Fees & Funding: Undergraduate

For students who are entitled to certain benefits, they may qualify for an extra loan for living costs. This would mean the maximum Maintenance Loan available would be £12,019 instead of £10,544 if living away from home and £10,473 instead of £8,877 for students living at home. For example, if you are a lone parent or in receipt of Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance, you may qualify for this extra loan. 

This grant helps with childcare costs if you have dependent children aged under 15 years in registered or approved childcare. Depending on your household income, you can apply for up to £199.62 per week for 1 child or up to £342.24 for 2 or more children. 

This allowance helps with course related costs if you have dependent children. You can get up to £1,963 a year, depending on your household income. 

This grant helps with costs if an adult, for example your partner, depends on you financially. You could get up to £3,545 per year depending on your household income. 

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSAs) may be available if you have a disability or a specific learning difficulty including dyslexia. DSA’s do not depend on your household income and what you receive depends on your individual needs. For further information about DSA’s please visit www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa  or contact the College Academic Mentoring Team by email to academicmentoring@hca.ac.uk. 

Students may qualify for a Cash Bursary of £1,000 in their first year only. To be eligible for this bursary a student must meet the following eligibility criteria: 

• The student must be ordinarily resident in England. 
• The student must be liable to pay the full £9,780* tuition fee for their course. 
• The student must be a new undergraduate starting Higher Education for the first time in 2027 and have made a firm acceptance of a place on a Hereford College of Arts Higher Education course. 
• To be eligible, a student must have a declared residual household income of less than £25,000 per year. 

All students who have studied either at Hereford College of Arts or one of its Progression Partner Colleges  on a Further Education course within the last 2 academic years are eligible for a Progression Bursary of £500 in their first year if studying full time (or £250 if studying part time). 

Our current Progression Partners:

• Bath College
• Hereford College of Arts
• Belfast Metropolitan College
• Herefordshire & Ludlow College
• Bourneville, South and city College 
• Hereford Sixth Form College
• Cirencester College
• Malvern Hills College (Warwickshire College Group)
• City of Bristol College
• Newent Sixth Form College
• Coleg Powys Newtown (NPTC group)
• NWRC Derry
• Coleg y Cymoedd
• NPTC group (All campus)
• Dudley College
• Plumpton College
• Evesham College
• (Warwickshire College Group)
• Shrewsbury College
• Gloucestershire College – ALL Campuses
• South Gloucestershire & Stroud College - Stroud
• Gower College
• South Gloucestershire & Stroud College
• (Wise & Filton)
• Grantham College
• Stratford Upon Avon College
• Halesowen College
• New Swindon College
• Heart of Worcestershire College
• Worcester Sixth Form College

Progression bursaries will be paid to new students who have completed a level 3 within the last 2 years and are also one of the following:

• Has been a HCA student (Level 3, including Extended Diploma and Foundation courses).
• Has attended a school or college in Herefordshire to study their Level 3 course.  For example, John Masefield, HLNSC, HSFC. 
• Has an HR postcode for their home address. 

Top-up full-time students from our progression colleges (see above for list) receive £250 in the first year.

Top-up part-time students from our progression colleges. are entitled to £125 in Year One.

Full-time Top-up students from Pontypool Campus will receive £250 in the first year. Direct Entrant Level 5 students must have achieved an HND in order to be eligible to receive £250 in their first year of study (Level 5) with HCA.

All care leavers will receive a Cash Bursary of £1,000 in their first year, and will also receive a Care Leaver Bursary of £1,000 in both their second and third year. Evidence of being a care leaver must be in the form of an original letter showing care leaver status from your local authority. 

All bursaries are paid to students in 3 instalments: 25% is payable in the Autumn Term, 25% in the Spring term and 50% in the Summer Term. Satisfactory work, attendance and progress during the year are required to ensure all payments are made. 

The purpose of this fund is to provide exceptional support to students who are experiencing financial difficulty whilst studying. This support may provide assistance with travel, material costs, rent or living expenses.  

Students requesting assistance will be required to complete an application form detailing their financial circumstances and be able to show evidence of hardship.  

Applications are assessed each term and not all applications will be successful as the College has a limited fund available. Students must have applied for, and be in receipt of, their full maintenance loan from Student Finance England before an application can be considered. 

The tuition fee for 2026-27 has been set at £4,780 for all part-time courses.

The tuition fee for 2027-28 has been set at £5,040 for all part-time courses.  

Support Available From Student Finance England (SFE) and the Student Loans Company (SLC)

A Tuition Fee loan is available to part-time students to cover their tuition fees in full (there is no upper age limit). The amount they can borrow does not depend on household income. The Student Loans Company pays this directly to the College. 

All UK residents (home students) students studying a first undergraduate degree are entitled to a Maintenance Loan to help with accommodation and living costs (how much loan you receive depends on your household income, course intensity and where you live while studying). The study intensity for part time courses at Hereford College of Arts are 50% of a full time course. The maximum loan available for 2026-27 is £5,272 if living away from home and £4,439 if living at home. 

Disabled students’ allowance (DSAs) may be available if you have a disability or specific learning difficulty including dyslexia. DSA’s do not depend on your household income and what you receive depends on your individual needs. For more information, please contact the Academic Mentoring Team by email academicmentoring@hca.ac.uk

For more information about tuition fees, loans or bursaries, please email funding@hca.ac.uk

For any other information or enquiries about Higher Education funding, please email us at registry@hca.ac.uk