Course fees and financial support
If you’re considering studying at college, you may be thinking about your finances. Here you will find out about course fees and the financial support available.
Course fees
If you are aged 16-18 on 31 August in the year you are looking to study a further education course with us and meet the residency requirements, your course will be free.
You can find full details of the current residency requirements on our enrolment page.
You may also be asked to pay for exam/coursework resits, forgotten/lost college ID cards and educational visits.
If you are aged 19 or older on 31 August in the year you join Capital City College, your course fees will depend on your current qualifications and the level of the course you are planning to study.
Most of our Entry Level, Level 1 or Level 2 courses are free, regardless of your age or income, as long as you meet the residency requirements. We will also need to check proof of income/employment, or evidence of benefits, if you are unemployed, at enrolment. You can find full details of the current residency requirements on our enrolment page.
If you are aged between 19 and 23, and do not already have a full Level 3 qualification, you may be able to study a Level 3 course for free – we will need to check proof of prior qualifications and if you are in receipt of JSA/ESA/UC/IS or a low wage. Please see our enrolment page for further information.
You may also be able to study some of our Level 3 courses* for free if you meet the following criteria:
- you are aged 24+, do not already have a Level 3 qualification, and are unemployed or earning a low wage
- you are aged between 19 and 23, a resident of London, and are working and in receipt of a low-wage
We will need to see current evidence of your benefits or low wages.
*2-year Extended Diplomas, A Levels and Access to HE Diplomas are excluded.
If you are not eligible for funding, to study a course at Level 3 or higher, you will need to pay course fees. You may be eligible to apply for an Advanced Learning Loan to cover these fees, or you can choose to pay your fees directly to the college. Some courses may have an additional fee which is not covered by the Advanced Learner Loan; further details are available on each course page.
If you choose to pay your course fees yourself (for some, or all of your course), you may be eligible to pay in instalments – 25% of the total course fees at enrolment, with the balance spread equally across 5 monthly instalments of 15% each on the first of the consecutive months. If you are enrolled on a short course and you are eligible for an instalment plan, this will be revised so that all fees are paid at least one month prior to the end date of the course.
Please see our enrolment page for further information on the above.
You may also be asked to pay for exam/coursework resits, forgotten/lost college ID cards and educational visits.
If you’re planning to study a Higher Education course, such as a BA (Hons)/BSc (Hons), FdA/FdSc, HNC or HND, you may be eligible to apply for a Student Finance England tuition fee loan to cover the cost of your tuition fee and a maintenance loan to help with your living costs. Please check the individual course page for costs and further information. Funding from Student Finance England is not available for international students.
To apply for a Student Finance England loan, you will need to meet certain residency requirements. You can find full details of the current residency requirements on our enrolment page.
If you have a disability you may be eligible for further financial support through Student Finance England. Please see the disabled student allowance section in Financial Support below.
You’ll usually only get student finance if this will be your first higher education qualification, even if your previous course was self-funded, free, or sponsored. You should discuss your previous Higher Education history with the Student Finance England team if you have already studied a higher education programme, e.g. HNC or Foundation Degree, or if you changed course, stopped your studies, or if you are repeating a year. If you are enrolling on a course at a lower level than you previously studied you will not usually be eligible for any further tuition fee loan. You may be eligible for a maintenance loan. If you are in receipt of benefits we advise that you discuss with your Department for Work and Pensions officer any impact studying at the Higher Education level would have on you continuing to receive benefits.
Course fees are per year, and additional costs may be necessary on some programmes; details of additional costs are available on each course page.
You can find all the information and a step-by-step guide to applying for undergraduate student finance. The step-by-step guide takes you through each stage of the process, including checking if you’re eligible, finding out how much you could get, preparing your application and applying.
You start to repay your loan once you are earning £25,000 (find out more here), but you’ll be charged interest on the loan once we confirm your registration and/or attendance with Student Finance England. You will need to apply online and you do not need a confirmed place on a course to do so. If you withdraw from your course, you may have to start repaying immediately any maintenance loan you have received. We recommend that you contact Student Finance England for further guidance.
External independent financial advice for Higher Education students can be found online, on websites such as DiscoverUni and SaveTheStudent.
Apprentices do not pay to study an Apprenticeship – the responsibility lies with the employer to pay.
Find out more about our apprenticeship training.
Financial support
The College provides financial support to learners aged 16-19 with specific educational financial needs.
16-19 Discretionary Bursary
You may be eligible for a discretionary bursary if you are aged between 16 and 19 (or 19 to 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan), have a household income up to £33,500 and have financial need. Discretionary bursaries are means-tested and are intended to support you with *travel, books, equipment, exam fees and other essential course-related costs. The amount of bursary you may receive is based on your educational financial need.
*Travel support will be based on how far a learner travels to their centre of study. When determining travel support, the college will consider TFL and other transport provider discount schemes, such as free bus travel or 18+ discounts
Vulnerable Young Person Bursary
You may be eligible for a vulnerable bursary if you are aged between 16 and 19, have educational financial need and:
- In care or recently left local authority care or
- Receive Income Support / Universal Credit or
- Receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in your name and either Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit or
- Receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in your name and either ESA or Universal Credit
Free College Meals
You may be eligible for free college meals for the days you are timetabled if you are aged 16-18 (or 19 to 25 with Education, Health and Care Plan) and either you or your guardians are in receipt of one of the following:
- 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 guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (but not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income of up to £16,190,
- Universal Credits with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including any benefits)
For full eligibility criteria, please see the Financial Support policy.
Applying for Bursaries and Free College Meals
The PayMyStudent online portal is the bursary application form and is accessible to enrolled learners via the Student Finance portal on MyDay. Learners seeking childcare support must complete an additional form, obtainable from their study centre or downloadable from the Student Finance portal on MyDay. Returning learners must reapply for support each new academic year.
You can apply online through PayMyStudent. Please choose the correct PayMyStudent link based on your centre of study:
- City and Islington College: candi.paymystudent.com/portal
- Westminster Kingsway College: westking.paymystudent.com/portal
- The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London: conel.paymystudent.com/portal
Oyster Card
If you live in a London borough and are 18 and under, you can also apply for a Zip Oyster photo card which gives you free or discounted travel around London on buses, Tube, DLR and Overground. Find out more on the TFL website.
Care to Learn
If you are a parent aged under 20, you may be eligible to receive up to £195 per week for each child (£180 if you live outside London) as part of a government scheme. You can apply online through GOV’s Care to Learn page.
Financial Support from Your Borough Council
Many London boroughs offer financial support to young people who stay in education and training. Contact your local borough council for more information about financial support available to young people in education.
Student Discount Schemes
As a student, you will be eligible to apply for discount cards and accounts, such as TOTUM, UNiDAYS and Student Beans. These can give you discounts in high street shops and online, including at stores such as Apple, Superdrug and more.
The College provides financial support to learners aged 19+ with specific educational financial needs.
19+ Bursaries
If you are single with an income of below £25,642.50 per year, or part of a family with a combined income of below £33,500 per year, you may be eligible for a bursary to support you with course-related costs. The amount of bursary you may get depends on your educational financial needs.
Advanced Learner Loan Bursary
You may be eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan bursary for course-related costs if you have been approved for an Advanced Learner Loan by the college and have an income of up to £25,642.50 per year, or part of a family with a combined income of below £33,500 per year. The amount of bursary you may get depends on your educational financial needs.
Information on Advanced Learner Loans and your eligibility.
Childcare Support
If you are aged 20 or older and have an income of below £25,642.50 per year or are part of a family with a combined income of below £33,500 per year, you may be eligible for support with childcare. This will depend on how many hours per week you are in college for your course and whether you are in receipt of help from another scheme, such as the government-free 30 hours of childcare support.
For full eligibility criteria, please see the Financial Support policy.
Applying for bursaries
You can apply online through PayMyStudent. Please choose the correct PayMyStudent link based on the centre you are studying
- City and Islington College: candi.paymystudent.com/portal
- Westminster Kingsway College: westking.paymystudent.com/portal
- The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London: conel.paymystudent.com/portal
18+ Student Oyster Card
If you live in a London borough, are 18 or older, and studying a course for 15 hours or more per week, you can also apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photo card which gives you discounted travel around London on buses, the tube, DLR and overground. Find out more on TFL’s website.
Student Discount Schemes
As a student, you will be eligible to apply for discount cards and accounts, such as TOTUM, UNiDAYS and Student Beans. These can give you discounts in high street shops and online, including at stores such as Apple, Superdrug and more.
In addition to a Maintenance loan to help with your living costs, you may also qualify for other financial support if you are on a low income, are disabled or have children. Find out more here.
Disabled Students’ Allowances
If you have a disability or additional needs, you may be eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) to cover any extra study costs. This can include mental health conditions, epilepsy or dyslexia. DSA does not depend on your household income and you will not need to pay it back. You should apply for your DSA at the same time as your student loan to ensure you have all the necessary financial support you need by the start of your course. Find out more and how to apply here.
Disability Rights UK has factsheets about DSA and other useful information for HE students here.
18+ Student Oyster Card
If you live in a London borough and are 18 or older and a full-time student, you can also apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photo card which gives you discounted travel around London on buses, the tube, DLR and overground. Find out more here.
Student Discount Schemes
As a student, you will be eligible to apply for discount cards and accounts, such as TOTUM, UNiDAYS and Student Beans. These can give you discounts in high street shops and online, including at stores such as Apple, Superdrug and more.
Apprentice Oyster Card
If you live in a London borough and are 18 or older and an apprentice, you can also apply for an Apprentice Oyster card which gives you discounted travel around London on buses, the tube, DLR and overground. Find out more here.
Student Discount Schemes
As a student, you will be eligible to apply for discount cards and accounts, such as TOTUM, UNiDAYS and Student Beans. These can give you discounts in high street shops and online, including at stores such as Apple, Superdrug and more.
King’s Cross
London
WC1X 8RA
United Kingdom Contact Us
