Rachel Hogg Student Finance
Key messages Costs Support If your child wants to go to university, finance should not mean that they are unable to do so. Financial Benefits of Higher Education How to apply for financial support
Tuition Fees / Costs Universities able to charge up to 9,000 per year subject to meeting certain conditions. Can charge less! Also will be living costs: - Rent, Travel, Food, Bills, Social London very expensive, Bristol average rent 370 pm rent, some other cities and towns cheaper rents
Tuition Fee Loan Student Loan for Tuition Fees available to all; no up front fees ( pay back after finishing the course) Loan isn t compulsory, students can pay all or part of tuition fee upfront themselves Paid directly to your university / college
Student Loan for Maintenance Another loan for your living costs MAINTENANCE LOAN 65% available to everyone and NOT means-tested 35% depends on: - where you study and live ( in or out of London) - Is means-tested, dependent on your parents (or household) income - Can be affected by dependent siblings living at home /Higher Education/Further Education
Student Loan for Maintenance FULL TIME STUDENTS MAIN RATE (100%) NON-INCOME ASSESSED (65%) INCOME ASSESSED (35%) Parental home 4,375 2,844 1,531 London 7, 675 4,989 2,686 Elsewhere 5,500 3,575 1,925
Repaying your loans You start repaying your Tuition Fee and Maintenance loans after you graduate and get a job with a salary over 21,000 a year (9% of income over 21,000). Graduates earning less than 21,000 would not have to pay any interest above the rate of inflation (Retail Price Index) Eg: - 30 a month if you earn 25,000
Loan Repayments Written off after 30 years; Interest payments from start of study but then depend upon earnings; Can pay it off in one chunk with no penalty
Rates of Interest on Loans For courses that started on or after 1 September 2012 the following interest rates apply, this may change for 2013/2014 application cycle Income While you re studying Interest rate 21,000 or less Rate of inflation Rate of inflation (Retail Price Index) plus 3% 21,000 to 41,000 Rate of inflation plus up to 3% 41,000 and over Rate of inflation plus 3%
Maintenance Grant You can get up to 3,354 which is yours to keep; you don t pay it back Dependant on Household (usually parental) Income For e.g. (may change) - Full Grant if under 25,000 - Partial Grant if between 25,001 and 42,611 - No Grant if over 42,611 The less grant entitled to, more loan allowed. Financial contribution from higher earning households assumed https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator
Maintenance/Loan Grant
Maintenance Loan/Grant Distribution
Bursaries / Scholarships National Scholarship Programme money from central government Universities and Colleges charging tuition fees must offer bursaries ( if NSP offers 1,000, must be matched by University contributing 2,000 for example) Bursaries are yours to keep; like the Maintenance Grant you don t pay them back Universities also offer scholarships for various things e.g. excelling in a certain areas
University of Bristol Bursary Residual household income is income before tax with 1,100 deducted for each dependent sibling Residual household income is 15,000 or below, receiving maintenance grant: Bristol s financial contribution 5,500. Either take as a 5,500 fee waiver OR 2,000 cash bursary + 3,500 fee waiver (reduced tuition fee liability of 5,500) Residual household income 15,001 to 20,000, receiving maintenance grant: Bristol s financial contribution 4,500. Either take as a 4,500 fee waiver OR 2,000 cash bursary + 2,500 fee waiver (reduced tuition fee liability of 6,500) Residual household income 20,001 to 25,000, receiving maintenance grant: Bristol s financial contribution 3,000. Either take as a 3,000 fee waiver OR 2,000 cash bursary + 1,000 fee waiver (reduced tuition fee liability of 8,000)
Other Sources of Grants (not repayable) Specific Grants Disabled Student Allowance, Adult Dependants Grant, Care Leavers Grant, Childcare Grant, Parents Learning Allowance, Long course loans, Travel Grant. Special Support Grant :income support or housing benefit, lone parents or certain disabilities won t affect amount of loan or maintenance grant you receive NHS Bursaries -Medical, dentistry, healthcare e.g. nursing, physiotherapy, Social work student bursaries. (NHS bursaries means-tested) The Access to Learning Fund If you can demonstrate you are experiencing real financial hardship Administered by individual universities ACCESS TO BRISTOL - participants
Where to find bursary/scholarship information www.thescholarshiphub.org.uk
Part time jobs A number of students have part time jobs Universities have Student Job Shops to help students find suitable jobs Most universities recommend no more than 15 hrs per week of work Many students use vacation periods for earning money
What are the benefits of going to university? It is the chance to study a subject you love for at least three years Opportunity to meet wide range of people from variety of backgrounds and cultures Development of team work, time management, communication and leadership skills Experience a whole new social life
Financial benefits of going to university? There are also important financial benefits for going to University: More and more employers are expecting students to have an HE qualification Some careers demand it 60% of graduate jobs don t favour a particular subject Better chance of getting a job e.g. In 2011 86% of all graduates were in work compared with 72.3% of non-graduates.
More financial benefits of going to university? Likely to earn a higher salary e.g. In 2011 the median hourly rate of pay for all graduates aged 21 to 64 was 15.18, 70% more than the non-graduate rate of 8.92. -Graduates are half as likely than non graduates to be unemployed - On average, graduates earn more over the course of their working lifetimes, than non-graduates - Over the past 5 years, graduates have had double the number of promotions at work.
DLHE 2009/10 results for University of Bristol graduates Full-time paid work - 53.8% Part-time paid work - 6.1% Voluntary/unpaid work - 2.5% Work and study - 5.2% Further study - 20.4% Assumed to be unemployed - 5.5% Not available for employment* - 3.7% Other/Refusal - 2.8% * Not available for employment mostly means travelling for Bristol graduates, but also includes permanently unable to work, temporarily sick, retired, or looking after the home. Some universities/courses have higher employability rates and some employers prefer graduates from certain institutions
How to apply Apply online through www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-studentfinance Recommended: about an hour to complete application form 1) Set up a student finance online account. 2) Log in and complete the online application form. 3) If needed, include details of your household income and get your parents (or partner) to support your application The National Insurance number check against HMRC (tax) 4) If needed, send in proof of identity. 5) Usually, within 6 weeks you ll get a loan declaration in the post - sign and return it.
How to apply continued Deadline for applicants for 2014 likely end May ( check dates next year) Don t need all offers to apply (SFE are happy for you to put details for the course you are most likely to choose) Deferred applicants apply for Student Finance within year of entry It is recommended that you complete the entire form
Any questions? https://www.gov.uk/student-finance