Age and Residency Eligibility for Free Funding

Due to the way our courses are funded all candidates must be 19 years old or above as at 1st August 2022.

You must live in England (Scotland, N.Ireland and Wales are exempt from our free funding). There are also some exempt areas in England (scroll down for list below).

If you are between 19-24… you also need to have a previous qualification at ‘Full’* Level 2 or above (in any subjects). (*’Full’ means, for instance, a Level 2 Diploma, or 5 x GCSEs at grades A* – C, or 9 – 4)

You must be a UK national, resident for a minimum of 3 years or an EU national with settled or pre-settled status and resident in the UK/EEA for a minimum of 3 years prior to the enrolment date.

Anyone who wants to enrol onto a course and entered the country on a visa or as an asylum seeker will need to complete a separate form to be assessed by the College before they can enrol.

Depending on your circumstances we may need to see evidence of your residency status to confirm your eligibility for funding and to study in the UK.

Unfortunately, if you are on a student visa you will not qualify for funding.

As long as you meet the above criteria there is no fee for enrolling on a Level 1 or Level 2 course (charges apply to higher level courses).

If you have any questions please contact us at distancelearning@nescot.ac.uk

Learners not eligible for free-funding can pay for a Level 2 or Level 3 Course. Please call 020 8394 8426 or email distancelearning@nescot.ac.uk to find out more.

Geographic Restrictions

Since 1st August 2019 there have been new rules regarding regional course funding. If you are resident in any of the following areas we cannot obtain funding for your course. However, please contact us at distancelearning@nescot.ac.uk if you have any doubt about which area your postcode may be in.

These are our exempt areas (we cannot get free funding):

   
Bolton Greater Manchester
Bury Greater Manchester
Manchester Greater Manchester
Oldham Greater Manchester
Rochdale Greater Manchester
Salford Greater Manchester
Stockport Greater Manchester
Tameside Greater Manchester
Trafford Greater Manchester
Wigan Greater Manchester
Barnsley Sheffield City Region
Doncaster Sheffield City Region
Rotherham Sheffield City Region
Sheffield Sheffield City Region
Bradford West Yorkshire
Calderdale West Yorkshire
Kirklees West Yorkshire
Leeds West Yorkshire
Wakefield West Yorkshire
Halton Liverpool City Region
Knowsley Liverpool City Region
Liverpool Liverpool City Region
St. Helens Liverpool City Region
Sefton Liverpool City Region
Wirral Liverpool City Region
Hartlepool Tees Valley
Middlesbrough Tees Valley
Redcar and Cleveland Tees Valley
Stockton-on-Tees Tees Valley
Darlington Tees Valley
Birmingham West Midlands
Coventry West Midlands
Dudley West Midlands
Sandwell West Midlands
Solihull West Midlands
Walsall West Midlands
Wolverhampton West Midlands
Peterborough Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Cambridge Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
East Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Fenland Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Huntingdonshire Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
South Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Bath and North East Somerset West of England
Bristol, City of West of England
South Gloucestershire West of England
County Durham North East
South Tyneside North East
Sunderland North East
Gateshead North East
Northumberland North of Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne North of Tyne
North Tyneside North of Tyne

Learners not eligible for free-funding can pay for a Level 2 or Level 3 Course. Please call 020 8394 8426 or email distancelearning@nescot.ac.uk to find out more.

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