At Bath College we offer a wide range of vocational and academic courses, and can help you find the right pathway to provide you with the knowledge and skills for your chosen career. Whether you'd like to go straight into work, or on to University, here at Bath College we will be with you every step of the way. College is a fantastic alternative to school, you can focus on what you really want to do, in an adult working environment. You will be encouraged to discover things for yourself, with help when needed. We will talk to you about your progress, so you will always know if you are achieving the right grades to succeed.
At Bath College we will begin offering T Level courses. T Level courses differ slightly from a traditional BTEC or A Level, and instead are focussed on preparing you to enter your chosen industry. You can find out more about our T Level offerings using the button below.
You are welcome to come to one of our open days. You can talk to tutors and see for yourself what the College has to offer. Advisors are also available on these days, they can help you with student funding, learner support or give you careers advice to help you choose the right course. We also offer taster sessions, usually organised in conjunction with secondary schools. If you are home tutored and would like to take part in a taster event, please contact our Schools Liaison Officer, George Dorrity on (01225) 328 848 or email at George.Dorrity@bathcollege.ac.uk. You can also send any general enquiries about our courses to the email address below, or call our Student Advice Centre.
We've compiled some frequently asked questions here, regarding our full time course provision. If you still have questions then you can use the contact details above to contact our student advice centre, who will be happy to help.
- How do I apply?
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Step 1: Look at our courses
There are various ways of finding the right course for you; browsing the Bath College Full-Time Course Guide, visiting this website and searching our vast course database or going through your Careers Advisor or Connexions Worker.
Step 2: Attend an Open Day
We hold Open Events throughout the year. At these events, prospective students, friends and family are welcome to come into the College to try activities in subjects you may wish to study, meet staff members and current students, and discuss options available to you at the College. These events may be virtual, but we will always offer live sessions where you can talk to a course tutor.
Step 3: Choose your course
Once you have looked through the courses available and taken advice from tutors and careers advisors it is time to make your choice. Most of our courses have minimum entry criteria which you will need to have in order to be offered a place, so you should apply for the level of course for which you already have the grades or are likely to get the grades.
Step 4: Apply for your course
Search for the course you wish to apply for and click the ‘apply’ button.
Step 5: Attend an interview
Once your application form has been received and accepted you will be invited to attend an interview with a course tutor related to your subject of choice. Attending your interview provides you with a good opportunity to look at the College’s sites and facilities, meet other students and tutors, and discuss your courses with your future lecturers.
Step 6: Accept your offer
After you have attended the interview you should receive a letter confirming that you have been offered a place on your chosen course (subject to you meeting any entry requirements). If you wish to accept this offer you must complete and return the attached form to confirm that you would like to take up the place. If you are not offered a place, the Bath College guarantees to find you a place on a suitable course and will invite you for a second interview to discuss options available and courses which will meet with your individual needs.
Step 7: Concentrate on your GCSE grades
If you are studying for your GCSEs, now is the time to concentrate on getting the best grades you can achieve. The better you do at your GCSEs, the better you will do at College. You need to work hard on the subjects required for your entry on to your chosen course as well as your English and Maths. You can relax with the knowledge you have a place at College, but if you relax too much you may find yourself doing a year longer and more English and Maths than you had planned.
Step 8: Enrol on your course
For full-time courses, the College will send students a letter during the summer detailing the time, date and location of their enrolment. This normally takes place at the end of August, the week before the term starts. Please ensure you bring full payment with you to your enrolment day. If an employer is sponsoring you please ensure you bring in an Authority to Invoice form completed by your employer/sponsor so that we can invoice them directly. This form is available to download below.
Tips on making your application online:
1. Use your full name not a shortened version
2. If possible, do not use your school email as when we send emails with important information on the course and how & when to enrol, you may not be able to access them from your school email
3. Provide your predicted grades – this enables the Admissions Team to assess your application to make sure you have applied for the correct level and you will receive a quicker response from the team
4. Provide us with a parent/guardian contact with telephone number and email
Once enrolled you can then start on your course on the first day of term! Good luck!
- What happens after I apply?
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When you submit your application, you will receive an automatic email confirming that your application is submitted. You will receive a further automatic email when the Admissions Team process your application.
Our helpful Admissions Team will review your application and may email you or text you if more information is required. The email will be sent from AdmissionsFT@bathcollege.ac.uk so look out for this email address as the emails may go into your junk/spam folders. Please reply to any email as soon as possible, as your application will not progress to the next stage until we hear from you.
If you are predicted to achieve the GCSE grades for your chosen course, you will be offered a conditional place – we will also start to send information out in the post to keep you updated on activities or updates from the College – we know you do not want to receive too many emails.
If you change your mind about the course you have been offered, please contact the Admissions Team and we can either withdraw your application completely or change the application to a different course – you can speak to one of our Careers Advisors who can help you if you are not quite sure of your next steps.
Keep checking your emails for information from AdmissionsFT@bathcollege.ac.uk about your chosen course which may include information on uniforms, books etc (we would recommend that you do not purchase any course specific items until after you have your
GCSE results and have your place confirmed). We will also email you about how and when to enrol onto the course.
You will receive information on what to do when you receive your GCSE results – this will be to attend an enrolment session at college around July/August. If you did not achieve the required GCSE results to do your course, don’t worry we can usually find a different course for you – this may be the same subject but at a lower level or a different subject. If your GCSE grades are better than predicted, we may offer you a course at a higher level.
You will usually receive your course timetable on the first day of the course, unfortunately timetables are not available until this time, as they can’t be finalised until the student numbers on each course are confirmed
If you have any questions about your specific application or the application process in general, please contact the Admissions Team by email AdmissionsFT@bathcollege.ac.uk
If you have any questions about Transport and Bursaries please email studentfunding@bathcollege.ac.uk
- How do I pay?
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You must provide the full amount of the course fees (as indicated alongside your chosen course/s) together with your completed Learning Agreement (Enrolment Form) and, where necessary, an official letter confirming receipt of benefits, dated within the last 6 months, to apply for a course fee reduction. Please note that postal enrolments which are incomplete or do not have payment included will be returned for completion. This may delay your enrolment and a place on the course may be lost.
If your employer is paying for your course then they will need to fill out an authority for invoicing form. Please contact our Student Advice Centre for a copy of this form, or download it here. This needs to be attached to your enrolment form.
There are several methods of payment available:
- Cash
- Debit card – most debit cards issued by financial institutions are accepted by the College
- Credit card – most major credit cards including Access, Visa, MasterCard and Barclaycard are accepted
- Cheque (with cheque guarantee card) or Postal Order – payable to ‘Bath College’ and crossed ‘Account payee only’. The following details should be written (in block capitals) on the back of your cheque/postal order: course title and course code; name and address of student.
Can I pay by instalments?
Yes, If your course, or combination of courses, costs £300 or more you may choose to pay by three equal instalments. The first due at enrolment and the other two instalments must be paid in consecutive months by standing order, starting the month after enrolment.
In addition, if you are enrolling on a short course, fees must be paid in full at least eight weeks before the end of your course. All fees are due in all circumstances.
If you choose to pay by instalments you should complete a Standing Order Mandate form (C024). Please enter all your bank details on the form. This should include the name, address and sort code of your bank, the account number, the account holder’s name and the amount due.
The completed form should be presented to the College together with your Learning Agreement (Enrolment Form). Please ensure that you also enclose, or bring with you, your first instalment. Once enrolled, you will be liable for full fees.
Fees for International Students
For further information please telephone 01225 312191 ext 723 or 724. Bath College is a EURO-FRIENDLY ZONE. You can pay in Euros at the rate of exchange on the day you pay for your course.
- What do my fees cover?
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Fees cover a number of services including:
- tuition, resources (including materials), and exams on your chosen course/s
- access to the Learning Centre
- access to student services such as careers guidance and counselling
- membership of the Students’ Union
- support from the College administrative systems
If you are enrolling on the first year of a two year course, further fees will be payable for the second year. The tuition fee for the second year of the course will be held at the same rate as those for the current year regardless of other fee increases.
- How do refunds work?
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If for any reason the College has to cancel a course and no alternative course is acceptable, we will fully refund all fees paid. However, other than in truly exceptional circumstances, the College will not refund fees to a student who voluntarily withdraws from a course. Requests for refunds must be sent in writing to the Enrolments Office.
A copy of our full Terms and Conditions of enrolment can be seen on this website or are available on request.
- Am I entitled to free tuition?
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If you are studying your first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 courses depending on your age, you may not need to pay tuition fees. You will however need to pay exam and materials fees for some courses.
First full level 2 courses for adults
If you are aged 19-23 on 31st August and do not currently hold a full Level 2 qualification or above, you may be entitled to free tuition regardless of your employment or income status when you enrol for your first full Level 2 course.
A full Level 2 qualification is 5 GCSEs A* – C, NVQ2, or equivalent.
You will be required to pay registration, exam and materials.
First full level 3 courses for adults
If you are aged between 19 and 24 years on 31st August and do not currently hold a full Level 3 qualification or above, you may be entitled to free tuition on some courses regardless of your employment or income status when you enrol for your first full Level 3 course.
A full Level 3 course is BTEC National Award, Certificate or Diploma, NVQ Level 3, 2 or A-levels. You will be required to pay registration/exam and materials fees.
Free first Full Level 2 and 3 courses only apply to Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funded courses.