LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE FEES & FUNDING. A guide for students starting postgraduate study in 2016/17.

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1 LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE FEES & FUNDING A guide for students starting postgraduate study in 2016/17 JUNE 2016

2 POSTGRADUATE FEES & FUNDING There are many reasons for choosing postgraduate study. You may want to further your career, improve your professional opportunities or simply take a postgraduate course for the love of your chosen subject. And postgraduate study is more accessible than ever, thanks to a new governmentbacked loan scheme that is available for many of our Masters courses. In this booklet you will find all you need to know about funding your postgraduate studies, including the loans scheme, as well as information on tuition fees, discounts, grants, allowances, benefits, tax credits, scholarships and bursaries. 1 2

3 TUITION FEES EXPLAINED Tuition fees At Leeds Beckett University, we set our postgraduate fees to reflect the mode of study (part-time or full-time) and your residency status (UK, EU, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or international). Your fees will also depend on the course you have chosen. For the most up-to-date information on the cost of your course, please visit our online prospectus: courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk or contact our Fees Team: Part-time fees Tuition fees for the majority of our part-time course costs can be calculated by multiplying the credit value of each module by the cost per credit. For example a 20 credit module at per credit would cost 511. If you have any queries about the fees for your course, please contact our Fees Team: fees@leedsbeckett.ac.uk Flexible payment options We recognise how difficult it can be to pay your fees in one lump sum. If your course lasts at least a full academic year and costs 325 or more, we offer instalment options of two or seven payments, subject to conditions. Find out more: Please note, instalment arrangements are not available if your fees are paid by a sponsor or employer. NHS-related courses If you re applying for an NHS-related course, you may be eligible to have your fees paid in full. You may also be entitled to an NHS means-tested bursary. You can find out more on the NHS Business Services website: For more information on access to grants and bursaries for NHS-related courses, see the Discounts & Support information on page 8. PGCE courses If you are studying a full-time postgraduate course leading to Qualified Teacher Status you can apply to Student Finance England (or equivalent for students from Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland) for the full-time support that is available to undergraduate students. This includes tuition fee and maintenance loans, supplementary grants and the Disabled Students Allowance. Part-time teacher training students can take out a tuition fee loan. Visit Student Finance England s website for information: Please see page 7 for details of PGCE training bursaries. Other course costs There may be other costs associated with your postgraduate study. These could include, but may not be limited to, books, travel and fieldwork for example. 3 4

4 FINANCING YOUR STUDIES Postgraduate Loan (PGL) From academic year 2016/17, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills will for the first time provide a loan of up to 10,000 per student for postgraduate taught and research Masters study. To find out if your course is eligible go to: loans Postgraduate Loan (PGL) for Masters study will be a contribution towards the costs of study, i.e. it will be at the student s discretion to use the loan towards fees, maintenance costs or other costs. non-means tested. paid directly to the student. available for full-time courses of either one or two years duration and part-time courses of up to four years duration (funding is available for only the first two years of study and so long as you study at least half of the full time equivalent course on a parttime basis each year). Applicants must be aged under 60 and must not already hold a Masters qualification. They can be studying full or part-time. Payment will be in three instalments per academic year, for a maximum of two academic years (depending on course duration). Loan instalments will be made directly into the student s bank account. Interest will accrue at a rate of RPI + 3% on all outstanding PGL balances. Repayment will normally commence in the April following the academic year in which the course is completed. Repayment via HMRC will not start before April Repayment will be 6% of income above the 21,000 repayment threshold. The repayment threshold is held at this level until April Repayments will be made concurrently with any other student loan repayments due. For example; a student with both an undergraduate loan and postgraduate loan will pay 15% of their earnings over 21,000. For the latest information visit: Professional & Career Development Loans This is a commercial bank loan that you can use to help pay for work-related learning. The government pay the interest on the loan while you are studying and you do not have to make any repayments on the loan until you have finished your course. For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit: or contact the National Careers Service on (when you apply you will need the University s learning provider number, which is 3910). Social Work Bursary Currently, if you do not already hold a higher education social work qualification and are studying a postgraduate social work course approved by the Health and Care Professions Council you may be eligible for an income assessed basic grant, a non-income assessed maintenance grant, payment towards tuition fees, allowances for dependants or a Disabled Students Allowance. NHS Bursary NHS students can access a grant worth up to 1,000 and an income-based bursary from the NHS (the actual amount you receive will vary depending on your personal circumstances). Additional allowances are available for disabled students and additional support for those 5 6

5 students and additional support for those with dependants. You can also claim help with the travel costs you incur when travelling to university. For more information visit: and click on student bursaries. PGCE courses Some teaching students may be eligible to get a training bursary which will vary depending on teaching subject and degree classification. The bursary is paid in monthly instalments. See for more information about PGCE funding. Research Councils If your course is engaged in research, you can get help from the Arts and Humanities Research Board or from a Research Council. More information is available at the Research Councils UK website: Charities and trust funds You can apply for partial funding from charities and educational trusts, depending on what course you are taking. There are different forms of funding, including studentships, scholarships and bursaries. To find out more, visit: Scholarships and assistantships You may be able to get help from our University in the form of a scholarship, such as a Graduate Teach and Research Assistantship or Studentship. Availability will depend on the course. Find out more: Employer sponsorship Your employer may be prepared to help fund your postgraduate study as part of your staff training and development. Find out more: Disabled Students Allowance You may be eligible for a Disabled Students Allowance of up to 10,362 per year. Our Disability Services Team is your first point of contact to discuss any of your requirements. Please disabilityadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk DISCOUNTS & SUPPORT Discounts Alumni discount We offer a 10% discount on tuition fees for the first year of study to Leeds Beckett graduates who have achieved a full award at Level 6 (Degree Level) and graduated within the last five years (2011 onwards). Early payment discount We offer an early payment discount to eligible non-eu international students in their first year of study with us. Both the above are subject to terms and conditions, only one discount is available per student. Visit: postgraduate/financing-your-studies/ Employment If you are planning to study part-time in order to work while you study our Job Shop can help you find suitable employment. Register online: or call Means-tested benefits Most full-time students cannot claim meanstested benefits such as Income Support or Housing Benefit. However, if you have children or you have an illness or disability, you may be eligible for certain benefits. If you are a part-time student you can claim means-tested benefits if you meet the eligibility criteria. You can get more information about welfare benefits at Jobcentre Plus, or via your local council. Tax Credits If you have dependent children you may be able to claim Child Tax Credit from HMRC. You may be able to claim Working Tax Credit if you meet certain conditions. These include if you have a child and work at least 16 hours a week, or in some cases 24 hours; if you have a disability which puts you at a disadvantage in the workplace and you work at least 16 hours a week; if you are over 25 and work more than 30 hours a week and are receiving certain benefits. Call HMRC on for more information about Tax Credits. Leeds Beckett Hardship Funds Once you have started your course you can apply for financial help from the Leeds Beckett Hardship Funds. There is an expectation that you will have made realistic provision at the start of your course to fund both your tuition fees and your living costs. The Fund does not guarantee an award for every student. Find out more: You can also contact Student Money: moneysupport@leedsbeckett.ac.uk Money Advice You can speak to a Money Adviser at Leeds Beckett about funding, budgeting and benefits by calling our Money Advice Line on See our website for details and opening times: 7 8

6 USEFUL INFORMATION If you would like to explore your fees and funding options further, the websites listed below provide useful information. This booklet is also available to download or view online at: For the most up to date tuition fee information, please view our Online Prospectus at: courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk Government websites Educational Trust Funds and Charities Scholarships More information from Leeds Beckett University

7 Find out more about postgraduate study and funding: Money Advice Line: