You may be worrying that returning to education will be too expensive and that the costs will exceed your income. Returning to education can be expensive, but it does not have to be expensive. With some careful planning and armed with all the necessary information, study can be cheap, if not free. In Chapter 6 different ways of obtaining financial support to help with your studies are outlined. It is advisable to get hold of all the relevant leaflets or guides and study them in detail. You should make sure you get all the financial help to which you are entitled. After all, the money is there for people like you; why not make use of it?

However, before you go on to plan your sources of financial support, it is useful to start to think about what costs you are likely to incur when returning to learning. In my research, adults who had returned to education were asked to rank those things which they felt had been the most expensive. The list below itemises these costs, with the most expensive first.

COURSE FEES

Course fees vary enormously, depending on the course you have chosen and the institution at which you wish to study.

Fees for private training

As a general rule private training providers tend to be the most expensive, although there will be exceptions to this rule. In particular, be wary of some information technology and computing courses run by private companies as the fees can be astronomical. If considering a course from a private training provider, find out exactly how much the course costs before you enrol. Make sure you look at the whole course and not just a specific module or component of the course.

Some less scrupulous learning providers are reluctant to detail fees up front. If this is the case, move on to another provider. If the course is vocational, that is it will help you with your future employment in some way, you might qualify for a Career Development Loan which will help with the cost of the course (see Chapter 6 and Appendix 2). However, you will need to find out whether your chosen learning provider is registered with the DfES before you can apply for a CDL.

Tuition fees (higher education)

When you hear the term ‘tuition fees’ it generally means the fees you have to pay for a higher education, undergraduate course. On average, a higher education course will cost about £4,000, with most of this cost being met by the Government. However, now a student is required to contribute towards this cost and this is where ‘tuition fees’ come in.

In 2005, the maximum amount of tuition fee a student has to pay is £1,175. Tuition fees are means tested – this means that many adults will only have to pay a part of the full amount and those on low incomes will pay nothing at all. From 2006/7 higher education institutions will be able to charge variable fees of up to £3,000 a year.

Fees for adult education courses and further education colleges

Most adult education and further education providers will give clear details of the fees for their courses, and most will accept payment in instalments – contact your local adult education service or FE college for details. Concessions are available on most courses, and those that do not attract concessions should be clearly marked. You need to check with your local adult education service and FE college, but as a general rule concessions are provided for the following:

• Those aged over 60 not in full-time employment.
• Those over the age of 18 who are receiving:
  • Job-Seekers’ Allowance
  • Income Support
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Disability Working Allowance.
• For those under the age of 18 who are:
  • receiving Job Seekers’ Allowance
  • on New Deal training courses
  • attending a college full-time and entitled to reduced fees.
• For students with a Statement of Special Educational Needs under the age of 19.
• In many colleges anyone not in the above categories can apply for remission of fees for any course on the grounds of financial hardship.

Examination fees

If your course is examined, you may need to pay an examination fee. Check with your learning provider as some examination fees are included in the cost of your course whereas others are not. Some students find it quite a shock to be asked to pay an extra examination fee at the end of their course. Concessions may be available for those on low incomes.

Refund of course fees

It is advisable to check with your learning provider whether they will give a refund on course fees should you be unable to attend. Most colleges and adult education services will give a refund up to around two weeks before the start of the course, but check specific time scales with your learning provider. Also, most colleges will provide a refund for any serious illness which prevents you from continuing with the course, but you will need to provide medical evidence that this is the case.

You should be aware that if you take out a Career Development Loan you will still have to repay the loan if you do not complete the course, even if this is not due to your own fault, such as the learning provider ceasing to trade. This means that you should be careful about the learning provider you choose.

CHILDCARE COSTS

If you have children you obviously have to think about how this might affect the cost of your course. Some parents wait until their children have entered full-time education before they consider returning to learning. This means that they do not have to pay for nurseries or childminders. Today there are a number of courses available aimed specifically at people with children. They are run during school hours and finish in good time for parents to collect their children from school (see Chapter 7). However, you will have to make sure that your learning provider and your children’s school are not too far away from each other in order to keep down travel costs.

If your children are below school age you will need to find out about local nurseries or childminders. For information about registered or approved childcare in your area visit www.childcarelink.gov.uk or telephone the National Childcare Information Line on (0800) 096 0296.

Some colleges have their own nurseries and concessions might be available – ring your local college to find out if this is the case. If you are on a low income, there are other ways of obtaining help with childcare costs or you might want to consider adult residential colleges which provide free places in their children’s centres (see Chapter 7).

BOOKS

The number of books you will need to buy is dependent on your course subject, level and nature of the institution in which you are studying. On degree courses you will need to purchase some books as you will find that there will be too many people chasing too few books in the library. Textbooks can be very expensive and you need to make sure you have enough money available to cover these costs. However, costs can be reduced by buying second-hand books and by not buying every book recommended on the reading list (see Chapter 7).

TRAVEL COSTS

Obviously the closer the learning provider to your home, the less your travel costs. This is one reason why many adults choose to study close to home. However, adults find that there are sometimes unexpected travel costs, such as for fieldtrips or educational visits. When you find a course in which you are interested, speak to the tutor and find out whether there will be any extra travel costs for which you have to budget. Also, if you have children, make sure that your learning provider is close to their school so that you can cut down on travel expenses. There is financial help available for those on low incomes to help with travel (see Chapter 7).

PHOTOCOPYING/LASER PRINTING

Adults in my research pointed out that a ‘hidden’ cost, at least at the beginning of their course, was the price of photocopying and laser printing. The amount of photocopying and printing required depends upon your course, the equipment that you own and your preferred method of study. Some books needed for your assignments will be held only in the reference section of the library. This may be because the books are very popular or too big and expensive to loan to people. Some students photocopy the relevant sections which can be expensive. Costs can be kept down by taking notes instead of photocopying.

Many undergraduate courses require that you word process your assignments – if you do not possess a personal computer you will need to use a computer owned by the institution and most will charge for good quality print-outs. Some adults say that this can be very expensive – they’ve even found it cheaper to buy a second-hand computer. Colleges and universities make available student notice-boards and produce student newspapers in which cheap computers are advertised.

FOOD/DRINK

Young students who have just left home for the first time tend to find that most of their money goes on food and drink. However, as an adult you already understand the importance of budgeting – you know how to keep costs low where food and drink are concerned. Most colleges and universities have their own cafés, snack bars and restaurants, and, as a general rule, these tend to be slightly cheaper than those found on the high street. However, adults point out that costs can mount up. Most courses will contain a coffee break – you go to the coffee bar with your fellow students and buy a coffee. It is the sociable thing to do and much useful information is passed around during the coffee break. But do this twice a day, five days a week if you are on a full-time course, and costs mount up.

Some adults take their own food and drink, whereas others do not buy a drink in every break. Some adult residential colleges provide free tea and coffee to help overcome this problem (see Chapter 2).

STATIONERY

Again, the amount of stationery you need to buy will depend upon your course. Pens and notepads are perhaps the most important items of stationery you will need and can be picked up cheaply from the college or university student union shop, or from the office warehouse shops which are open to the public. Some students find that buying in bulk from these places saves them money in the long run. However, it is advisable not to buy items of stationery until you have spoken to your tutor and found out exactly what is required. This could save you a lot of unnecessary expense.

SAVING MONEY

Adults were asked to provide their top tips for saving money when returning to learning. The following list has been reproduced from their answers, starting with the most popular.

COPING WITH FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

If you find that your financial circumstances are causing you a great deal of concern, it is a good idea to seek advice. If you have already enrolled on a course, find out whether your college or university has a welfare rights officer. This person may be employed by the student services department of the college or university or by the students’ union. As a student you are entitled to free, confidential advice and they will be able to let you know whether you qualify for any extra financial help.

If you have not enrolled on a course, contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau for advice about the options available to you.

SUMMARY

It is important to find out about fees and expenditure before enrolling on a course so that you know how much your course of study will cost. This will save unexpected financial costs causing concern as your course progresses. The most common causes of expenditure for adults returning to education include:

• course fees – tuition fees, fees for courses, examination fees
• childcare – childminders, nursery places, babysitters
• books
• travel
• photocopying/laser printing
• food/drink
• stationery – pens, paper, etc.

When enrolling on a course it is useful to find out about fee refunds should you be unable to complete the course.

FURTHER READING

I have written the following two books which you may find useful if you are concerned about financial issues whilst studying. More information can be obtained from www.studentcash.org.uk.

Dawson, C. (2005) Financial Survival for Students.

Dawson, C. (2005) Financial Support for Adult Learners.

Also useful is: