Olympic & Paralympic 2012 - Living the Olympic & Paralympic values

Fees and Financial Support

Will I have to pay for my full time course?

There are various circumstances where a Full Time course is either free or reduced. These are listed below:

  • If you are over 19 years of age and a student on either a Literacy or Numeracy course (up to the equivalent of GCSE), your course is free.
  • If you are over 19 years of age and a student without a full level 2 qualification taking a full level 2 (e.g. GCSEs A-C) or level 3 course your course is free.
  • If you are aged 19-25 (as at 31st August 2011) and a student without a full level 3 qualification taking a full level 3 course (e.g. A Levels), your course is free.
  • If you are over 19 years old and in receipt of means-tested benefits (please see list below) your tuition fees are either free or reduced. You will be required to pay a registration fee, unless you are an asylum seeker or refugee not in receipt of benefits.
  • If you are 19 years old or over and not in any of the above categories, you will be required to pay full fees. The full fee for each course is displayed in the individual course pages

List of means-tested benefits:

  • Job Seekers Allowance / Employment Support Allowance
  • Income Support
  • Housing Benefits
  • Council Tax Benefits
  • Working Tax Credit (must be within the stipulated threshold)
  • Unwaged dependant of the above
  • Pensions Credit (over 60s income support)

You will be required to provide proof of your benefits and your residential status when you complete your enrolment.

Are there any other costs?

  • If you enrol on a course which involves working with children or vulnerable adults, you will need to have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check before you enrol. This will cost you £44 and is arranged by the College.
  • You may also have to pay for books and materials on some of our courses.

How much do I need to pay for a Full Time course?

The standard hourly rate for a qualification course is £3.25 per hour with a £45 registration fee. You will also need to pay an exam fee.

If you are over 19 years old and not in any of the above categories, you will be required to pay full fees.

Methods of payment

If you pay your fees in full by debit card before your course starts you will receive a discount of 10% of the tuition fee only; if you pay in advance by any other payment methods this discount will be 8%.

We accept the following methods of payment: Cash / Cheques / Visa / MasterCard / UK Maestro / Delta / Electron / Solo.

Please make all cheques payable to ‘Greenwich Community College’.

Payment by Instalment

Alternatively, you may choose to pay your fees by instalments, spreading your costs over the duration of the course or the first seven months, whichever is the shorter – this does not apply to full-cost courses.

Refund Policy

Fees cannot be refunded unless a course is closed. The College reserves the right to close or merge courses if sufficient numbers are not recruited.

Refunds cannot be made for any other reason.

Can I receive help for the cost of my course?

  • Students on a qualification course can apply to our Learner Support Fund for help with various costs including exam fees, books and equipment, travel and childcare costs. Application is easy, you can apply once you have started your course. Our Learner Support Fund Officer can also give you Welfare Benefits advice.

For more information about fees please call 020 8488 4800.

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

Following the Government’s announcement that it is ending the Education Maintenance Allowances scheme, Greenwich Community College is working with AoC London and London Colleges to develop a new fair and transparent system to allocate the new guaranteed and discretionary bursaries.

Colleges expect to receive this funding from Government soon and will be looking to advise potential and current students as soon as possible on what is on offer.

Greenwich Community College, in common with Colleges across London, is dedicated to giving students as much financial and practical support as possible.

Please check this site for further updates.