2009/10 services for full time higher education students. invest in your future. do you live in wales. did you know?

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1 invest in your future do you live in wales and want to know about funding for your higher education? did you know? - eligible students who normally live in Wales and attend universities and colleges in Wales from 2009/10 will be eligible for a fee grant of up to 1,940 a year. 2009/10 services for full time higher education students

2 Do you live in Wales? Student finance services available to you are dependent upon where you live, your household income, personal circumstances and the eligibility of your course. If you normally live in Wales, you are entitled to Student Finance Wales services, regardless of where you choose to study in the UK. If you are considering starting your studies from September 2009, you need to consider the cost of your deferred tuition fees and your living costs. Student Finance Wales services can help you with both. Tuition Fees - What fees will you pay? Where you choose to study and the course you choose will determine your tuition fees. If you choose to study in Wales in academic year 2009/10 you will be charged an annual deferred flexible tuition fee of up to 3,225. (Please note, however, that if you normally live in Wales and study at a university or college in Wales part of these fees can be paid through your tuition fee grant). If you choose to study elsewhere in the UK If you normally live in Wales and choose to study elsewhere in the UK, you will be charged fees according to the fee arrangements of the country in which you study, and those set by the university or college. Contact your place of study for details. If you choose to study elsewhere in the UK you will not be eligible for the tuition fee grant but you can apply for a fee loan of up to 3,225 a year for your tuition fees. 2

3 What is the tuition fee grant? If you normally live in Wales and choose to study at a university or college in Wales in 2009, you can apply for a tuition fee grant of up to 1,940 a year - which does not have to be repaid. This tuition fee grant is available regardless of your family income, and is paid directly to your place of study. What are student loans? Student loans are available to pay for living (maintenance) expenses and the cost of tuition fees. Living cost loans are payable in instalments, one at the start of each term. Student loans are provided by the Government and are not commercial loans. The interest rate is linked to inflation - so that the money you repay is the same in real terms as the money you borrowed. What are deferred tuition fees and fee loans? Deferred tuition fees simply means that you don`t have to find the money for your tuition fees before you begin your studies. Regardless of where you choose to study in the UK, you can apply for a tuition fee loan for all or part of your tuition fees. This is paid directly to your place of study. (If you live in Wales and are studying at a Welsh university or college you can apply for a fee loan for the part of your fees left after your tuition fee grant is taken into account. This means that you will only have to apply for a tuition fee loan of up to 1,285). You will need to repay your tuition fee loan after you have left your course and are earning more than 15,000 a year. 3

4 Living costs - what help is available? The Assembly Learning Grant and Maintenance Loan are available to help eligible applicants with living costs. Assembly Learning Grant: If you come from a lower income household, you may be eligible for grants from Student Finance Wales. These do not have to be paid back if you complete the academic year. New full time higher education students from lower income households will be eligible for a non-repayable maintenance grant - the Assembly Learning Grant - of up to 2,906 a year. The full grant is available for students with an annual household income of 18,370 or less. A partial grant on a sliding scale is available for those with an annual household between 18,370 and 39,329. Maintenance Loan: Three annual rates are available: living at home ( 3,673), living away from home ( 4,745) and living away from home and studying in London ( 6,648). The amount of loan you receive will depend on the amount of grant you get and on your household income. 4

5 When will you have to repay your student loans? Your maintenance loan and your fee loan will be combined together as one amount. You don t start paying anything back until the April after you have left your course. You start repaying the loans when you are earning more than 15,000 a year and then at a rate of 9% of any income you receive above the 15,000 a year threshold. Repayments are made automatically through the tax system. How much you repay is determined by how much you earn. For example: If you are earning 18,000 a year, you will repay 9% of the difference between your earnings and the 15,000 threshold. 18,000-15,000 = 3,000 9% of 3,000 = over 52 weeks = 5.19 per week. If you are earning 20,000 a year, you will repay 9% of the difference between your earnings and the 15,000 threshold. 20,000-15,000 = 5,000 9% of 5,000 = over 52 weeks = 8.65 per week. 5

6 What other help can you apply for? Bursaries Welsh Bursary Scheme: Higher education institutions in Wales are committed to providing additional support for students under the Welsh Bursary Scheme. Every eligible full time higher education student, regardless of where they come from in the UK, will be considered for a means tested Welsh Bursary of a minimum of 319 a year. Individual institutions will also be providing a range of other scholarships and bursaries which will vary from one institution to another and similar arrangements are in place elsewhere in the UK. Ask your chosen university or college for details. Specifi c grants There is extra help available for those students in special circumstances (for example those with children or adult dependants; those who have a disability). For more information, go to: or contact your Local Authority (their details are on our website and in the phone book). 6

7 How do you apply for fi nancial help? First you have to apply for the university or college course that you wish to take. Once you ve done this, you can apply for fi nancial help to meet your extra costs as a student. Contact your Local Authority and ask for an application form (their details are on and in the phone book). Alternatively, you can apply online at the Student Finance Wales website. If you plan to start university or college in September 2009, you should start your application for student fi nance in February This will help to ensure that you have your student fi nance available for you at the start of your fi rst term. Are you considering a Gap-Year? If you apply to study at a Welsh institution in the 2009/10 academic year but then decide to take a gap year, don t forget to inform your chosen institution as soon as possible. You should receive written confi rmation from them and keep it safe as you will need this when you reapply the following year. If you apply to study elsewhere in the UK in the 2009/10 academic year but then decide to take a gap year, the same applies. Keep your letter of confi rmation safe. 7

8 Further information For further information on fi nancial support to students normally living in Wales, visit the Student Finance Wales website at: You can fi nd contact details for your Local Authority on the website or in the phone book. Their Student Finance Offi cers will be able to answer queries about your personal eligibility for Student Finance Wales services. Alternatively, telephone the Student Finance Wales Contact Centre on between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or between 9am and 1pm on Saturday. If you need the information in this leafl et in another format, please contact us via the Student Finance Wales website with your request. Services provided by Student Finance Wales as set out in this leafl et are subject to the making of the necessary legislation by the Welsh Ministers. 8 D