Shrewsbury College has successfully bid for direct finance from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the first time, which will help to grow its Higher Education provision.

Helen Fellows, Higher Education (HE) Lead, led the bid for the annual funding for the College which has grown its HE student numbers by over a third this year.

Shrewsbury College has been delivering HE in the town for over 15 years and has benefitted recently from growth in the numbers of part-time mature students seeking job-related qualifications at a reasonable price.

Helen said: “The average price that most universities are charging for a three-year degree is currently £27,000. The equivalent of two years study at Shrewsbury College will cost you around £10,800. On top of that students, save on living expenses by staying at home and frequently combine study and work. Many of our students complete their studies almost debt free and are already employed. This great news will enable us to further expand our HE curriculum that is already popular locally.”

As a result of this news the College will announce in February new courses for September 2015 and also what extra incentives it can provide for students to study at the College. The established portfolio of courses already includes Accounting, Business and Management, Computing, Counselling, Engineering, Fashion, Hair & Beauty, Heath & Social Care, Performing Arts, Sport, and Teaching.

Steve Wain, Principal of Shrewsbury College, said “Now that the re-development of London Road is complete, we have a great campus to offer our community. We have a dedicated HE learning Centre, the best outdoor sports facilities around and great Restaurants, Cafes, Conference spaces and a Theatre. All of these things enhance the Higher Education experience.”

“We will continue to develop our courses with our existing university partners that include Edge Hill University, which recently won the prestigious Times Newspaper UK University of the Year award. We will also seek to expand our partner network and continue to ensure that through collaboration the Chester University Centre programme continues to be complementary with the existing provision in the county.

“Benefits of studying HE with us include smaller class sizes, taught by lecturers with industry experience who have the opportunity to influence the development of programmes and of course, you can study while you work.

The College holds advice events throughout the year or people are welcome to call in and speak to the course advice team at any time. For further information on courses at Shrewsbury College, please call 01743 342411 or visit ww.shrewsbury.ac.uk