Your foundation degree, what next? : Funding

If you are considering further study, it is important that you establish what financial support you will get, if any, particularly with the increase in tuition fees in 2012.

Directgov  provides a range of funding information and links for all students entering higher education in England, including graduates and postgraduates. Current information about finance in Wales can be obtained from Student Finance Wales . If you are a student in Scotland, you should contact the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)  and for Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DELNI) .

The following general guidance can be applied to foundation degree students seeking funding:

• In England, funding for Bachelor of Arts, Science or Education (BA, BSc or BEd) is available, of which annual tuition fees for full time undergraduate courses can cost up to £3,375 for 2011/12 entry and up to £9,000 for 2012/13 entry.  
• There is currently no maximum rate that universities or colleges can charge for part-time tuition; however this may change from 2012/13. Check fees with individual higher education establishments.
• Direct progression to an honours programme, either within the same institution or another one, may lead to the straightforward continuation of your financial arrangements, although you should not automatically assume this; always check.
• Funding for postgraduate courses is usually difficult and many students end up financing their own studies, often by working at the same time or through a career development loan. In England, for example, there is no cap on the fees for postgraduate courses, which vary from around £3,000 per year up to in excess of £10,000 per year.
• Search funding bodies and research councils to gather information on possible sources of postgraduate funding or if you are in employment, find out if seeking funding from your employer is an option. You can also try looking at individual university websites for scholarships and awards. Further details of other potential sources (e.g. education charities) are detailed in funding my further study.

UKCISA: UK Council for International Student Affairs  provides information on sources of funding for UK students who wish to study abroad.

AGCAS

Written by Emma Bumpus, AGCAS

Date: 

May 2011

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