2011 Entry Financial Support

If you are coming to study with us in 2011 you will not be affected by the recent changes to student funding that have been announced by the Government.

Tuition Fee Loan for 2011 entry

The Tuition Fee Loan is available to all eligible full-time undergraduate Home/EU students. You can apply through Student Finance England or relevant authority in your region from 10 March 2011.

The Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to the University on the student's behalf and is repaid by the student after they have finished studying.

A change to the current rules, as announced by the Government in December 2010, is that the current repayment threshold of £15,000 will rise, in line with inflation, each year from 2012 to 2016.

No money needs to be paid up front to the University for tuition fees.

Please note: If any student leaves their course before 1 December 2011 they are not eligible to receive the fee loan.

Maintenance Loan

Financial support for living expenses for students entering Higher Education is currently provided in the form of a student loan. This is administered through the Student Loans Company [SLC] and is repaid after the student has finished studying.

The assessment of how much you can borrow is undertaken by Student Finance England and is done at the same time as your assessment for tuition fees.

* NB. If you want to take out a loan you must complete the support request section of the application form and ensure you provide your National Insurance Number (NI).

An incorrect or no NI number will result in payment of the first loan installment being delayed and further loan installments will not be paid. The student loan is to help towards your living costs ie food, travel, accommodation, clothes, etc and is not intended to pay for tuition fees.

The maximum loan available to all eligible students regardless of any other income they have is 72%. Whether you can get any or all of the remaining 28% depends on your household income and this will be assessed by Student Finance England.

Loan Amount

The maximum amount of loan full-time students may receive in 2011/12 is £4,950 for students living away from home and studying outside London or £3,838 for students living at home.

You will receive confirmation from the SLC along with a payment schedule. Any queries concerning your student loan should be directed to Student Finance England.

NB. To ensure the payment of loans and grants at the start of term, please check with Student Finance England either online or by calling 0845 300 5090.

How is the student loan paid?

The Student Loans Company will pay your loan in three instalments. Payments are made directly into your bank or building society account.

You will receive a payment schedule from Student Finance England telling you how and when you will receive your money.

Maintenance Grant

A means-tested maintenance grant is available to all eligible students undertaking their first undergraduate course at University. We expect that about half of new students are likely to be eligible for a full or partial grant.

The maximum amount of support available is £2,906 a year, and how much you get will depend on your income and that of your household. The maintenance grant does not need to be repaid.

Table of grant available
Household Income	How much?
£25,000 or less	Full £2,906 grant
Between £25,001 and £50,020	Partial grant, depending on household income
Over £50,020	No grant

Note: 

Students in lower-income households who receive a maintenance grant will have their entitlement to support through the maintenance loan reduced to reflect this.

In practice, this means that the amount of maintenance loan a student can receive will be reduced by £0.50 for every £1 of maintenance grant entitlement received.

Access to Learning Fund

We also operate an Access to Learning Fund (ALF) which students who are enrolled on a course at the University can apply to for financial support when no support is available from other sources.  If you are eligible for a Student Loan, or an NHS Bursary, etc, then you must have taken these out before making an application for ALF.  If you have children you should be able to claim Child Tax Credits; this needs to have been done before applying to the Fund.

Financial help for parents in higher education

Full-time students with children may qualify for extra financial help on top of the standard student finance package.  Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to get:

• the Childcare Grant (to help with childcare costs)
• the Parents’ Learning Allowance (to help towards course costs eg books, materials and travel).

Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance

If you qualify, the Childcare Grant could cover as much as 85% of your childcare costs during term time and holidays, up to a maximum of £148.75 per week if you have one child, or £255 per week if you have two or more children. This grant is means-tested on household income and children must be in registered or approved childcare.

The Parents’ Learning Allowance could give you between £50 and £1,508 for 2011/12.  How much you get depends on your household income.  Any help you get is paid on top of the standard student finance package, and doesn’t have to be paid back.