Student Finance 2015/2016

Contents• Full-time Higher Education

Am I eligible? What can I get? Different types of funding

• How do I apply?• What happens next?• What about repayments?• Part -time Higher Education • Further Education

Am I eligible? There are three main criteria:

• Be personally eligible – have lived in the UK and Islands for at least 3 years before the start of your course and living in Northern Ireland on the first day of the academic year in which your course begins

• Must attend an approved college – a publicly funded University or College in the UK or ROI or certain private colleges

• Must attend an approved full-time course – degree, HNC, HND, Foundation degree

What can I get?

Tuition fee loan

• Up to £3805 per year for NI publicly funded institutions, up to £9000 per year for the remainder of the UK

• Up to £3805 loan for courses at private institutions in England, Scotland or Wales. The balance of amount charged is payable by you

• Fees paid direct to your institution by SLC• No income assessment involved• Pay back when you are earning more than £17,335

per year

What can I get?

Maintenance Loan

• Max £6,780 if living in London (NMT £5085)• Max £4,840 if living away from home and studying

outside London (NMT £3630)• Max £3,750 if living at home (NMT £2812)• Maintenance loan is means-tested

The loan is reduced if you receive a Maintenance Grant orSpecial Support Grant

What can I get?

Maintenance Grant/Special Support Grant

• Non-repayable grant if you are from a low income household (< £41,065)

• Full grant where household income < £19,203• Worth up to £3,475 a year – depending on

household income• SSG if you are eligible for income support or

housing benefit (benefits not reduced)

What can I get?Study in the ROI

• Student contribution charge of €3000. You must request a student contribution loan to cover this amount

• No reduction in fees if you leave before the end of the year

• Eligible for the standard living cost support of means

tested maintenance grant and loan• If you transfer or repeat after first year you may be

charged full tuition fees (no loan available)

What can I get?

Extra Help with Living Expenses

•Parents’ Learning Allowance•Childcare Grant•Adult Dependants’ Grant

See application form or contact Student Finance for further details

What can I get?

Disabled Students’ Allowance

Support which is not means-tested on household income

• Specialist equipment allowance of up to £5,266 for the whole course

• Non-medical helpers’ allowance of up to £20,938 per year

• General allowance of up to £1,759 per year• Extra travel costs as a result of the disability

Contact the Disability Adviser at your institution for an assessment of what support you will require.

What can I get?Help from your Institution

Bursary – NI institutions•Non-repayable grant if you are in receipt of full (or in

some cases partial) Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant

•No separate application involved – eligibility determined through your Student Finance application

•Parents must give consent to share on application form•Each institution offers different amounts of support

Similar support throughout the UK – contact institution for details.

What can I get?Student Finance NI assesses on household income which is:

• Your gross taxable income (excluding any earnings during term-time and holidays);

• PLUS Gross taxable income of parent(s) / partners / step-parents;

• LESS Deductions for payments into pension funds and £1,153 for each other dependent child in the household

This does not apply to Independent students

What can I get?

Different types of funding• Health Professional degrees in NI – income assessed

bursary of £2355 (2014/15 rate), reduced loan of £2370 and Tuition fees paid in full

• Health Professional degrees elsewhere in UK – reduced loan and NHS bursary (amount may be small)

• Nursing degrees in NI and Scotland– not eligible for any funding from SFni

• Nursing degrees in England and Wales – reduced loan and NHS bursary

• Nursing diploma students - not eligible for support• Social Work degrees in NI – additional funding from

DHSSPS of non-means tested grant and contribution towards work based learning expenses

How do I apply?

• Application forms available from school or your local Student Finance NI office or download an application form at www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

• Complete form fully and return to your local Student Finance NI office

• Pay correct postage (1st class not sufficient)• Apply as soon as possible and track your application

online• EU Students should apply to the EU Team in

Darlington

How do I apply?Information required

You must provide the following information with your application form –• Original UK Birth certificate or valid Passport. A Birth certificate must be accompanied by an identity confirmation form• National Insurance Number• Your bank account details• Details of your income and that of your household

What happens next?• Application acknowledged and you receive Customer

Reference Number (EMA students use same number –contact SLC for password to access on-line services)

↓• SFni determines whether you are eligible for support and

amount due ↓• SLC sends notification of how much support you will receive

and when ↓• Take your notification to University at enrolment stage ↓• Your University confirms enrolment ↓• SLC pays your support each term into your account

What happens next? Tell us of any change in your circumstances as this may affect what you get e.g.

• Name / marital status• Address (home / lodging)• Course transfer / Suspension / Withdrawal from

course / college.• Absence / sickness• Reduction in parents’ income (Changes can be made on-line)

Tell your institution of absences / sickness / proposed change of course

Useful information• If you leave your course during the year you must still pay

fees. The amount depends on when you leave• If you are on a placement / abroad as part of your course

you may not receive any tuition fee loan or grant (ask SFni)• If you finish an HND/Foundation degree course and move to

year 1 of a degree course you will not receive a tuition fee loan or a grant for year 1 of the degree

• If you change course/repeat a year more than once you may get no fee loan or grant for some years

• If you need to repeat a year due to illness you may be eligible for an extra year’s support

• If you receive a grant and your entitlement is reassessed to a smaller grant/no grant at all – you must repay this immediately

• You must reapply each year to get support• If there is a drop in household income your support may be

reassessed and you can get more money

Useful information• By telephone on: 0300 100 0077

• By post or personal visit: Student Finance NI 3 Charlemont Place The Mall, Armagh, BT61 9AX

• Visit our web site at:

www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

• A Guide to financial support booklet

What about repayments? Repay

• You only repay Student Loans (Fees and maintenance) once you have left your course and are earning over £17,335 a year

• Repayments are based on what you earn, e.g. you earn £24,000 - pay back £53 a month

• Loans incur interest charges (current interest rate is 1.5%)

• Balance is cancelled after 25 years

Keep

• You do not repay any grants received unless you withdraw from your course or a re-assessment is required

Part-time funding

HE part-time courses must be at least one year’s duration and at least 50% of a full-time course.

You can apply for:• A means-tested Tuition fee grant of up to £1,230• A means-tested grant of up to £265 • Disabled Students’ Allowance

FE Awards• For lower level courses• Payment of approved tuition fees• A means-tested maintenance grant• Closing Dates: Full time - 1 September 2015 Part time - 30 September 2015 • Guaranteed funding where fully completed applications

are received by 30 June 2015.

Apply to: Student Finance NI Further Education Awards Section 1 Hospital Road Omagh

Telephone: 028 8225 4546Email: feawards@welbni.org

Additional information

Student Finance NI has endeavoured to detail every aspect of the application process and possible funding available to students entering Further/ Higher Education.

If you have any questions that are not covered in this presentation please ask!