A fee is payable for those enrolling on a part-time course.
There are various forms of funding available to students undertaking a part-time course at North East Scotland College. However, a lot of the information on offer will depend on your individual situation.
The type of funding you may be entitled to will depend upon the level of course you are studying. If you’re not sure which level applies to you, visit our courses explained page.
If you are studying a part-time non-advanced course (below HNC level) you may be entitled to the following funding options.
If you are studying a part-time advanced course (HNC level or above) you may be entitled to the following funding options.
The College may be able to assist with the cost of registered childcare incurred by you in undertaking part-time studies.
The conditions which apply vary depending on the level of study you undertake, and there is no absolute guarantee that assistance will be provided.
Please check for eligibility by calling or visiting your local Student Advice Centre, or emailing studentadvice@nescol.ac.uk.
You can find out more by visiting our Childcare Funding page.
Remission of fees, or fee waiver, may be available to students on non-advanced or advanced part-time and distance learning courses.
Students undertaking more than one part-time or distance learning course within the same College year, who wish to use fee waiver entitlement, may be subject to a limit on the number of courses they book on.
If you have qualified for Remission of Fees, you may be considered for financial assistance from a Discretionary Fund.
Any application for help from Discretionary Funds is not guaranteed to be successful, and you must initially meet with a Student Adviser to discuss eligibility. You can arrange a meeting with a Student Adviser by calling or visiting your local Student Advice Centre or emailing studentadvice@nescol.ac.uk.
For those undertaking study at a non-advanced level (below HNC) who have qualified for Remission of Fees, there may be an option to apply for the award of Support Funding, for the College to address the cost of necessary course materials and travel.
Application forms can be obtained from your local Student Advice Centre.
Your course may be free if any of the following apply to you and you are not a current full-time student at North East Scotland College:
You are in receipt of the following benefits:
You are Care-Experienced
You are an asylum seeker living in Scotland
You or your family is in receipt of any of the following benefits:
Additionally, you may be entitled to remission of fees if the taxable income of the student’s family in the previous tax year is equivalent to or lower than the threshold below:
Please note that it is the responsibility of the student to provide evidence of their fee waiver entitlement.
If you are eligible in any of the categories please download and complete the Waiver 1 Form along with a Part-time Booking Form and submit these to the College with current evidence of your eligibility.
Evidence must be dated within the last four weeks of the date you book onto the course and clearly show your name, address and the benefit you are in receipt of.
For income based remission of fees, the burden of proof is on the student to satisfy the College with evidence of their family’s income in the previous tax year.
Applying for funding and knowing what you are entitled to can be confusing. If you wish to meet with a Student Adviser to discuss your options, please call or visit your local Student Advice Centre or email studentadvice@nescol.ac.uk to arrange an appointment.
Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) may be available to 16 to 19 year olds studying on a non-andvanced (HNC or below) part-time course.
Criteria for receiving an EMA includes:
Full details can be found on the MyGov. Scot website.
For more information and advice, please call or visit your local Student Advice Centre or email studentadvice@nescol.ac.uk.
You will be given an application form to complete which you must submit to our funding team along with the requested documents.
A part-time free grant may be available if you are undertaking a part-time course at HNC or HND level which consists of between 30 – 119 credits.
Eligibility for Fee Grant funding is determined by criteria laid out by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).
This criteria includes:
For more information and a breakdown of eligibility criteria, visit the SAAS website.
Applications should be made directly to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) and if your application is successful they will pay the grant directly to the College.
Visit the SAAS website for more details on fee grants and to download an application form
All students registering for these courses must pay the appropriate SQA administration fees in addition to the course fee. Students setting out with the intention of achieving a full HNC or HND Group Award must pay the full HNC or HND Group Award Fee in addition to the course fee at the time of booking. Students will receive a Group Award Certificate on completion of all required Units. The current cost of the SQA HNC Group Award fee is £114.25 and SQA HND Group Award fee is £137.50.
Students undertaking individual HN Units which do not form a Group Award (i.e. on a stand–alone basis) must pay the HN Unit fee per unit undertaken in addition to the course fee at the time of booking. The current cost of the SQA Unit fee is £14.00.
We can register candidates in the following ways:
If you know you intend to complete the full ECDL qualification with all 7 modules, it makes financial sense to pay for the full registration at the start at a cost of only £30. You must then pass all 7 modules to gain the full award.
Registration for the ECDL Essentials (modules 1, 2 and 7) costs £30 and you will receive an ECDL Essentials certificate upon completion.
Registration for the ECDL Extra qualification costs £45. This is appropriate if you intend to solely undertake modules 3, 4, 5 and 6. Upon completion you will receive a certificate for the ECDL Extra qualification.
If, following completion of the Extra and Essentials qualifications, you would like the full ECDL qualification, then you must register and pay a further £30.
Payment can be made by cash, cheque or card at:
Assessment Centre Office
Room LG10, Tower Block,
Aberdeen City Campus
Aberdeen, AB25 1BN
Debit/credit card payments can be made by telephoning 01224 612237.
Fee rates quoted on this site and in our Part-Time Guide do not apply in the case of any individual who does not meet residential criteria relating to ‘home status’.
The basic criteria are that the individual must be ordinarily resident in the UK or EEA for the past three years, having no restrictions on the right to stay in the UK. Any applicant unable to fulfil these criteria should state this at the time of booking so they can pay the non-subsidised fee rate that applies in these cases.
Applicants who are not entitled to pay ‘home’ fee rates are advised that they must pay the overseas fee rate to be entitled to take up a place on the course. The conditions relating to residence are complex. If you have any questions regarding this, please call or visit your local Student Advice Centre or email studentadvice@nescol.ac.uk.
On the 1 February 2018, the Scottish Government made a commitment to eligible EU nationals commencing their studies in academic year 2019–2020 that they will continue to receive student support.
More information for EU National students can be found on the SAAS website.