Welfare
and funding information
for students in
Higher Education
Remember
that the funding
you are entitled
to depends on a
number of different
things, such as
whether you are
a full-time or
part-time student,
whether you have
studied at HE level
before and when
you started your
course.
The
funding information
below is for students
classed as home
students by Student
Finance England.
EU students pay
the home fees and
are entitled to
claim the tuition
fee loan from Student
Finance England;
if you are an EU
student, you may
be entitled to
further funding,
please see the
Welfare & Funding
Advisor for more
information. Those
from outside the
EU assessed as
international students
for fee purposes
are not entitled
to claim any funding
from Student Finance
England and are
subject to higher
tuition fees. International
students should
visit the International
Fees & Living
Costs section of
the website for
more information.
If you are unsure
whether you are
an international
or home student,
please check with
the International
Office or Student
Services.
All
forms and information
booklets are available
from the InfoZone.
You can also download
them from the website www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
Use
the links below
to navigate your
way around the
information for
students following
a Higher Education
programme of study. The following information is for students starting in 2012, if you started your course in 2011 or earlier, please see the Returning Students section:
The
information below
is new for full-time
higher education
students with no
previous study
in higher education.
If you have previously
studied at higher
education level,
please see the previous
study section
for more information.
New students can apply now for
financial support
and you should apply as soon as possible to ensure
that your money
will be in place when your course
starts. You do not need to have secured a university place to apply for funding. Apply online
now at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance. If you need help with the application process, you can make an appointment to see the Welfare & Funding Advisor by calling the InfoZone.
Tuition
Fees
Higher Education
Institutions can
charge up to £9,000
per year for tuition
fees for the 2012/13
academic year.
York College will
be charging £6,000
per year for full-time
HE programmes. If you will be attending York College for the foundation Year of an extended degree programme, please visit the University of York website for information about fees and funding (including fee waivers).
Most students are not required
to pay tuition
fees before the
course, and can
request a tuition
fee loan to cover
all or part of
the cost of the
fees. You then
pay this back after
you have finished
studying.
All
eligible students
on their first
HE course are entitled
to a tuition fee
loan and it is
not income-assessed.
The tuition fee
loan is paid directly
to your HE institution.
Maintenance
Grant
Students from low
income households
can apply for a
maintenance grant
of up to £3,250.
If your household
income is less
than £25,000,
you will receive
the maximum amount;
if it is between £25,000
and £42,600,
you will receive
a partial grant
and if it is more
than £42,600
you will not be
eligible for any
grant.
Special
Support Grant
Students such as
lone parents or
those with a disability
who are eligible
for income support,
housing benefit or other income based benefits. whilst studying
should claim the special
support grant of
up to £3,250
instead of the
maintenance grant
as it will not
be included in
any benefit calculations,
or reduce the amount
of maintenance
loan you can borrow.
You
cannot claim both
the maintenance
grant and the special
support grant.
Maintenance
Loan
You can also apply
for a maintenance
loan of up to £5,500
if you live away
from your parents
(£4,375 if
you live at home
or £7,675
if you away from
your parents in
London). If you
are eligible for
some of the maintenance
grant, your loan
will be reduced
by £0.50
for every £1
of grant awarded.
All eligible students
can apply for 65%
of the maintenance
loan regardless
of household income;
the extra 35% is
income assessed.
Use
the entitlement
calculator from
Student Finance
England to estimate
how much funding
you might get.
HE
institutions can
charge upto £6,750
for a part-time
HE course, York
College charges £3,000
for most part-time
HE courses. New part-time
students will be
eligible for a
tuition fee loan
if they do not
already have a
degree level qualification.
Details about the application process will be available shortly.
Part-time
ITT Students
Due to a change
in funding regulations,
new part-time ITT
students on our
PGCE or Cert. Ed.
course will be
treated as part-time
students for funding
purposes. Please note that PGCE students are eligible for funding even though they already have a degree.
Students
who have studied
at HE Level before
I
did not complete
my HE qualification
If you have studied
at degree level
before, but did
not complete the
qualification,
and are applying
for a full-time
programme, you
may not be eligible
for funding for
all years of your
new course. Different
income thresholds
may also apply.
I
completed my
HE qualification
If you have completed
a HE qualification,
there is limited
funding available
for further study
and the same or
lower level, with
some exceptions.
If you are studying
on a full-time
course, you will
not be eligible
for a tuition fee
loan or a maintenance
support and you
may be charged
a higher tuition
fee. If you are
studying on a part-time
course, you will
not be eligible
for the tuition
fee loan and
may be charged
a higher tuition
fee. Courses exempt
from higher tuition
fees at York College
are the PCGE/Cert.
Ed. and our Foundation
Degrees.
Please
note the following
College statement:
'All students applying
to a York College
Higher Education
course with an
existing higher
education qualification
are alerted to
funding
changes that have
been introduced
by the Government
for 2008/09 entry
onwards. These
changes may impact
on their eligibility
to be charged the
normal fee level
to study at York
College. It must
be noted these
changes
do not apply to
all qualifications,
or subjects. For
example there are
some exemptions
such as Foundation
degrees, healthcare
professions, engineering,
etc. Therefore,
for further details
please contact
the InfoZone on
01904 770397, or
email: studentservices@yorkcollege.ac.uk'
Students
with disabilities
and learning difficulties
If
you have a disability
you may be eligible
for extra funding,
extra equipment
or extra support
from the Disabled
Students' Allowance
(DSA) whether you
study full or part-time.
You can apply for
DSA by using the
form DSA1.
You will need to
supply evidence
of your disability
mental health condition or learning difficulty
such as a doctor's
letter or educational
psychologist's
assessment.
If
you need help to
fill the form or
have any other
queries in please
come to the InfoZone to make an appointment
with the Welfare
and Funding Advisor. Alternatively, you can get step-by-step help with all stages of the process at www.yourdsa.com. The application form will be available to download from here , or you can collect one from the InfoZone.
The
National Bureau
for Students with
Disabilities has
a good website
with information
and advice on all
sorts of issues.
Check out www.skill.org.uk for
more info.
Students
with children and
other dependants
Childcare
Grant
If you have dependant
children in (Ofsted-registered and approved) childcare,
you can apply for
the Childcare Grant
using the form CCG1.
The Childcare Grant
will pay up to
85% of £175
per week for one
child (maximum £148.75 per week) or up to
85% of £300
per week for two
or more children (maximum £255).
You cannot get
both the Childcare
Grant and the childcare
element of Working
Tax Credits. This
support is income
assessed and you
do not have to
pay it back.
Application forms will be available to download from here, or you can collect one from the InfoZone. if you need help with the application process, please come to the InfoZone to make an appointment with the Welfare and Funding Advisor.
Parent's
Learning Allowance
If you have dependant
children, you can
apply for the Parent's
Learning Allowance
of up to £1,508
per year. This
support is income
assessed and you
do not have to
pay it back.
Adult
Dependants' Allowance
If you have adult
dependants such
as a partner or
family member who
is financially
dependant on you,
you can apply for
the Adult Dependants'
Allowance of up
to £2,642
per year. This
support is income
assessed and the
income of your
dependant will
be taken into consideration.
You do not have
to pay this support
back.
Studying
NHS-funded HE
courses or Social Work
If you will be studying an NHS-funded course such as nursing, physiotherapy or midwifery, you may be able to get a grant of £1,000, a maintenance loan of £2,324 and a means-tested bursary of up to £4,395 (figures based on a student living away from home and not in London). Your tuition fees will be paid by the NHS. If you will be studying a social work degree, you may be eligible for the Social Work Bursary of up to £4,575 (outside London). This is paid in addition to the main student finance package of loans and grants.
Visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students for more details and for a list of courses which are eligible for NHS or Social Work funding.
Students
from or studying
in Scotland, Wales
or Northern Ireland
Students
from England who
choose to study
in one of the above
countries will
receive the same
financial support
as those who choose
to study in England.
That means that
even though tuition
fees vary, you
will still be eligible
for a tuition fees
loan to cover them.
University
of York foundation
years
Students on the
foundation year
of an extended
degree programme
run in conjunction
with the University
of York (BSc Evidence-based
Nursing Practice,
BSc Environmental
Science/Geography/Economics,
and BA Applied
Social Science/Social
Policy) should
visit the University
of York's website for
information about
the bursary offered.
Each
HE institution
offers different
bursaries and scholarships,
check with the
institution's own
website or search
with www.ucas.com.
Additional
financial support
If
you are facing
financial hardship,
you may be able
to apply to a charitable
trust for help.
There are many
charitable trusts
with different
criteria. Support
may be limited
to learners studying
certain subjects,
living in certain
areas, or of a
specific age group.
You
may be eligible
for a bursary (which
you wouldn't have
to pay back), a
loan (which you
would have to pay
back), or the charitable
trust may choose
to purchase goods
on your behalf.
If
you feel that you
need extra financial
support, and are
not sure where
to start, make
an appointment
with the Welfare
and Funding Advisor.
Alternatively
try www.turn2us.org.uk for help searching for charitable support.
National Scholarship Programme
The National Scholarship Programme (NSP) is a government funded scheme aimed at helping disadvantaged students from lower income households into higher education. Funding is provided by the government and by the College.
For the 2012/13 academic year, York College will be offering 18 scholarships which will be split across our full-time and part-time higher education courses. Successful applicants starting a full-time programme will receive a £1,000 bursary paid to you over the year and a £2,000 fee waiver. Successful part-time students will receive a £1,500 fee waiver. All awards are for the first year of study only.
The NSP is available to students who:
have a household income of under £25,000
normally live in England
have not studied in higher education before
In addition, the College will prioritise funding to students who have overcome barriers to reach higher education.
The NSP is not available to students who:
started their course before September 2012
are studying the foundation year of a course run in conjunction with the University of York (please contact the University for details of their bursaries and scholarships)
have studied a higher education course before, even if they did not complete it
normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
are receiving a scholarship towards their tuition fees
have transferred from a different institution
Application forms will be sent to students who have been made an offer on an eligible course. Full-time students must submit their applications by the end of June 2012 and part-time students must submit their applications by the end of August 2012.
Please note that due to the limited nature of this fund, meeting the criteria for the National Scholarship Programme will not be sufficient to guarantee funding and that each application will be considered based on the information provided.
For more information about the National Scholarship Programme, including a list of institutions offering awards, visit direct.gov.uk
New student finance film This film features year 13 students, recent graduates and Martin Lewis of moneysavingexpert.com discussing the facts of the new student finance system.
What
to do when things
go wrong
Access
to Learning Fund
If you have applied
for all the statutory
support available
to you or you are
not eligible for
statutory support,
and you find yourself
facing financial
difficulty during
your course, you
may be able to
apply for additional
support. Most of
the help available
from this fund
is not repayable.
Please contact
the Welfare and
Funding Advisor
on 01904 770443
if you would like
more information.
Whatever
you do, if you
have financial
problems, do
not bury your head
in the sand! Face
up to any problems
as soon as possible
to stop them from
growing into financial
monsters. If you
have money worries,
you can book an
appointment with
the Welfare and
Funding Advisor
or access an advice
agency such as
the Citizens Advice
Bureau www.yorkcab.org.uk.
Council
Tax
The
majority of full-time
learners are exempt
from Council Tax.
If
you live in York,
you need to register
for Council Tax
exemption online.
If
you live elsewhere,
you can request
a Council Tax exemption
certificate from
the InfoZone.
Tax
Refunds
Are
you due a tax refund?
Are you paying
too much tax?
Find
out that and everything
else you need to
know about students
and tax here.
Welfare
Benefits
If
you have a disability
or are a lone parent
with dependant
children you may
be entitled to
claim benefits
during both the
academic year and
the summer vacation.
Please
contact the Advisor
in Welfare and
Funding if you
require further
information. Alternatively,
you may find the
following websites
helpful:
www.hmrc.gov.uk HM
Revenue and Customs
website. Income
tax, tax credits,
national insurance,
child benefit.
Try www.turn2us.org.uk for free
calculators to
help you work out
your entitlement
to benefits and
tax credits.
Tax
Credits
Students with dependant
children can continue
to claim Child
Tax Credits. If
you have dependant
children or a disability,
you can only claim
Working Tax Credits
if you (or your
partner) are working
at least 16 hours
per week. If you
do not have any
children, you must
be over 25 and
working at least
30 hours per week
to claim Working
Tax Credits.
Please
contact the Revenue
for further details: www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits
Helpline: 0845
300 3900
Text phone: 0845
300 3909
Returning Students
Full and Part-time Students
If you were are new or returning student in the 2011/12 academic year, the above funding will not apply to you in you are continuing on the same programme in 2012/12 and your funding will remain the same as during the 2011/12 academic year. For details of your entitlement, visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance. If you are changing courses, topping up, or have had a break in your studies, you can make an appointment with the Welfare & Funding Advisor to discuss your entitlement.
If you are a full-time student, you can now apply for your 2012/13 academic year funding. Visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance to apply online. Help with the application process is available through the InfoZone.
York College | Sim Balk Lane | YORK YO23 2BB | Main Number 01904 770200 | Course Enquiries 01904 770400 | Fax 01904 770499 | Text telephone 01904 770303
