Armed Forces Personnel and Their Families
Students who have served in the UK Armed Forces as a Regular or Reservist may find there are unique challenges involved in applying to higher education. We are committed to supporting ex-forces servicemen/women and their dependants, to ensure that no member of the Armed Forces community faces disadvantage in Higher Education.
Knowing about your circumstances may also help admissions staff to take your achievements into account and gain a better understanding of these achievements and potential in context. It won't reflect negatively on your application or academic ability, but instead will enable us to form a more complete picture of you as an individual and identify those applicants who we think have the potential to succeed.
Undergraduate applicants may be eligible to receive a contextualised offer under this scheme. Please see our Contextual Admissions Policy for more information.
Financial support for current and recent Armed Forces personnel
Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. A pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives.
What is ELCAS?
ELCAS is a scheme run by the Ministry of Defence to provide financial support to armed forces personnel (both serving and service leavers) to study a course at university, which is of direct benefit to the service, and which leads to personal and professional development.
If you are in your qualifying resettlement phase you may be eligible to claim under the Joint Funding Initiative Publicly Funded Further Education/Higher Education (PFFE/HE). Information can be found at the following: http://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/service-leaver/claiming-publicly-leaver
What funding is available through ELCAS?
Providing that you meet the ELCAS criteria (http://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/) you can apply for the following:
80% of your tuition fees up to £1,000 per year for up to three years - if you have four or more years eligible service.
80% of your tuition fees up to £2,000 per year for up to three years - if you have eight or more years eligible service.
You will be expected to contribute 20% towards your tuition fees which you can pay either in full or in instalments.
The grant from ELCAS will be paid directly to Cardiff Metropolitan University on your behalf.
How do I apply?
If you meet the eligibility criteria of the ELCAS scheme, you will need to complete the application process at least five weeks before the start of the course, all details concerning this are on the ELCAS website: https://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/
Please note you will need our Learning Provider’s Reference Number which is 1294 for your application.
If you are applying via UCAS and you are from a UK Armed Forces family, you can simply select ‘yes’ from the drop-down box in the question that asks about this in the ‘More about me’ section of the application.
Any queries concerning completion of the Obligations of Learner Providers form can be directed to Admissions on 02920 416010 or askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk. Any further information concerning the scheme can be obtained from contacting our Finance Department on 029 2041 6083.