Connie Craig Advice Centre Manager Students Union Advice Centre

Connie Craig Advice Centre Manager Students Union Advice Centre

DHSSPS Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety SFNI Student Finance Northern Ireland TFL tuition fee loan ML maintenance loan MG maintenance grant PCDL Professional and Career Development Loan

Students on a first degree course in Medicine or Dentistry are eligible for standard funding from SFNI in respect of a TFL and means-tested MG and ML for the first three years of their course. (refer to slide 7 later)

After the third academic year a student may decide to take a year away from their Medicine/Dentistry degree in order to follow a one year intercalated degree. The type of course followed during this optional year out may result in a continuation of SFNI funding or no funding at all for the relevant year

If a student decides to follow an intercalated, one year, undergraduate degree e.g. BSc Pharmacy, they will continue to receive standard SFNI funding for the intercalated year i.e. TFL and means-tested MG & ML. They will not be eligible for any travel expenses.

If a student decides to follow a one year postgraduate course during the intercalated year e.g. Masters in Public Health, they will not be eligible for any funding from SFNI for that year no TFL and no MG or ML. They will be required to self-fund the Masters.

Normally students on year four of Medicine or Dentistry are eligible for standard SFNI Funding (refer back to Slide 3), but if they have completed an intercalated course (whether undergraduate or postgraduate), funding for years four and five of Medicine or Dentistry comes from the DHSSPS. This funding is still administered by SFNI.

In Northern Ireland the DHSSPS provides bursaries for eligible students of Medicine and Dentistry in their fifth and later years of study in the UK (years four and later after an intercalated degree). Tuition fees are paid directly to Queen s no longer a loan The bursaries are income assessed and the amount paid depends on household income. Students will also be eligible to apply for a non-income assessed reduced loan for the balance of the maintenance support.

The DHSSPS funding package available for either year four (if a student has completed an intercalated course) or year five (if they have not completed an intercalated course) is different to the package of support received in previous years from SFNI. DHSSPS rates for 2014/15 on next slide

INCOME ( ) ASSESSED PARENTAL CONTRIBUTION ( ) MAINTENANCE GRANT ( ) MAINTENANCE LOAN ( ) TOTAL GRANT PLUS LOAN ( ) Student living at Standard year Final year Standard Final year home < 24,770 0 1920 1780 1350 3700 3270 24,770 45 1875 1780 1350 3655 3225 29,000 490 1430 1780 1350 3210 2780 30,000 595 1325 1780 1350 3105 2675 35,000 1121 799 1780 1350 2579 2149 40,000 1648 272 1780 1350 2052 1622 42,000 1859 61 1780 1350 1841 1411 42,589 1920 0 1780 1350 1780 1350 Student living in lodgings Standard year Final year Standard Final year <24,770 0 2355 2370 1850 4725 4205 24,770 45 2310 2370 1850 4680 4160 29,000 490 1865 2370 1850 4235 3715 30,000 595 1760 2370 1850 4130 3610 35,000 1121 1234 2370 1850 3604 3084 40,000 1648 707 2370 1850 3077 2557 45,000 2174 181 2370 1850 2551 2031 46,719 2355 0 2370 1850 2370 1850

The amounts of means-tested bursary and non-means-tested loan are less when a student receives DHSSPS funding than when they receive standard SFNI funding. The justification for this is that students are not required to take out a TFL to pay for their fees in those years but will have their fees paid in full by DHSSPS, regardless of household income, on receipt of an invoice from Queen s.

DHSSPS Regulations stipulate that Medical or Dental students who repeat* more than one year of their standard course will not be entitled to a DHSSPS bursary award for fourth or fifth year. Medical and Dental students who are required to repeat part of the course remain eligible to apply for a TFL, and means-tested MG and ML. * this is not applicable to medical/dental students who have support renewed by SFNI due to compelling personal reasons

No ML for intercalated year, but ML for subsequent years. ML available for students who proceed as normal through the course.

Savings Family support Part time work Commercial borrowing bank, credit union, PCDL Postgraduate Scholarships - do your homework Be creative money is not going to fall into your lap Don t make assumptions Payment options