Student Eligibility for LSC Funding
Eligibility for study
In order to be eligible for UK Government (Learning and Skills Council or LSC) funding, a student must normally and legally be resident in England. In order to be legal residents of England, they must be:
- British Citizens (hold British passports)
- Asylum seekers (have the right to be here and have their claims for Asylum to be considered)
- Refugees (have been granted settled status by the Home Office)
- Have been granted Leave to Enter or Leave to Remain by the Home Office
- Students from the EU or migrant workers from the EEA who are resident in England and have been resident in any EEA country for the past three years.
Spouses and other relatives of eligible individuals are only eligible if they are eligible in their own right. They are not automatically eligible by virtue of being married to or dependant upon an individual who is eligible.
EU/EEA students who are in England for the purposes of study only are eligible to claim funding for any LSC fundable courses. If an EEA student wishes to enrol on a course, they must prove that they are EEA nationals (eg passport) and they must have been living in the EEA for the past three years.
Asylum seekers receive funding from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) and, although eligible to claim LSC funding for education, they cannot access Learner Support Funds.
Students from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are subject to what the funding body refer to as the 'waters edge' agreement. This effectively means that they are eligible for funding if they come to City College to study. They will not be fundable if they remain at home to study (e.g. distance or e-learning).
All other students are considered as overseas students unless they meet eligibility criteria and must therefore pay overseas fees.
In order to claim Government funding, students must produce the relevant paperwork to prove their status and a photocopy of this will be retained with their enrolment form as audit evidence.
Students from the European Economic Area
The European Economic Area includes the fifteen member states of the European Union:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Plus:
- Iceland
- Norway
- Lichtenstein
Students from these countries are subject to a reciprocal agreement in that they are eligible for funding for vocational courses and only eligible for non-vocational courses if they are living and working here.
Definitions of teaching 'English'
The funding body have adopted the following definitions of the teaching of English in FE:
- ESOL is the teaching and learning of English for people normally resident in England, who have the right to be resident in England and are learning in order to improve their spoken or written English to allow them to better integrate into the society in which they live and may work. ESOL is normally provided to immigrants or those from ethnic minorities where English is not usually the primary language spoken at home. ESOL is considered a basic skill provided that it meets the National Standards for Basic Skills.
- EFL is the teaching and learning of English as a second or subsequent language from the student's native language. Generally, students will be 'overseas' students and be present in England for the purposes of study only.
Neither ESOL nor EFL are considered by the European Court as vocational education.
Further Guidance
This guidance is derived from the LSC funding guidance and LSC audit guidance and has been checked by them with the Home Office. More detailed guidance is available in the Education (Fees & Awards) Regulations published by the Stationery Office. This guidance is not exhaustive and if you fall outside of this guidance, please consult with Student Services who will consult the LSC on your behalf.