People who are 16 or over and living in Scotland can now apply for annual funding of up to £500 a year towards the cost of their higher education or professional qualification course fees
To be eligible applicants must have an income of £22,000 a year or less and be studying 40 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credits or more in an academic year..
Higher education courses, Professional Development Awards (PDA) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses at SCQF levels 7-10 are eligible.
And for academic year 2009 – 10 learners can also get up to £500 towards eligible part – time taught postgraduate courses, PDA and CPD courses at SCQF level 11.
As well as relieving pressures for existing part-time students on lower incomes, this offer also opens up new opportunities for people considering part-time study to re-train or build their skills.
How it will work
Application packs can be obtained through the ILA Scotland helpline on 0808 100 1090 or from the learner zone of this website.
Once a student receives their application form, they should take it to their provider to have their form stamped and certified that the course is eligible for funding.
Once the form has been returned to us and if it is processed successfully, we will send a letter to the student to confirm that we will pay up to £500 towards their course fees. As with all ILA Scotland funding, the funds will be paid directly to the learning provider, with the student being responsible for paying the balance directly to their provider.