Financial support

Support

We don’t want cost to be a barrier to anyone studying at Coleg y Cymoedd.

Depending on your personal circumstances, there are lots of ways you can get help with the cost of studying, including, grants, bursaries, loans and allowances.

What funding can I get?

The funding you’re eligible for depends on your age, household income and type of course. This is a summary of some of the types of funding you might be able to apply for.

	School leaver (16-18)	Adult learner (18+)	Undergraduate / postgraduate	Employer
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)	✓
Financial Contingency Fund (FCF)	✓	✓
Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG)		✓
Personal Learning Account Funding (PLA)		✓
ReAct+		✓
Enhanced Learning Credit Scheme (ELCAS)		✓	✓
Student finance			✓
Disabled Students Allowance			✓
Flexible Skills Programme (FSP)				✓
Construction Industry Training Board Funding (CITB)				✓

Funding for 16-18 year olds

There are several sources of funding to help you continue your education beyond compulsory school age.

These are the main types of college funding you could qualify for aged 16-18. Contact Learner Services if you need more support and advice on what’s available.

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

EMA is a weekly payment of £40 to help with the costs of continuing your education after leaving school. Payments are made every two weeks and are subject to eligibility and attendance requirements.

EMA eligibility

You may be eligible for EMA if you:

Live in Wales
Will be aged 16 to 18 on 31 August 2026
Meet Student Finance Wales nationality and residency requirements
Attend an eligible school or college course for at least 12 hours per week
Have a household income of £24,570 or less, or £27,273 or less if there are other young people in your household who qualify for Child Benefit

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible, you can check the full eligibility criteria on the Student Finance Wales website.

Receiving your EMA payments

Before EMA payments can be made, you must:

Complete a Learning Agreement with Coleg y Cymoedd
Meet the attendance requirements set by the College
Report absences correctly and provide evidence where required
Follow College expectations for attendance, behaviour and engagement

Attendance is monitored through official College registers and payments are only authorised when attendance criteria have been met.

If you experience any difficulties that may affect your attendance, we encourage you to speak with your tutor or Learner Services as soon as possible so we can help identify the right support.

How to apply for EMA

Applications usually open in April and you can apply before receiving your GCSE results. We recommend applying as early as possible to ensure funding is in place for the start of your course.

Apply for EMA through Student Finance Wales.

Financial Contingency Fund (FCF)

The Financial Contingency Fund (FCF) is for learners who are experiencing financial difficulty and are at risk of dropping out of college because of low income and challenging circumstances.

FCF eligibility

To be considered for FCF you must:

Be over 16
On a full-time course

There are then different eligibility criteria depending on what you are claiming support with.

Find out more about FCF eligibility.

How to apply for FCF

You can apply at any point in the academic year. It’s a good idea to apply as soon as you enrol to get the maximum available support from the fund.

Find out more about Coleg y Cymoedd’s Financial Contingency Fund (FCF), including how to apply.

Further education funding for adults (18+)

Adults in further education can apply for financial support depending on their needs and circumstances.

Contact Learner Services to find out more about what you might be eligible for.

Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG)

The Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG) is available to eligible learners aged 19 or over who are studying a further education course. It provides additional financial support to help with the costs of education. Depending on your household income and the number of hours you study, you could receive up to £1,919 per year if studying full-time or up to £959 per year if studying part-time.

WGLG eligibility

You may be eligible for WGLG if you:

Are aged 19 or over on 1 September 2026
Live in Wales and meet Student Finance Wales nationality and residency requirements
Are studying an eligible further education course
Have a household income of £18,370 or less

The amount you receive will depend on your household income and the number of hours you study.

If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, you can check the full eligibility criteria on the Student Finance Wales website.

Receiving your WGLG payments

Before WGLG payments can be made, you must:

Complete a Learning Agreement with Coleg y Cymoedd
Meet the attendance and engagement requirements set by the College
Report absences correctly and provide evidence where required
Follow College expectations for attendance, behaviour and engagement

Attendance is confirmed using official College registers and reviewed at key points throughout the academic year. Payments are only authorised where attendance requirements have been met.

If you experience any difficulties that may affect your attendance or ability to continue your studies, we encourage you to speak with your tutor or Learner Services as soon as possible so we can help identify the right support.

How to apply for WGLG

Applications normally open in April for the following academic year. We recommend applying as early as possible and before your course begins where you can.

Once Student Finance Wales has assessed your application, you will need to complete a Learning Agreement with Coleg y Cymoedd before payments can be confirmed.

Apply for WGLG through Student Finance Wales.

Financial Contingency Fund (FCF) 19+

If you’re a learner aged 19 or over with a low household income you can apply to the Financial Contingency Fund (FCF).

The fund can help adult learners with expenses like childcare, course equipment and travel.

FCF 19+ eligibility

You need to meet similar FCF criteria as younger learners if you’re aged 19+.

To benefit from the fund you must:

Be on a full-time course.
Receive benefits (or live with someone who does).
Have a household income of £16,190 or less.

There are then different eligibility criteria depending on what you are claiming support with.

Find out more about FCF eligibility.

How to apply for FCF 19+

You can apply at any point in the academic year. It’s a good idea to apply as soon as you enrol to get the maximum available support from the fund.

You can apply at any point in the academic year although it’s best to do it as early as possible.

Find out more about Coleg y Cymoedd’s Financial Contingency Fund (FCF), including how to apply.

Personal Learning Account (PLA)

Personal Learning Account (PLA) helps you gain qualifications to increase your employment opportunities in priority sectors across Wales.

PLA works a bit differently to other types of college funding. Instead of getting a loan or grant, you get access through your account to courses you can study for free.

Courses are aligned with sectors that have skills shortages. Browse PLA courses you can study at Coleg y Cymoedd.

PLA eligibility

To be eligible for a PLA you must:

Be over 19
Live in Wales
Be employed, self-employed or a full-time carer

You also need to have a salary of £34,303 or less for most courses.

How to apply for PLA

You can apply for a fully funded PLA course directly through Coleg y Cymoedd.

Explore PLA courses and complete your training plan online.

ReAct+

React+ is a grant programme from the Welsh Government to help get you back into work after redundancy with a grant of up to £1,500.

React+ funding can help with the costs of:

Vocational training.
Travel costs.
Childcare.

ReAct+ eligibility

To be eligible for ReAct+ support you must:

Be aged 20+.
Live in Wales.
Have the right to live and work in the UK.

You also need to meet one of the following criteria:

You are under formal notice of redundancy.
You were made redundant within the last six months.
You are an ex-offender.
You are an offender serving a community sentence.

How to apply for ReAct+

You need to book an appointment with a Careers Wales adviser to apply for ReAct+.

Find out more about ReAct+, including how to apply at your nearest Careers Wales office.

Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELCAS)

The Enhanced Learning Credit Scheme (ELCAS) is funding for current and ex-members of the armed forces.

Depending on your length of service, you could get £1,000-£2,000 towards the cost of your course each year.

ELCAS eligibility

The ELCAS scheme is for current or past member of the armed forces.

You must have served for at least four years.
If you’re a veteran, you must have left the forces within the last five years.
Your course must be level three or higher.

How to apply for ELCAS

You need to apply with your services education staff if you’re still in service. If you’ve left the forces, contact your single service representative.

See all Coleg y Cymoedd courses that are eligible for ELCAS funding.

Funding for higher education learners

There are several routes to financing your university-level studies at Coleg y Cymoedd.

Most learners on qualifying courses will be able to apply for student finance and there’s extra support available for some learners.

Student finance

You can get a student loan of up to £9,790 to cover the cost of a higher education course like a degree, HND or PGCE. The tuition fee loan does not depend on your household income.

You could also get up to £12,590 as a mixture of loan and grant to help with your living costs. How much you get depends on:

Whether you live with parents or independently from them.
Your household income.
Whether you’re studying full-time or part time.

For example, full-time learners not living with parents can claim a non-repayable grant of between £1,020 up to £8,260, depending on household income.

A similar package is available to eligible part-time students, on a pro-rata basis related to intensity of study.

Student finance eligibility

You could be eligible for student finance if your course at Coleg y Cymoedd leads to one of these qualifications:

First Degree – Bachelor of Arts (BA), Science (BSc) or Education (BEd).
Foundation Degree.
Certificate of Higher Education.
Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE).
Higher National Certificate (HNC).
Higher National Diploma (HND).
A Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).
Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

Check full eligibility criteria at Student Finance Wales.

How to apply for student finance

Applications for courses starting the following September open in late March.

Apply online directly with Student Finance Wales.

Other support for higher education learners

There are several other schemes you might be eligible for:

Disabled students allowance – Extra support on top of your student finance to help with study related costs.
ELCAS – For current or ex members of the armed forces.