Fees and Finance
Course fees
The College of Animal Welfare offers a variety of ways to pay for course fees, details can be found on each course page.
Find out more about our Pay As You Learn scheme.
Loans
If you are aged 19 or older you may be eligible to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan. This means that if you are 19 or older, and are looking for a way to fund your course, you now have the option to apply for a loan. It is easy to apply; there is no credit check and your household income isn’t taken into account. What’s more, You’ll only start making repayments when your income is over £524 a week, £2,274 a month or £27,295 a year. If your income falls below these thresholds, repayments will stop and only re-start when your income is over these thresholds.
CAW Loans2Learn
The CAW Loans2Learn Scheme is a personal loan students can take out with the College of Animal Welfare. The loan can be used to fully or partially cover your course fees, but does not cover any Awarding Body fees. The loan works in a similar way to a bank loan, and it is not provided from the ESFA or any other government department, and is not related to any student finance.
Find out more about CAW Loans2Learn
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Funding
We are excited to announce that we currently have a contract with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) to offer funding for residents of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire (most PE and CB postcodes) to undertake certain qualifications (subject to eligibility). Eligible learners are able to apply for range of fully funded, high quality education and training courses to retrain and upskill.
Click here to read more and see if you are eligible
Grants, bursaries and additional help
Students are encouraged to explore the opportunities for sourcing additional financial assistance to support their training costs.
Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund
If you are over 19 years of age and in receipt of an Advanced Learner Loan and find yourself in financial hardship you can apply to The College of Animal Welfare Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund (funded by the Government) for financial assistance.
Applications can be made for support in the following areas:
• Hardship situations
• Childcare
• Providing additional support with your learning
• Making necessary adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 e.g. Getting or changing equipment
For further information, please see our guidance on how to apply for the Advanced Learning Loans Bursary Fund. You can download an application form here.
TOTUM Card (previously NUS extra)
With an average saving of over £500, the TOTUM card is a smart way to save on your purchases. The TOTUM card is available for eligible students from only £14.99 a year. You could save on:
- Fashion (Warehouse, New Look, Missguided.co.uk etc)
- Music, Films and Gaming (Amazon, Game etc)
- Books and Stationary (Inks4Students and Cartridge People)
- Health and Beauty (Superdrug, Vision Express etc)
- Travel and accommodation (selected airlines, holiday companies and hotels worldwide)
- Technology and Gadgets (Apple, Dell, Ink Cartridges etc)
- Tickets (Odeon, Cineworld, Ticket Master etc)
- Food and Drink (Co-Op, Pizza Express, Las Iguanas etc)
- Hairdressers (Nicky Clarke Hairdressers)
Please note the offers/discounts available are not fixed and may vary or be withdrawn at any time.
Please telephone 01480 422060 to find out if you are eligible to apply for a TOTUM Card and to receive a Voucher Code needed to apply. You can then click here to start your application!
Help with transport costs
Concessionary bus passes
You may be able to get a concessionary bus pass depending on where you live and what your operator offers. This really depends on the area in which you are travelling so we suggest you contact your local bus operator or council for see if there is anything available.
16-25 Railcard
You could save up to a third on train fares across the UK! Find out more.
Oyster Photocards (Travel Concession for London Residents)
If you are 18 or over, live at a London address during term time and are in full-time education in London, you may be eligible for the 18+ Student Oyster Photocard. You could save up to 30% against the price of adult rate Travelcards and Bus and Tram season tickets.
If you are 18 or over, live in a London borough and are in the first 12 months of an apprenticeship, you may be eligible for the Apprentice Oyster Photocard. You could save up to 30% against the price of adult rate Travelcards and Bus and Tram season tickets.
For more information and details on how to apply, visit the Transport for London website.
Help with childcare costs
Work Preparation Support for Carers
If you are over 18 years of age and are thinking about undertaking a training course, you may be eligible for help with childcare costs through the Work Preparation Support for Carers scheme. This support can be accessed through Jobcentre Plus or other employment support services.
Your training course can be up to a level 3 qualification and should improve your chances of finding employment. You should speak to your employment advisor before applying for a place on a course.
For further information please contact your local Jobcentre Plus.
Care to Learn
This scheme can help by paying for childcare costs while you learn. Eligible for those under 20, the Care to Learn funding could pay up to £180 per child per week (up to £195 for those living in London). To access such funding you must also be living and learning in England, caring for your own child or children, be either a British citizen or a national of another country within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Apprentices receiving a wage cannot receive Care to Learn, however there are alternative schemes that can help with childcare costs, such as those through the Tax Credit system.
More information can be found here.
Childcare Grant
If you are a full-time undergraduate student with dependent children aged under 15 (under 17 if they have special educational needs), are a British or EU citizen and you pay for registered childcare, you may be eligible for the Childcare Grant.
It is paid in three termly instalments directly into your bank account. The grant can pay up to 85 per cent of your registered childcare costs for 52 weeks per year. The maximum you can be awarded is £193.62 per week for 1 child and £331.95 per week for 2 or more children.
This grant is not taken into account when calculating income for benefit purposes. However, you cannot get this grant if you or your partner claims the childcare element of Working Tax Credit.
More information can be found here.
Parents’ Learning Allowance
If you are a full-time undergraduate student from England with dependent children you could be eligible to apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance to help with learning costs such as books, study materials and travel. It can be claimed in addition to the Childcare Grant. It is paid in three termly instalments directly into your bank account and does not need to be repaid.
More information can be found here.
Learner Support
If you’re aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship, you could get Learner Support. Learner Support can help pay for things you need to attend your course or study that are not covered by your course fees, such as travel costs, accommodation or equipment.
You should apply to your learning provider (college) as they decide how much you get and how it is paid to you. How much you get will depend on their scheme and your circumstances.
The money could be a loan, a grant you do not need to pay back or paid to someone else (e.g. an Ofsted registered childcare provider).
More information can be found here.
Disabled Students’ Allowances
A quick guide to Disabled Student Allowances (DSAs), for Higher Education students only, can be found here.