Financial Support for Students

To study and live in the UK can be expensive. Most students pay for themselves, or with help from friends and family.

The two types of financial costs you'll face as a full-time or part-time student in higher education are:

1. tuition fees
2. your day-to-day living expenses

To aid you with these finances, students may be able to apply for one or more of the following:

• Tuition fee loans to cover the full cost of your tuition fees
• Living cost loans to cover the cost of your living expenses
• Grants for living costs
• Bursaries and scholarships from universities and colleges

How do you apply?

If you are a UK citizen, you can apply for student finance online or by requesting a paper form that you fill in and send to your local authority.

International and national students are adviced to try contacting the following organisations for details about any funding they might be able to offer you:

1. your own government (some governments have scholarship schemes that support study in the UK)
2. your nearest British Council office, search on following website:
   http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/portal/ page?_pageid=1647,467622&_dad=portal&_schema=PROTOCOL
3. the UK institution at which you intend to study (some universities and colleges provide a limited number of scholarships).

Scholarship

Many colleges and universities offer scholarships. These can be based on factors such as your A level grades, the subjects you studied, or where you live.

Most scholarships are very competitive, and have many more applicants than they can fund. The application deadlines are usually a long time before your academic year starts, so it is important to find out about scholarships as early as possible.

For more information about scholarships:

www.educationuk.org/scholarships - the Education UK website provides a search facility for scholarships, bursaries and awards.

Google is also a useful tool in the search for scholarships, specify according to university, location or courses for instance.

Bursaries and scholarships are paid on top of the standard student finance package i.e. an addition to any financial help you receive from the government. They can be paid as cash, or your university or college may provide you with support for things such as:

• accommodation
• books
• transport (for example, a bicycle)

The average bursary is likely to be around £1,000 a year.

More information about bursaries: http://www.ucas.com/search/index.html

Your application will be handled either:

• through Student Finance Direct, who administer the bursary programme on behalf of several universities and colleges in the UK; register here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/Doitonlinestudentfinance/DG_10035460

• through your university or college

Loans

Student loans can help pay for the costs associated with taking a higher education course. They are issued by Student Finance Direct, a service managed by the Student Loans Company in partnership with local authorities and the Department for Education and Skills.

http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/

The loan will cover the full amount of your fees:

• up to £3,000 in 2006/2007
• up to £3,070 in 2007/2008

The Student Loan for Maintenance is to help pay your living costs during term times and holidays. The amount you can borrow will depend on factors like your household income, where you live while you are studying and how much Maintenance Grant you receive.

How is it paid?

The Student Loan for Maintenance is usually paid straight into your bank account by Student Finance Direct in three instalments at the start of each term. Student Finance Direct pays the Student Loan for Fees straight to your college or university.

Repaying student loans

If you take out a student loan, you will not have to repay it while you are studying. Repayments only start after you leave your course and are earning more than £15,000 a year (or the monthly or weekly equivalents).

You'll be asked to repay nine per cent of any earnings above a certain amount - currently £15,000.

EXAMPLE: Someone earning £18,000 a year will pay back nine per cent of £3,000 (£18,000 minus £15,000) which works out at about £5.19 a week.

• The more you earn, the faster you repay the loan. You can repay more than this if you wish.
• The interest rate is currently 2.4 per cent

Grants

The financial help available is the same for new and continuing part-time students. How much you may get depends on your personal circumstances and the type of course you do.

There are two types of non-repayable grant:

1. fee grant (to help with tuition fees)
2. course grant (to help with study costs such as books, materials and travel)

Conditions: To apply for the fee grant and course grant, your course must last at least one year and for part-time studies; not take more than twice as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course.

You apply for every year of your course, at the start of each academic year. How much you can get each year depends on your household income and whether you have a spouse, partner or children.

You do not have to repay this help.

For more information about fee and course grants:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/ StudentFinance/StudentFinanceFactsheets/DG_10034884

As well as these grants, you may also be able to apply for help through your college from:

• Access to Learning Fund
• Additional Fee Support Scheme

If you receive a fee grant that doesn't cover the fees charged to you, you may be able to get extra money from your college through the Additional Fee Support Scheme. Ask the student support office at your college or university for more information.

If you have a low income, you may also be entitled to claim certain income-related benefits

To see if you are qualified for benefits click following link:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning /UniversityAndHigherEducation/ StudentFinance/StudentFinanceFactsheets/DG_10034876

If your circumstances mean you are not entitled to financial help from the government, you may be able to apply for a Career Development Loan. To see if you are qualified for other help such as a career development loan see:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/CareerDevelopmentLoans/DG_10033240

Applying for financial help

The application form should be completed and sent to the EU Customer Services Team.

EU Customer Services Team

• Address
  Mowden Hall
  Staindrop Road
  Darlington
  DL3 9BG
• Phone number +44 (0) 141 243 3570
• Email address
  EU_Team@slc.co.uk
• Opening Hours
  Monday to Friday, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm

OR Follow the steps on this website for registration and application. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/ StudentFinance/StudentsFromOtherEUCountries/DG_10035219

As for other financial aid, the authorities in your home country may be of assistance, contact your local university/city council/career centre etc. for more information.

Socrates Erasmus

Erasmus is an opportunity to study in another European country. The programme principally enables the exchange of students between different European institutions of higher education participating in the scheme.

Conditions:

• You must be enrolled in a formal programme of higher educational study leading to a degree;
• You must have completed at least the first year of your studies.

• your institution participates in the programme or plans to join it in the future;
• in case your institution has already joined the Socrates Erasmus programme, you should address all questions to the programme co-ordinator.

Ask the coordinator questions such as: 1. Where can I study? - ask about the partner universities and faculties; 2. What are the criteria set by my university that I need to meet (e.g. required language skills etc.)? 3. When is the deadline for submission of applications for Erasmus?

For more details consult following websites: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/socrates/erasmus/erasmus_en.html

Leonardo da Vinci

If you are doing an internship in an EU, EFTA, or EU-pre-accession country, and this country is not your home country, you might get financial support through the Leonardo Da Vinci stipend program.

Leonardo Da Vinci is one of EU's stipend programs whereby, as with Erasmus, students can obtain financial support for an EU mobility project. The difference is that Leonardo does not support study abroad programs, but rather vocational training, i.e. Internships.

The mobility part of the Leonardo da Vinci programme provides possibility of work placements abroad for students. Vocational training institutions or companies can host the trainees.

Conditions You can only participate in the Leonardo da Vinci project if your university is involved in the programme. In order to find out whether your institution is currently involved in the programme, you should contact International Relation Office of your home university.

For more details consult following website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/leonardo/new/leonardo2_en.html

Scholarship

Erasmus and Leonardo are parts of an EU project but there are also other scholarships available, even if you are not currently a student. Doing an internship in the UK could be founded by other scholarships. Sometimes companies or the local authorities will assist with some money if you will return to your home city one day with all the useful knowledge you obtained through an internship abroad.

Also if you will be studying, many colleges and universities offer scholarships. Browse the web for your university.

Google is also a useful tool in the search for scholarships, specify according to university, location or courses for instance.

Contact details for the Student Finance Direct Customer Support Office, offering practical advice and guidance on applying for student loans and other types of finance for undergraduates
Student Finance Direct
08456 077 577
http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9.00 am to 5.30 pm
To register at the student finance website:
http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=1647,469034&_dad=portal&_schema=PROTOCOL

You can find more information about scholarships and other sources of funding for your studies on the following websites:

www.britishcouncil.org/learning-funding-your-studies.htm - this British Council site gives links to information on the main scholarship schemes offered by the UK Government and colleges and universities.

www.educationuk.org/scholarships - the Education UK website provides a search facility for scholarships, bursaries and awards.

www.prospects.ac.uk - this website gives details of postgraduate opportunities, including sources of funding.

Here is your UK local authority finder: http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=1647,467622&_dad=portal&_schema=PROTOCOL

Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the UK (HERO) website.

These links will help you to choose, finance and support your education, training, lifelong learning, career planning and jobsearch. http://www.support4learning.org.uk/home/index.cfm

Scholarship search by institution, charity and organisation: http://www.educationuk.org/scholarships/

Student union advice on finance and other helpful links. http://www.nusonline.co.uk/info/money/

Studying and living in the United Kingdom guide (PDF) from British Council http://213.219.10.140/pls/hot_bc/page_pls_user_article?x=400364443010&y=0&a=0&d=1119

Council for international education, financial advice. http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/advice.htm British Council help to find funding for your chosen course through their own scholarship schemes and links to approved websites: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-funding-your-studies.htm?mtklink=corporate-homepage-funding-your-studies