Funding Your Creativity: A Guide to Student Finance Wales

Investing in your creative future is a big step. The support from Student Finance Wales, paired with OCA’s competitive tuition fees, means you can pursue your studies with the freedom to balance your education with your other commitments.

Here is your guide to how Student Finance Wales works specifically for your studies at OCA.

What is a Student Finance Wales Tuition Fee Loan?

A Student Finance Wales Tuition Fee Loan is a repayable government loan that covers the direct costs of tuition fees for eligible undergraduate programmes, and the loan is paid directly to the institution on your behalf. You must pay it back, but usually only after you have left or finished your course and your income is above a certain threshold.

Are You Eligible?

The first thing to note is that when studying an undergraduate programme with OCA, you can only apply for a part-time tuition fee loan. 

To qualify for Student Finance Wales part-time tuition fee loan, you generally need to meet the following criteria:

• Your ‘course intensity’ is at least 25% (OCA undergraduate degrees meet this requirement!)
• Your home is in Wales and you meet the residency requirements.
• You’re doing your first higher education qualification*.

*If you stopped a previous course within the first year, you may receive funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

View eligibility criteria in full here.

How it Works at OCA

Tuition Fee Loan

You apply for funding once per academic year. Typically, eligible students receive enough funding to cover one unit of study per year. At this pace, you can expect to complete your undergraduate degree in nine years.

The amount you are awarded and the cost of an OCA course is available to view through the Fees, Funding and Other Costs information page. 

While you are welcome to progress faster, please keep in mind that if you enrol in more than one unit within your Seasonal Academic Year (the period you can use your award, which is determined by when you start your studies), you will need to self-fund any additional units for that year.

Instead of paying for an entire stage of study upfront, you progress unit by unit. This means funding is only released to OCA—or requested from you—as you register for each individual unit. This approach allows you to spread the cost and focus on one part of your degree at a time.

Your unit enrolment must match the specific academic year of your funding award. For example, a 2025/26 award must be used to start a unit within that same academic year. It cannot be used to begin a unit in 2026/27. If you don’t start your unit during the year your funding was granted, you will need to re-apply for the following year.

Maintenance Loan and Grants

If you are eligible, you can receive a mix of loans and grants from Student Finance Wales to help with living costs.

• Maintenance Loans: These must be repaid with interest once you finish or leave your course.
• Grants: These do not need to be paid back, unless you leave your course early.

The total amount you receive depends on your household income and your course intensity (how many credits you study).

Because OCA allows you to study at your own pace, we confirm your registration to Student Finance one unit at a time.

• • Initial Award: When you start, we confirm you are studying 40 credits (one unit). Your initial funding award will be based on this 40-credit intensity.
  • Increasing Your Credits: If you complete a unit and enrol in another one within your Seasonal Academic Year, we will update Student Finance. This increases your total credits for the year, which may increase the amount of loan or grant you receive.
  • Financial Considerations: SFW covers funding for one unit per year. If you study more than one unit per year, you’ll need to self-fund part of your studies. 
  • Progression Rules: You must fully complete one unit before you can progress to and register for the next. In some cases, you must wait for your assessment results before progressing. 

How to Apply

• Choose Your Course: Pick the OCA degree pathway you wish to study and submit your enrolment form. 
• Apply to Student Finance: Visit the Student Finance Wales website and complete your part-time application. For more details, visit our  Fees, Funding and Other Costs page to view the Student Finance Application Guidance. This guide contains all the essential information needed from OCA to complete your application.
• Confirmation: Once we are able to verify your funding is in place, we will confirm your place on an intake.  
• Complete Registration: When induction is complete, OCA will confirm your registration with Student Finance. 

How will Life-Long Learning affect Student Finance Wales. 

The lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) will replace higher education (HE) student finance loans in England from January 2027. This will not change the Student Finance Wales system. 

Ready to get started? Check your eligibility on the Student Finance Wales website today, or reach out to our team at [email protected] for guidance on taking your next creative step.