Funding & Fee Support

To be eligible for funding (including fee cover) you must be of compulsory school leaving age of 16 at the start date of your course or if you are 16 before the 28^th February following your start date of course you will have an entitlement to apply for funding.

The financial support you may get will depend on different things such as:

The financial support you are eligible for depends on your circumstances, some of the factors considered in the assessment are;

Residency – you must meet the current government criteria for residency i.e. where you were born, have and are living, etc.
How old you are
Financial circumstance i.e. household income, benefits claimed
The level of course you are going to study
If you are wanting to study full-time or part-time
If you have studied before and received funding over the age of 18 at the time

Please note that not everyone who applies for funding is eligible – there is no automatic entitlement, and you must submit an application and the relevant evidence to have an assessment carried out.

British Sign Language Videos

A series of new BSL videos that SAAS have produced are available on their website - click here to view! 
These videos provide very important information on how to apply for SAAS funding and what different types of funding exist.

Students who normally live in Scotland and are studying at SCQF level 7 and above should apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for their funding. You should apply to SAAS for fees and a Bursary and can also choose to take out a Student Loan for living costs.  

Young Students 

Independent Students 

Other Grants 

Students can also apply to SAAS for additional grants including: 

• Lone Parent Grant of £1305. Available for students who are lone parents. 

• Dependent's Grant of £2640. Available for students who are financially responsible for another adult e.g. spouse/partner who they care for. 

How to Apply 

You must apply for funding every year that you are studying and apply directly to SAAS. You will need to register your online account through the website to make an application. Students starting courses in August 2024 are able to apply from April with applications closing on 31 March 2025. Please note until you receive your award letter, your fees are not confirmed as paid and any invoice you receive will be due. 

Applications with no errors and all supporting documents submitted by 30 June are guaranteed to be assessed before your course starts, so it’s important to make an early application. Check out the SAAS YouTube channel for videos to help you with your application.  

You can contact SAAS through your online account, by phone on 0300 555 0505 and through their Web Chat on the Contact Us page on the website. 

Please refer to our Fee Policy. 

International Course Fees 

2025-26

Full-time courses (16 hrs or more): 

• NC, NQ (including SQA fee) £7,500 per year. 

• NC, NQ (including SQA fee) £4,500 per year (Jan-Jun - short-full time). 

• HNC/D (including SQA fee) £8,000 per year. 

• Degree (including SQA fee) £9,000 per year.  

Part-time courses (evening/day release): 

• Highers  £1,400 per year. 

• National 5 £1,500 per year. 

• Infill Credit £400 per credit 

Paying Your Fees 

Full upfront fee is required for all international students. 

Please refer to our Fee Policy 

For further guidance on your residency criteria please contact residency@wcs.ac.uk  

Rest of UK

Fees 25/26

• NC, NQ (including SQA fee) £1,008 per year.
  
• NC, NQ (including SQA fee) £600 per year (Jan-Jun - short-full time)
• HNC/D (including SQA fee) £8,000 per year*
• Degree (including SQA fee) £9,000 per year *
• Infill credits £400 each.

*Further Education Students (below SCQF Level 7)

If you are a student from England, Northern Ireland or Wales (RUK), you should apply to your own Local Education Authority for fee and living cost support while at college.

HE Students from England

You should apply to Student Finance England for support. You will need to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan for your living costs of up to £9,978 per year. Students with additional support needs can also apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) through Student Finance England and students with dependent children can apply for a Childcare Support and Parent’s Learning Allowance. Applications for SFE open in March. 

How to Apply

Contact Student Finance England.

HE Students from Northern Ireland

You should apply to Student Finance NI for support. You will need to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Students from Northern Ireland can also apply for a Maintenance Grant of up to £3,475 and a Maintenance Loan of up to £6,776. The amount you get will depend on household income. Students with additional support needs can also apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) through Student Finance NI and students with dependent children can apply for a Childcare Support and Parent’s Learning Allowance. 

How to Apply

Contact Student Finance NI.

HE Students from Wales

You should apply to Student Finance Wales for support. You will need to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and can access living cost support up to £11,720 depending on household income. Students from Wales can apply for a Grant and Maintenance Loan for living costs support. 

How to Apply

Contact Student Finance Wales.

Please refer to our Fee Policy.

Part Time Courses 

Fees 

Students are responsible for payment of course fees, whether you are self-financing, your employer/sponsor is paying or you are applying to SAAS. The course information page shows the fees (including exam fees).   Some students may qualify for a part time fee grant from SAAS.  If you are on a low income or receive benefits, you may be eligible for a fee waiver, subject to fee waiver places available. 

• Courses with a fee under £200 - fees need to be paid in full. 

• Courses with a fee of over £200 - students can arrange a payment plan with Finance.  A minimum 25% deposit to be paid on enrolment, will 4 equal instalments. (this excludes commercial courses).  

SAAS Part-time Fee Grant 

Normally, students studying a part time course at SCQF level 7 and above may apply to SAAS for help with tuition fees. The support available will depend on how many credits you are studying. To be eligible you must be: 

• Studying an eligible part time higher education (HE) course for example, HNC/HND/Professional Graduate Diploma in Education or some Professional Development awards/SVQ3/SVQ4. 

• Studying a minimum 30 -119 SCQF credits (1 unit = 8 SCQF credits). 

• Have an income below £25,000 (before tax and national insurance). 

• Meet residency criteria: 

• 3 years resident in the UK. 

• Resident in Scotland on 1 August 2021. 

• Non-UK or EU students must have ‘settled status’.   

• Not accessing other funding: 

• Full-time SAAS funding. 

• Training for Work. 

• Get Ready for Work. 

• Modern Apprenticeship Scheme. 

You should apply for the SAAS Part Time Fee Grant (PTFG) on the SAAS website. You must apply no later than six months after your course starts.  

What you should do now 

• Create an account on the SAAS website. 

• Complete all sections of the form. 

• Check that you: 

• Study an eligible course. 

• Meet the residence criteria. 

• Earn an average gross (before tax and National Insurance) income of £25,000 a year or less, including bonuses and overtime. 

• Submit and track your application through your SAAS account.    

Fee Waiver 

The college may offer a fee waiver on certain courses if you receive certain benefits or are on a low income, please see Fee Waiver Policy for eligibility, please submit document evidence to feewaiver@wcs.ac.uk   

Employer Paying 

If you employer has agreed to pay your fees, please submit a company letter or official Purchase Order from your employer to sales.ledger@wcs.ac.uk to allow the college to send the invoice direct to them, students remain liable until all fees are paid. 

Please refer to our Fee Policy. 

To be treated as a Scottish home student you must meet all of the following three conditions: 

• Be ordinarily resident in Scotland on the relevant date; AND 

• Have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period of 3 years immediately preceding the relevant date; AND 

• (i) Be settled in the United Kingdom within the meaning given by section 33(2A) of the Immigration Act 1971 on the relevant date (for example, be a UK national or otherwise have a right to stay in the UK without time restriction, for example ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’); OR 

• (ii) Be- a person (other than a person who has applied for refugee status) who has been informed in writing by a person acting under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Home Department that they have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK and whose leave has not expired, or 

• (iii) The spouse, civil partner or child of a person described in (i) or (ii). If the student meets all of the conditions set out above, they may be considered to be eligible for a fee waiver and student support.  

If you don't meet all of the three conditions, you may still be eligible for some elements of support if you meet the requirements of one of the other UK residency categories listed: 

• You're an EU national, or family member of an EU national with settled/pre settled status and have lived in the UK for more than 3 years. 

• You're a refugee. 

• You're under humanitarian protection (as a result of a failed application for Asylum). 

• You're a migrant worker. 

• You're a child of a Swiss national; or 

• You're a child of a Turkish worker. 

• You're a Syrian Refugee (VPRS). 

• Children of asylum seekers or young asylum seekers are eligible for full time fee waiver only. The criteria for access to a fee waiver is now: • A child or an asylum seeker or young asylum seeker • Resident in Scotland on the relevant date • Under 18 years of age on the date that the application for asylum was made  

You must also normally be living in Scotland on the first day of the first academic year of the course. 

If you do not meet the residency criteria you will be liable to pay the college tuition fee and you are advised to contact the Finance team sales.ledger@wcs.ac.uk to find out what level of fee will apply. 

EU Students who do not have settled/pre-settled status 

Now that the UK has left the European Union (EU), students from the EU who do not have settled/pre-settled status will no longer be eligible to claim home fee status in relation to tuition fees. 

 Please refer to our Fee Policy 

Bursary/Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

Bursary and EMA support may be available for full time NC level courses.

Bursary and EMA is included in the one application. Students under the age of 18 on the start date of their course will be assessed for EMA, which is currently awarded at £30 per week depending on household income.

Students aged 18 and over at the start date of the course will be assessed for a Bursary Maintenance Allowance which is awarded depending on household income. Examples of current rates are as follows:

• Parentally Supported - £99.35 per week
• Self-Supporting - £125.55 per week
• Care Experienced - £225 per week
• Students remaining on Universal Credit - £28 per week

In addition to maintenance allowance students may also qualify for study expenses and/or travelling expenses which will be assessed at time of application assessment.  A maximum of £60 per week travel is available depending on mileage from campus to home.  Students must live over 2 miles walking distance from their campus to be eligible for travel funds.

Led by the Scottish Government, young people in Scotland aged under 22 years old are entitled to free bus travel. To access the scheme, you must apply for a National Entitlement Card (NEC). Further information and how to apply can be found at https://www.transport.gov.scot/concessionary-travel/young-persons-free-bus-travel-scheme .

Further expenses for those students with additional support needs may also be available upon request.