How much will my course cost?
This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. It depends on your personal circumstances.
Most of our courses are subsidised by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Some are subsidised by the Department of Education. A few aren’t subsidised at all.
Where a course is subsidised, we can only claim the money if you meet the criteria for funding. (It’s a bit like claiming benefits. Not everyone can claim them.)
To make things even more complicated, even if you are eligible for the Government/WMCA subsidy, depending on your circumstances it may not cover the full cost of the course, so we may still ask you to contribute to the cost of delivery.
This means that there are 5 scenarios to consider:
- Our Leisure Programme courses. These are not subsidised at all.
- Our Community Programme courses. These are only partially subsidised. Everyone must pay a fee, but there are different fee rates depending on your circumstances.
- Courses that are fully subsidised, but you are not eligible for the subsidy. (You can still do the course, but you’ll have to pay the full cost so the fee for you will be quite expensive.)
- Courses that are fully subsidised, you are eligible for the subsidy, but your circumstances mean you don’t get the full amount and will still have to pay a fee.
- Courses that are fully subsidised, you are eligible for the full amount. The course will be free for you.
The pages in this section give more details about these scenarios to help you work out which one applies for your course and circumstances. Given this can get quite complicated, if you’re not sure please do get in touch and ask. You can contact us at the email or phone number below.
But what’s the fee for my course?
Some courses you can enrol directly onto. Others, we need to do an assessment with you first to understand what level you are currently working and make sure we’re enrolling you on the correct course.
For courses you can enrol directly onto, you can do so on our online enrolment portal. When you do, you’ll see 3 possible fees listed.
- Full Fee – this is the cost of the course if you meet the WMCA/DfE eligibility criteria
- Over 66 – this is the cost of the course if you meet the WMCA/DfE eligibility criteria and are over 66.
- Go CV+ [https://go-cv.co.uk/go-cv-plus/] – this is the cost of the course if you meet the WMCA/DfE eligibility criteria and have a Go CV [https://go-cv.co.uk/go-cv-plus/]+ card.
For courses where an assessment is necessary, you’ll need to attend an enrolment & assessment meeting first. If you need to pay a fee (and for many people these courses are free) we’ll discuss it with you then.
Please look around our website to find the course(s) you’re interested in. Each course will tell you whether you can enrol directly or if you need to book an appointment first.
Adult Education Service
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
WMCA and Government eligibility criteria
Almost all of our courses are funded through grants from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) or from the Government’s Department for Education (DfE). To claim this funding on your behalf, we need to check you meet their eligibility criteria.
- You must have been born after 31/08/2005. (If you’re younger than that, our Study Programme [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/adult-education/study-programme-2] for younger learners may be able to help you.)
- You must meet the residency requirements. If any of the following statements apply to you, then you do:
- I have been living in the UK legally for at least the last 3 years.
- I am an EU/EAA or Swiss citizen, have Settled Status and have lived continuously in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar, or the UK for at least the last 3 years.
- I am a refugee.
- I have discretionary leave to remain.
- I am in the UK on one of the Ukrainian schemes.
- I am in the UK on one of the Afghan schemes.
- I am an Asylum seeker and have been living in the UK while waiting for my claim to be decided for more than 6 months.
If none of these residency statements apply to you, we may still be able to help. This page only lists the most common residency requirements, there are some other, rarer ones. We also have some limited bursaries to fund learners who are not eligible for the WMCA and DfE grants, or if you wish you can pay to fund a place on the course yourself. Please get in touch and we can discuss your situation in more detail.
Adult Education Service
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Community Programme courses
The fee for these courses is as follows:
| Fee Rate Category | Fee Rate |
|---|---|
| Standard Fee Rate | £10:00 per hour |
| English, Maths, ICT or Family Learning | Free |
| GoCV+ Rate | 90p per hour (£10 max) |
| 66 & over rate | £3:15 per hour |
| Full cost recovery (not eligible for WMCA/DfE funding)* | £10:00 per hour |
* Full cost recovery applies if you do not meet the WMCA/DfE Eligibility Criteria above [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/adult-education/eligibility-courses-fees/2].
Adult Education Service
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Leisure Programme courses
You must have been born after 31/08/2005. Provided you were, then the fee will be as follows:
| Category | Fee Per hour 2024/2025 |
|---|---|
| Standard Fee rate | £8.00 per hour |
| Go CV+ [https://go-cv.co.uk/go-cv-plus/] rate | £2.00 per hour |
| 66 years old & over rate | £6.00 per hour |
Adult Education Service
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Fully subsidised courses
For these courses, you will fall into one of 3 situations:
Course is free for you
To qualify for a free course, you must meet the WMCA/DfE Eligibility Criteria [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/adult-education/eligibility-courses-fees/2] above.
If you do and the course is a maths, English, ICT or Family Learning course then it will be free for you.
Our remaining subsidised courses are free for most people who meet the WMCA/DfE Eligibility Criteria, but you need to meet some additional criteria as well.
If you live within the WMCA*
If you are unemployed or if you are employed but earning less than £32,000 (gross) per annum then the course will be free.
If you live in Warwickshire
If you are unemployed and claiming benefits or you are employed and earning less than £25,000 (gross) per annum then the course will be free.
*WMCA: To determine if you live in the West Midlands Combined Authority, the easiest question for most of our learners is, do you pay your council tax to Coventry City Council? If so, you live in the WMCA. If not, you probably live in Warwickshire. If you would like more information of which areas lie within the WMCA, please see the WMCA map [https://www.wmca.org.uk/in-my-area/]. For more information about the WMCA and what it does, please visit the WMCA website [https://www.wmca.org.uk/].
Half the cost of the course is covered for you
You will fall into this category if you meet the WMCA/DfE eligibility criteria [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/adult-education/eligibility-courses-fees/2] above.
If the course you want to study is not a maths, English, ICT or Family Learning course.
And
If you live within the WMCA
You are employed and earning more than £32,000 (gross) per annum.
If you live in Warwickshire
If you are unemployed but not claiming benefits or you are employed and earning more than £25,000 (gross) per annum.
You have to pay the full cost of the course
If you do not meet the WMCA/DfE Eligibility Criteria [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/adult-education/eligibility-courses-fees/2] above then you would need to pay the full fee for the course.
What are the fees for subsidised courses?
This is dependent on the course. The DfE set rates for each qualification. When you enrol for the course, we will discuss any possible fee with you. If you’re interested in a course, but think you will have to pay, please get in touch and we will check your fee status and let you know the amount.