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Financial support

Bursary awards

Student loans

Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)

Other sources of support



Bursary awards

We are offering a limited number of bursaries to self-financing students who wish to study selected courses with the Institute. The bursaries will continue to be available while funds remain.

About the bursary funds

The James Stuart Fund offers the following bursaries to applicants wishing to study with the Institute of Continuing Education for the first time:

The Cambridge University Press (CUP) Bursary Fund offers bursaries of £200 to applicants who teach in a UK state school or state-funded further education institution.

The Ivy Rose Hood Memorial Fund offers bursaries of £500 to applicants to an undergraduate-level Certificate, Diploma or Advanced Diploma course who are over 22 years old and are studying at university level for the first time. Applicants are requested to submit a personal statement on application. We are now inviting applications for 2013/14 courses.

Where bursaries are available for a particular course this will be stated in the course information material.

How to apply

To apply for a bursary online, go to the course you wish to apply for. If bursaries are available for that course, a link will appear below the course title - click on this to go to the application form.

You can also apply by post. Please contact our Admissions Team on ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 746262 to request a paper copy of the application form.

You should make a single application, which will determine which bursary you are eligible for. Only one bursary will be awarded to any one student within an academic year.

We will respond to your application within two weeks of the date of submission (or within four weeks for Diploma and Advanced Diploma applications). Please note that if you are awarded a bursary you will be required to book and pay the course fee (or the first instalment of the course fee) within three weeks of the date of notification to accept the bursary and confirm your place on the course.

Application deadlines

The closing date for applications to the Ivy Rose Hood fund is 25 July 2013.

The application deadline for James Stuart and CUP bursaries for Undergraduate Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses starting in October 2013 is 9 September 2013.

Where available, bursaries for weekend courses may be applied for at any time.

Student loans

In the academic year 2013/14, part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £6,750 to cover the cost of University fees. This loan replaces the Grants scheme previously in place. Maintenance grants will only be available to full-time students.

To be eligible for a loan your course of study must be equivalent to at least 25% of a full-time course each year. At ICE, our Undergraduate Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses are generally equivalent to 50% of full-time study.

Please note that you will not be eligible for a loan if you are studying for a lesser or equivalent qualification to one you already have.

If you receive a loan, the funds will be paid directly to the Institute of Continuing Education.

How to apply

Visit the Student Finance England website to download guides and information packs. Application forms for 2013/14 courses should be available from March 2013.

You should apply for a loan before applying for your course at ICE, as we will need to see your Student Entitlement Letter. As loans can take some time to process, please apply as soon as you can. We are unable to consider your application until we have received your Student Entitlement Letter. This can be sent to the Admissions team by email: ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk

Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)

If you are a UK student on a course that could enable you to apply for a student loan as described above and you have a disability, mental health condition or a specific learning difficulty which affects your ability to study, you may be able to apply for an allowance to help you buy or rent equipment to aid you in your studies or to pay for the services of support workers to assist you. Any previous study will not affect your eligibility for DSAs, even if you received financial support. There is no age limit on receiving DSAs.

Visit the Student Finance England website for further information.

Other sources of support

Students may also apply to the University's Access to Learning Fund which administers limited funds provided by the government to relieve financial hardship that might impact upon a student's participation in higher education. The fund cannot normally be used to meet the cost of tuition fees but can provide additional financial help to meet other course related costs.

You can find details of other sources of government funding and financial support, including Professional and Career Development Loans, on the GOV.UK website.

A variety of individual grants are available from grant-making trusts. You can usually consult the Directory of Grant Making Trusts at your local library.

In some instances your employer may be willing to offer you financial support for your personal and professional development.