Fees and Finance Information

Contribution Fee

For 16–18-year-old students

If you are under 19 when you start your BN1 Arts Extended Diploma and are a UK student, you will not be charged tuition fees.

We will lend you textbooks and equipment without charge. We do not provide stationery.

However, in line with other colleges, students are required to pay a one-off contribution fee.

This fee enables BN1 Arts to provide additional activities for students, including (but not limited to) venue hire for gigs and shows, costumes, masterclasses, and industry visits.

We believe that by requesting this fee, the student experience is highly greatened and means we can offer unrivalled opportunities for our students.

Fee per student: £120 payable before enrolment.

Payment plans are available on request and this amount can be paid in as little as £10 per month.

Financial Assistance for 16–18-year-olds

Each year the College receives an allocation of funds to support its students aged 16-19. Learners who are 18 at the start of the course but turn 19 during the academic year (i.e. after 31st August) are also eligible. The government has also extended its Free School Meals programme to Sixth Form and FE colleges. These funds are intended to support students who face financial barriers to participation in education.

The Discretionary Learning Grant is a fixed allocation of money from the government. The College is responsible for determining the eligibility of applicants to this fund and for deciding the amount each student should receive. The College will aim to distribute the funds fairly about the needs of the individual student. This fund is means tested and the threshold is a household income below £25,000 or where financial circumstances have changed significantly during the year.

Support Options

1. Vulnerable Bursary

You can apply to this fund if one or more of the following apply to you.

In Care or Care Leavers
Live independently and are in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit
Receive Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments as well as Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right.
In receipt of a Child Protection Plan

An amount of £1,200 will be paid in 10 payments across the academic year as well as Discretionary College Meals.

2. Free College Meals

You can apply to this fund if your parents/guardians are in receipt of one or more of the following.

Income Support or Universal Credit (where the household income is less than £7,400)
Income based Jobseekers Allowance
Income related Employment and Support Allowance
Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit element and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on (Paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act

3. Discretionary Learning Grant

You can apply to this fund if your parents/guardians are in receipt of one or more of the following.
Universal Credit (where the household income is more than £7,400)
Child and Working Tax credit (where the household income is less than £25,000)
Household income is less than £25,000.
The family financial and/or personal circumstances have recently changed.
The amount awarded will be dependent on both household income and educational need and will consider costs incurred in attending college and costs incurred by following a particular course. Assistance may be given for such items as travel and art material fees.

How we decide

We assess each application and will award in the first instance:

Travel: to those students who live 2 miles or more away from college. For students who live under 2 miles away we may consider an award if there are exceptional or medical circumstances which will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
Resource contribution fee
Free College Meals: if applicable
All students will need to have their own bank account.

Important Information

Learners will not necessarily receive assistance with any/or all the funds for which they apply. We are given a limited amount of money and the demand from students may be high. The College will use priority groupings to award discretionary grants in line with government guidelines.

Although you can apply throughout the academic year, funds are limited so completed applications should be submitted as early as possible.

Please note that for applications received in September, if travel is approved, it will not be paid until mid-October.