Student Money Advice & Rights Team (SMART) Hardship Fund 2015/16

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1 Student Money Advice & Rights Team (SMART) Hardship Fund 2015/16 Please retain guidance notes for your information. The NEW SMART Hardship Fund (SHF) is available from 9 th November 2015 to provide extra financial help for particular costs which are not already being met from statutory (or other) sources of funding, helping students remain in higher education. To be eligible you must be enrolled on a full-time or part-time Undergraduate or Postgraduate course for the academic year 2015/16 and meet 75% attendance at the time of assessing your application. MPHIL, Research and Doctorate students are not eligible. International, EU and Distance Learning students do not qualify for this fund. Funds are limited and applications will be considered on a first come first served basis until they have all been allocated and cannot be expected to cover all costs. Before submitting an application to the SHF, students must show they have applied for and received their first instalment of full student funding, if applicable. Students must show that fees have been paid in full, or that a payment plan has been set up with regular payments made before submitting an application. Students will also be required to demonstrate that they have made realistic provision to fund both fees and living costs before the start of the course. SHF cannot be used to compensate for inappropriate use of grants and loans, for example large purchases such as a car, a holiday, expensive personal items or loans and/or gifts of cash to friends and family. This also applies to large gifts of cash and/or other donations to charitable organisations. Eligibility and attendance will be checked. External organisations may be contacted before an application is considered. Note: The maximum award from the SMART Hardship Fund and SMART Progression Fund combined is When your application is assessed your income and expenditure for the academic year will be considered and if your expenditure is found to be in excess of your income, the difference will be regarded as your additional need. This additional need may be met in part by the SHF, subject to available funds. As the SHF is limited it will normally mean that only a proportion of your need will be met. Awards are normally between 100 and 2000 and if your additional need is less than 250 then an award will not be made. Full time undergraduate students must have taken out their full Maintenance Loan entitlement and have applied for all other available means of support before an award from the SHF can be made. Eligibility for statutory support will be considered in every assessment, regardless of whether students have applied for and received any statutory support. Full time undergraduate students will only be considered for help once they have received the first instalment of their Maintenance Loan. Postgraduate students are expected to have made realistic provision at the start of the course to cover both fees and living costs. Where students have clearly not done so, a payment from the fund may not be appropriate.

2 When assessing applications to the SHF specific criteria and capping levels will be applied. It is expected that students will be able to supplement their income from a variety of sources, for example, part time work, vacation work, bank overdrafts, savings or additional parental support where appropriate. The assessment uses an assumed income figure to cover these elements rather than taking into account actual costs. The assumed income rates are as follows: Non final year students - 1,832 Final year students Students with dependants or unable to work - 0 Composite Living Costs (CLC) figures have been determined to cover expenditure on basic costs such as food, household bills, clothes, entertainment, etc., which ensures that all applicants are treated fairly, regardless of where they study and of their individual lifestyle choices. These take into account the different household needs for different groups of students. The CLCs are fixed and are used in all standard award assessments. Any awards from the SPF will be paid via Bankers Automatic Credit System (BACS) directly into the bank details given on your application. Should a student qualify for an award above 1,000 this payment will be made in two equal instalments. Prior to payment of the second instalment your attendance on your course will be confirmed, additionally you may be requested to attend an appointment with a SMART Advisor. Unpaid Emergency Loans will be deducted from any SHF award, if still remaining unpaid at the time of the award. If you are paid your award in two instalments your unpaid Emergency loan will be deducted from the first instalment. Applications must be handed in with all supporting evidence attached. Documents must be photocopies as originals will not be returned and may be destroyed. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and will be returned to students. You will be notified of the outcome through your UEL student within four working weeks of submitting an application. If successful, you will be paid two weeks from the date of the notification There is no right of appeal to the outcome of SHF assessment. If your circumstances change during the academic year, you may request a reassessment by submitting a letter and evidence of the change of your circumstances. When completing the application form please answer all questions by printing clearly or by ticking the appropriate boxes. If any of your personal details change, such as your address, you will need to inform the Student Money Advice and Rights Team in writing. When completing Section 6 Income & Expenditure please indicate if the figures given are weekly, monthly or on an annual basis. It is important that you fill this section in as accurately as possible. You must include all income and expenditure for your spouse / partner. Completed application forms and supporting evidence should be returned to: Student Money Advice & Rights Team (SMART), University of East London, Docklands Campus, 4-6 University Way, London E16 2RD. Alternatively, applications can be handed in at The Student Support Hub based at the Docklands and Stratford Campuses. If you require any assistance completing the application form, please contact SMART on or thehub@uel.ac.uk (can be accessed via UEL Direct).

3 Date Logged / Logged By: Student Money Advice & Rights Team (SMART) Hardship Fund 2015/16 Staff Use Only Section One Personal Details (Please print clearly throughout the form) Student number: First name: Surname: Address: Home telephone number: Date of birth: Gender: Mobile telephone number: Marital Status: How many children do you have? Section Two Course Details Course: Year of Study: Campus of Study: What is your mode of attendance? Full Time: Part Time: Are you on an Undergraduate or Postgraduate course? Is this your final year? Yes: No: Is this a repeat year? Yes: No: Who is paying your fees? Student Support Number: Section Three Disability / Special Medical Needs Do you have a disability or severe medical condition? If yes please give details: Would you like us to pass your details onto the Disability and Yes: No: Dyslexia Unit (DDU) so that appropriate assistance can be given? Do you receive Disability Living Allowance? Yes: No: Do you receive a Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)? Yes: No: You must supply a photocopy of your DSA Assessment Report.

4 Section Four Accommodation / Living Arrangements Please indicate which of the following statements best describes your housing situation: Alone in private accommodation: As a SINGLE parent with children: With your parents / guardian: If you live in shared accommodation, how many other adults live at this address? In halls of residence: With your PARTNER and / or children: In shared accommodation: Do you share all household expenses? Yes: No: You must supply a photocopy of an up to date, valid tenancy / mortgage agreement showing name, address, & amount of rent / mortgage. We do not require the full tenancy document. Just the pages that show the required details. Section Five Children How many children (aged 14 and under) do you have? Are you in receipt of Child Benefit? Yes: No: Please provide the full names, dates of birth and cost of childcare for all dependent children. Names: DOB: Cost : Do any of your children have a disability / medical condition requiring specialist help? Please give details. You must supply a photocopy of your Child Tax Credit award notice (all pages) and for students with children in registered childcare, photocopies of the contract with your Nursery / Childminder are required, showing cost of childcare.

5 Section 6 Income & Expenditure (Please indicate if Weekly, Monthly or Yearly) Income Student Partner Wk / Mth / Yr Wk / Mth / Yr Maintenance Loan Maintenance / Special Support Grant Parents Learning Allowance Childcare Grant Adult Dependants Grant Disabled Students Allowance Care Leavers/Foyer Bursary Fee Grant / Course Grant (Part Time- Pre-2012) Scholarships / Trusts Initial Teacher Training Bursary NHS / Social Work Bursary Career Development Loan Disability Benefits Child Benefit Housing / Council Tax Benefit Income Support Working Tax Credit /16 Child Tax Credit /16 JSA most recent assessment letter Net Earnings Parental Contribution Savings Pension Expenditure Student Partner Wk / Mth / Yr Wk / Mth / Yr Rent / Mortgage Buildings Insurance Childcare Costs Travel Costs Private Vehicle Costs Medication Disability Costs after DSA Debt Mortgage Arrears Debt Rent Arrears Debt Secured Loan Arrears Debt Council Tax Arrears Debt Gas Arrears Debt Electricity Arrears Debt Maintenance Arrears Debt Magistrates Court Fine Debt Credit Card 1 Debt Credit Card 2 Debt Catalogue/Store Card Debt Unsecured Loan Debt Other Other -

6 Section 7 Supporting Evidence Checklists Please note applications supplied without the following required evidence will be returned. Indicate below what evidence you have supplied with your application form. Remember only photocopies will be accepted. Full Time Undergraduate Students Student Finance Breakdown for 2015/16 from the Student Loan Company Payment Timetable for 2015/16 from the Student Loan Company NHS Students Support Notification for 2015/16 Social Work Students Support Notification for 2015/16 Part Time Undergraduate Students Fee Grant / Course Grant Financial Notification for 2015/16 from the Student Loan Company All Students Three months recent, full consecutive bank statements for All accounts held Valid tenancy / mortgage agreement showing name, address & amount of rent / mortgage Evidence of your / your partner s earnings, preferably 3 months wage slips Proof of payment of your tuition fees Evidence of debt secured loan arrears, rent arrears, utility arrears etc Students with Children Child / Working Tax Credit award notice 2015/16 - All pages Nursery / registered childcare invoices / statements and contract Award letter confirming Childcare Grant from Student Finance England (full time undergraduate and PGCE students only) Students and Student s partners on Benefits Award notices for any benefit(s) that you or your family receive e.g. Income Support, Housing Benefit, DLA, Incapacity Benefit, JSA etc. This must include the benefit calculation pages.

7 Section 8 Supporting Statement Please state the circumstances of your financial difficulty and why you believe your situation to be exceptional, meriting additional support. If necessary continue onto a separate sheet of paper and attach it to the back of the application form. Section 9 - Data Protection 1998 The personal data provided in the SHF application, will be used to assess a student s eligibility for the fund. External organisations may be contacted if your eligibility for the fund requires clarification. SMART will be checking that you meet the 75% attendance requirement with other UEL staff. Please note that false or misleading information will result in your application being withdrawn and no further applications will be considered. SMART provides monitoring information on the disbursement of the fund to ensure that we are following the guidelines laid out as to the allocation of the fund. Signing this form indicates your consent to the possible use of your personal information. Section 10 - Declaration I confirm that I have read and understood the guidance notes and that the information supplied within this application is true. I understand that an application made on the basis of false information will be automatically disqualified and no further applications will be considered. I further undertake to repay any payments obtained by me as a result. I undertake to notify SMART by of any changes to my bank details, address or student status. I accept that I should promptly inform SMART if I intend to withdraw from the course after an application has been submitted. Signature: Date: BANK DETAILS: Name of Bank/Building Society: Branch name: Sort code: Account number: