apply to you:

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is an incentive allowance paid to eligible young people (16 – 18 year olds) who stay on at school 6th form or college after school leaving age, attend regularly and achieve learning goals
Also available for further education students is a Further Education Welsh Assembly Learning Grant, this is a grant available to Welsh students. It is based upon the annual residual income and is a grant therefore it does not have to be repaid

Applications can be completed or requested online.

Monmouthshire Farm Endowment Trust Fund

Grant funding may be available to students at both further and higher education providing they are studying a land based or agricultural course. The following criteria must be met:

1. You must live in Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent or Caerphilly

2. Be attending the Coleg Gwent, Usk Campus or any other college or University as a student of agriculture or related subjects.

Please complete the online application form on My Monmouthshire for the Monmouthshire Farm Endowment Trust Fund. If you haven’t already registered for My Monmouthshire you will need to do this, using the link below, before completing the application form.

Monmouthshire Farm Endowment Trust Fund Application Form

By registering and completing the form online you can track the progress of your application and receive updates as it is processed. Once registered, the application form will be available under the Schools and Learning area of My Monmouthshire.

If you’ve already registered using the My Monmouthshire app, currently available on Apple, Android and Windows devices, then you can use the same email and password to log-in.

Other grants available

As well as the further education grants, there are extra grants available. These are:

Disabled students allowance, you can apply for help with extra costs you have to pay in following your course if you have a disability or specific learning difficulty
Special support grant is a grant for students who may be eligible to receive certain means tested benefits such as income support and housing benefit. The grant is similar to the Assembly Learning Grant and does not usually have to be paid back. If you leave your course early you may have to repay some of the grant
Parents learning allowance, this is an additional grant to help with course related costs where you have independent children
Adult dependants grant, you may be entitled to help if you have an adult in your household who depends on you financially
Childcare grant, this grant helps towards the cost of childcare for a student studying full or part time, (the LEA will only pay up to 85% of the weekly cost, £161.50 for one child and for two or more children the maximum grant is £274.55 a week (85% of actual childcare cost of up to £323 a week).

Grant applications can be completed online through the PN1 or PR1 forms.

Childcare grant applications can be printed online or requested from the local education authority.

Email:

studentfinance@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Other sources of funding

There are other sources of funding dependant upon what course and circumstances that apply to you. These may be:

European study the Erasmus exchange programme
Scholarship Search UK providing information about other sources of funding for undergraduates
Educational Grants and Advisory Service is an independent advice agency for people who want to get more funding for further and higher education. EGAS can also give detailed advice about the statutory funding system to those who are considering entering further or higher education
HM Revenue and Customs, providing you with advice on tax credits or the childcare element of working tax credit
The Frank Buttle Trust Fund, this is the grant scheme for students and trainees. It helps young people facing severe financial and other difficulties, typically in the absence of a family safety net or parental support, acquire academic, trade or professional qualifications that are so essential in today’s world

Travel assistance

Students who are over 16 may be able to get help with their travel costs. For more information please email our transport team at

passengertransportunit@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Repaying your student loan

You will be eligible to start repaying your loan in the April after you have finished or left your course.

The amount you will repay will be linked to your income.

The Student Loans Company will work with HM Revenue and Customs to collect repayments which will be taken by your employer and and shown on your pay statement.