Student finance

16 to 18 year olds

People aged 16 to 18 years old do not have to pay any fees for full-time further-education courses, but there may be some costs (for example, for books, equipment or trips). Listed below are the main sources of funding students can apply to for help with these costs.

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

16 to 18 year olds may be able to get an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) of up to £30 a week if they continue their studies after Year 11. To qualify for EMA your teenager will need to be:

• in full-time education at school or college or on a training programme, or
• on a course that leads to an Apprenticeship (known as a programme-led Apprenticeship)
• your annual household income is below a certain threshold (less than £30,810).

For more information including how to apply go to: http://moneytolearn.direct.gov.uk.

Discretionary Support Funds

If your teenager is struggling financially whilst at sixth form or college they can apply for help from the Discretionary Support Fund. There is a limited amount of cash available and it will go to the most needy students – ask at their school or college for details.

Funding for childcare

Students who are young parents can apply for funding to cover the cost of childcare while they go to college. Visit the Care To Learn website for more information.

Child Benefit and Tax Credits

Whilst your teenager is in full-time education (except higher education) you can continue to claim Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits until they turn 20.

Help with transport costs

Your teenager may be able to get help to pay for transport to their college or sixth form. Find out more on our 6th-form transport page. If they are on another type of programme they should speak to their learning provider to find out whether they can offer help with public transport costs.

Higher Education

While your teenager is at university they will need to cover two main costs, tution fees and living costs. There is financial help available for both these costs. The information below gives an idea of how much support your teenager is entitled to, for a more comprehensive guide to student finance see our young people's website.

Tuition fees

Your teenager will not have to pay any money for fees upfront, or while they are studying. Instead, they will be able to put off paying their fees by taking out a tuition fee loan. They will start repaying this loan after they leave higher education and are earning more than £15,000 a year. Universities' fees can vary and could be up to £3,290 a year in 2010/11. The amount universities charge may vary between courses, as well as between universities.

Living costs

Your teenager can apply for a student maintenance loan. The amount of loan they can apply for will depend on your earning. If you have higher earnings then your teenager will be able to borrow slightly less money as you are expected to contribute to the cost. The maximum maintenance loan for a student living away from home, but not in London, is £4,950 a year (2010/11). Your teenager will begin to repay their loan once they are earning more than £15,000 a year. If their income drops below this level, they can stop paying temporarily.

Non-repayable Maintenance Grant

This is a grant of up to £2,906 a year (2010/11) to help with the costs of living and studying if your family has a low income. It does not have to be paid back. The amount your teenager receives depends upon the income of your family. If this income is £25,000 or less, your teenager is entitled to the full amount of grant. If the income is between around £25,000 and £50,000, your teenager will receive part of the grant.

Non-repayable bursaries

If your teenager qualifies for the full higher-education grant, it is likely that your teenager will qualify for extra financial help from most universities in the form of a bursary. This would be at least £329 a year (2010/11) but could be more, contact universities for more details.

Applying for financial help

To apply for loans and grants, your teenager will need to fill in an online student finance form. If they can't apply online you can download a paper copy download from the Directgov website.

Benefits

Some students may qualify for benefits see the Directgov website for more information.

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