A Career Development Loan is a deferred repayment bank loan to help you pay for your studies. You can borrow between £300 and £8000 to pay for up to two years of learning (three years with work experience). For more information contact the Career Development Loan Information Line on 0800 585 505 (Monday - Saturday 8am - 10pm).

Colleges and other education providers hold Access Funds which aim to help students meet the costs of studying, like travel, fees and books. These limited funds are usually distributed  to the students most in need of funding, and are allocated according to financial difficulty. Contact your local college directly for more information.

Some colleges have Hardship Funds in addition to Access Funds, which are to help those students who are experiencing major financial difficulties. Contact your local college directly for more information on Hardship funding.

In order to find out more information about the various grants and bursaries that are on offer you can contact the Educational Grants Advisory Service on 0207 249 6636 (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm). In addition you can find out about local trusts that may offer one off funding payments to students of particular subject areas by asking for a list of these trusts at your local library.

For all your benefit enquiries contact your local Benefits Agency:
Bournemouth - 01202 446000
Poole - 01202 712600
Weymouth - 01305 328000

If you are working but on a low or middle income, and if you have children you may be able to claim the Working Tax Credit and/or the Child Tax Credit. For more information contact the Inland Revenue on 0845 609 50 00 or access their website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk.