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FundingYourDegree.Information for UK fee-paying students 2011–12.

Copyright 2010

The University of S

heffield

Checklist FirstThingsFirst.

September / October 2010

You should register online forgovernment funding for your courseat the same time as you apply toUCAS. There is an early UCAS deadlinefor some courses.

Start putting together your ownindividual funding package, such as government and university funding, your family, charities, andhow much you could earn throughpart-time work.

January 2011

UCAS deadline for most courses. Youshould have registered online forfunding by now.

We will automatically assess you for aUniversity of Sheffield bursary if youhave registered for governmentfunding.

ContentsThe funding scene 4-6Registering for funding 8Tuition fee loans 10Maintenance loans 12Maintenance grants 12Funding from the University 14Funding from charities 15Financial support grants 16Funding for mature students 16Funding for students with children 16Funding for disabled students 17Funding for part-time students 17

This guide will help you work out what funding youcan get to finance your time as a student atSheffield. There’s lots to take in, but you can askquestions about student finance at our Open Days,and there’s much more information on our website www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/finance

54

Study now – pay when you’re earningTuition at the University of Sheffield in2010 will cost new home fee payingundergraduates £3290. It will beslightly more in 2011.

The good news is: all sorts of financialsupport is available, including loansand grants, from the government,from the University, and from othersources. And you don’t have to payanything towards your tuition feesuntil after you graduate and startworking.

You will need to start thinking aboutwhat your individual funding packagemight be. You might source fundingfrom your studies from several places,including:

• the government• your family• the University• the NHS for medical-related

courses• charities• part-time work.

The funding scene

Part-time work

Your family

The University

The NHS

Charities

The government

You might sourcefunding from your

studies from severalplaces, including:

You don’t have to payanything towards yourtuition fees until after yougraduate and startworking.

76

Maintenance loansMaintenance loans are governmentloans that you repay after you have

graduated. They are partially incomebased. See page 12.

Funding from the University of Sheffield

Many of our students receive cashbursaries from us. These are

payments that you do not need to payback. Anyone can be assessed for a

University of Sheffield bursary. Thereare also other sources of Universityfunding, depending on what you arestudying, and your personal financial

circumstances. See page 12.

Maintenance grantsMaintenance grants are governmentloans that you don’t need to repay. Itis based on your income. About 40per cent of students are entitled to

the full maintenance grant, and manyothers receive a partial grant. See

page 14.

Tuition fee loansTuition fee loans are funded by the government and they are

available to everyone. You pay thismoney back after you have

graduated. See page 10.

There are four main forms of cash support for University of Sheffield undergraduates.

98

Registering for fundingDon’t leave it too late. The first thing you should dois register with the government agency that isrelevant to you. This depends on which UK countryyou normally live in. You need to do this at the sametime you apply to university through UCAS.

England: www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Scotland: www.saas.gov.uk

Wales: www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

Northern Ireland: www.delni.gov.uk

Once you are registered, you should receive all theinformation you need to start planning your funding.You will be able to apply online for governmentloans and grants, and track your funding applicationalongside your UCAS university application.

To make sure you get thefinance you need to study,register with yourgovernment agency at thesame time as making yourapplication to UCAS. Theywill send you all theinformation you needabout tuition fee loans,and maintenance loansand grants.

You Need toActSoon.

1110

A tuition fee loan is available if you are going to study full time. It coversthe whole tuition fee and it is paiddirectly to us by the government onyour behalf.

You do need to pay this back, butthere’s nothing to repay until after youleave university, and only then whenyou earn more than £15,000 per year.

Repayments are set at nine per centof you earnings over that £15,000 perlevel, so as your salary increases, therepayments increase. For example, ifyou are earning £18,000 per year, youwill pay back £22.50 per month.

The less you earn, the less you repay,and if your income goes below£15,000 the repayments will stop,although you can make voluntaryrepayments if you want to.

Who can get a tuition fee loan?Most UK students can get tuition feeloans, unless you have taken a highereducation course before. Otherfactors that might affect whether youcan get a tuition fee loan are whereyou live, and whether the course youare taking meets the criteria for publicfunding.

Tuition fee loans

How do I apply?To apply for a tuition fee loan youneed to register with your homecountry government agency, forexample Student Finance Wales (seepage 8 for a full list). You shouldregister at the same time as you applyto university.

Will I pay interest?Interest starts from the day you takeout the loan. As the interest rate islinked to inflation, the amount you payback is broadly the same as theamount you borrowed.

How long does it take to pay theloan back?This depends on you, how much youearn, and how much you haveborrowed.

If you also have a maintenance loan(see page 12) then these are addedtogether and you will make only oneset of repayments.

There’s nothing torepay until after

you leaveuniversity, andonly then whenyou earn morethan £15,000

per year.

Most UK students can get tuition fee loans. Toapply you need to registerwith your home countrygovernment agency (see page 8).

1312

Maintenance loansMaintenance loans are designed tohelp you with your day-to-day livingcosts. You can apply for amaintenance loan if you are registeredwith your home country agency, forexample Student Finance England.

There is a maximum you can borrow,and the amount also depends on yourhousehold income and other financialsupport you get. If you decide to liveat home and commute to universitythe amount of maintenance loan youcan get is reduced. You paymaintenance loans back in the sameway as tuition fee loans.

In 2010–11 maintenance loans areworth up to £4,950 if you live awayfrom home. This amount is reduced ifyou also get a maintenance grant.

Maintenance loans and grants

Maintenance grantsMaintenance grants are free. Youmight be entitled to this non-repayable grant to help you with youliving expenses. The higher yourhousehold income, the lower thegrant you can get. But the lower yourmaintenance grant, the more moneyyou’ll be able to borrow as amaintenance loan.

In 2010–11 maintenance grants areworth up to £2,906, and about 40 percent of students qualify for the fullmaintenance grant.

Don’t wait until you’reoffered a place on a courseto apply for a loan orgrant. You should apply atthe same time you applyfor a place at universitythrough UCAS. Rememberto register with yourrelevant governmentagency (see page 8).

In 2010–11maintenance

grants are worthup to £2,906, andabout 40 per centof students qualify

for the fullmaintenance

grant.

1514

The University of Sheffield bursary schemeOn top of any government finance youmay get, we offer bursaries to helpwith living costs to many of ourstudents. You will automatically beassessed for one of our bursaries, aslong as you are registered with yourrelevant government student financeagency.

Our bursaries are paid soon after youregister, so you get your money at thebeginning of your first semester. Weare one of the quickest universities atpaying student bursaries.

Make sure you check our website forup-to-date information about our2011–12 bursaries: www.sheffield.ac.uk/bursaries

Other University sources offundingThere are many different types offunding that you may be able to applyfor. Some departments have theirown bursaries, there are sportsbursaries, music scholarships, andbursaries donated by our alumni. Youshould check with your department ifthere are any subject-specificscholarships available, and look at theinformation about scholarships on ourwebsite.

Funding from the University

Funding from charities

You might be able to access fundingthrough charities that support UKstudents through their studies. Thecriteria for accessing this type offunding depend upon the individualcharities. You can see a list oforganisations that offer scholarshipshere: www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/finance/ug

There may be other funding sourcesavailable, so spending some timeresearching could well pay off. Onlinedirectories of funding opportunitiesare a good place to start, for example:www.funderfinder.org.ukwww.scholarship-search.org.uk

We are one of thequickest

universities atpaying student

bursaries.

1716

Financial Support GrantsIf you find your self in financialdifficulty whilst you are a student, youcan apply for Financial Support Grantsand Access to Learning Funds.

They are available to students whoneed extra help with unforeseen livingcosts once they have registered, andthey are arranged through theUniversity. Priority is given to studentsfrom low-income households, andthose with dependants, disabilities,and mature students.

These grants do not have to be paidback, and they range from £100–£3,000.

Other sources of funding

Mature studentsIf you are a mature student of any ageyou are entitled to apply for grantsand tuition fee loans. You may also beeligible for a University of Sheffieldbursary. If you want to apply for agovernment maintenance loan, youshould be under 60 years old whenyou start your course.

If you’re between 21 and 25 and youhave been supporting yourselffinancially, living away from yourparents, then their income is nottaken into account when assessingyour entitlement to funding.Independent students over the age of25 are assessed on their ownhousehold income. This means thatthe income of your spouse or partneris also considered.

Students with childrenYou could be eligible for a childcaregrant to help you with childcare costs.This is up to a maximum of £148.75per week, if you have one child, or£255 per week if you have two ormore children. You might also qualifyfor a Parents’ Learning Allowance ofbetween £50 and £1,508 in 2009.

Part-time studentsIf you will be studying part time youmay be eligible for a non-repayablefee grant. You might also get a granttowards your course and anychildcare costs you have. The amountyou may get depends on how intensiveyour course is. The nearer you are tofull-time study, the more you get. Yourentitlement also depends on yourhousehold income.

For detailed information, and up-to-date figures on all the governmentsupport available see: www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Part-time students are not eligible forthe University of Sheffield bursaryscheme, but you might qualify forother bursaries and scholarships.

Disabled Students’ AllowancesIf you have a disability or specificlearning difficulty you can get non-repayable financial help that doesn’tdepend on your household income.This applies to full- and part-timecourses, as well as full-time distancelearning courses. When you apply,your needs will be assessed toestablish the support you need.Disabled Students’ Allowances arepaid in addition to other studentgrants and loans.

For 2010–11 students, the generalDisabled Student’s Allowance is amaximum of £1,274 per year. If youneed specialist equipment in order toattend university, you could be eligiblefor up to £5,161 for the whole course.If you need a non-medical helper, suchas a sign-language interpreter, readeror note-taker, you can claim up to£20,520 for each year of your course.

Disabled part-time studentsThe maximum specialist equipmentallowance is the same whether yourcourse is full-time or part-time. Otherallowances are paid pro-rataaccording to how much you study.

Futher information: www.direct.gov.uk/disabledpeople

For detailed information, and up-to-date figures on all the government support available see:www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

1918

There is much more information about governmentloans and grants on the websites listed on page 8.

Make sure you check our website for up-to-dateinformation about fees and university bursaries.

When you’ve registered with your governmentagency (at the same time as you apply to universitythrough UCAS), they will send you all theinformation you need.

We are happy to answer any questions you mayhave about funding, either at Open Days, throughthe Ask Sheffield part of our website www.sheffield.ac.uk/asksheffield or by phone on 0114 222 1255.

If you need this booklet in an alternative format, call 0114 222 8660.

Finding out more