Financial Support for Post 16 Students
Higher Education Funding (post 18)
- (1) Administration of Student Finance
- (2) Eligible Courses
- (3) Personal Eligibility
- (4) Financial Support in 2008/2009
- (a) Tuition Fees
- (b) Maintenance Grant
- (c) Maintenance Loans
- (d) Other possible support
- (5) Financial Support in 2009/2010
- (a) Tuition Fees
- (b) Maintenance Grant
- (c) Maintenance Loans
- (d) Other possible support
- (6) Other Issues
- (7) Repayments
- (8) Contact us
(1) Administration of Student Finance
2008/2009 Academic Year
You must apply to Devon County Council by 31 May 2009 for funding for 2008/09. Application Forms are available from
Student Finance Office
Devon County Council
Kingfisher House
Western Way
Exeter
EX1 2DE
Tel 01392 381015 (between 1100 and 1330 only)
Or you can apply online at www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index.htm
Birth certificates or passports (not photocopies) must be submitted with new applications, together with any financial documentation necessary to confirm income details supplied. If you submit your birth certificate you must also send in a completed Birth/Adoption Certificate Declaration Form which you can download 
(35KB - pdf help) here.
Once the application has been processed by the LA the details of the Student’s entitlement are passed to the SLC in Glasgow. The SLC then communicates with the Student by providing the student with a ‘notification’ letter outlining the amounts of money available, and a payment schedule indicating when the money will be paid into the Student’s bank. These communications are bar coded and must be taken by the student to enrolment. Only when the University ‘swipes’ the barcode is the money paid into the student’s account.
Maintenance support, both loan and grant, is normally paid to the student in three instalments – September, January and April.
2009/2010 Academic Year
New Students:
For new applicants beginning their courses after September 2009, the administration of student finance is taking place centrally by Student Finance England. Please telephone 0845 300 5090 or see the website www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance for more details.
Returning Students:
Returning students’ funding will continue to be administered by Devon County Council. You can contact this office for an application form (PR1) or you can apply online at www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index.htm
Full time designated courses
- First degree (including foundation degree)
- Higher national diploma*
- Higher national certificate*
- Diploma of higher education*
- Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) – this is the only postgraduate course that normally attracts automatic funding under the regulations
- Certain other courses including part-time Initial Teacher Training
Part time designated courses
- Courses leading to one of the above qualifications. For other than teacher training, the course must be completed in no longer than twice the time it takes to complete the full-time equivalent level course.
*these qualifications can normally be enhanced to Honours degree without detriment.
You must meet the residence requirement which means that you must have been living in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately preceding the start of the academic year in which the course begins (e.g. 1 September) temporary absence can be disregarded. Further information on this aspect is available in the guide “student support for those living or working overseas” available on the DfES website.
(4) Financial Support in 2008/2009
There are three elements in the Student Finance package for those starting Higher Education in 2008
| 1. | Tuition Fees Loan – not means-tested |
| 2. | Maintenance Grant – means-tested |
| 3. | Maintenance Loan – partially means-tested |
| 4. | Other possible support |
From 2008 Universities are authorised to charge tuition fees of up to £3,145 for each year of the course
Not all Higher Education Institutions will charge the full fee, and not all will charge the full fee for all courses. However, it is a reasonable assumption that £3,145 will become the standard fee.
The Student Loans Company will pay the fee, whatever it happens to be, in the first instance, provided the student has applied to take out a ‘fee’ loan and at the end of the course this will become an element of the loan that the student will repay (for repayments see below).
* If the HEI charges the full £3,145 fee and the student is assessed to receive the full Maintenance Grant of £2,835, it must make available to the Student a means-tested bursary of at least £310*
The maintenance grant is mean-tested but has been increased to a maximum of £2,835.
Dependant Students will be assessed on their own unearned income and their parents’ income: where the household income is £25,000 or less the Student will receive the full £2,835 grant and where the household income is above £60,006 the Student will receive no grant. Household income between £25,001and £60,005 will mean that the Student receives a partial grant.
Independent students will be assessed on their own resources, or on those of spouse/partner, on the same scale as above.
| 1) | The maximum loans available to students are as follows:- a) Students living at home - £3,580 b) Students living away from home and at an HEI in London - £6,475 c) Students living away from home and not in London - £4,625 |
In the final year of the student’s course the maximum loan rate is reduced by approximately 10%.
Any assessed parental contribution is deducted from the Maintenance Loan once household income is in excess of £60,006.
Example: a student not living in the parental home and not at University in London will be eligible for a minimum loan of £3,470 (the remaining £1,155 loan being means-tested) where the maximum household income is £60,000 or more.
MAINTENANCE GRANT AND LOAN ENTITLEMENT: ILLUSTRATIVE LEVELS OF INCOME
(Excluding students on courses of initial teacher training not leading to a first degree)
Student studying outside London and not living in parental home
INCOME (£) |
ASSESSED |
MAINTENANCE |
MAINTENANCE |
TOTAL GRANT |
Maximum £4,625 (*) |
||||
25,000 |
0 |
2,835 |
3,365 |
6,200 |
30,000 |
0 |
2,002 |
3,365 |
5,367 |
34,450 |
0 |
1,260 |
3,365 |
4,625 |
40,000 |
0 |
998 |
3,627 |
4,625 |
50,000 |
0 |
524 |
4,101 |
4,625 |
60,005 |
0 |
50 |
4,575 |
4,625 |
61,061 |
0 |
0 |
4,625 |
4,625 |
65,000 |
414 |
0 |
4,211 |
4,211 |
70,000 |
940 |
0 |
3,685 |
3,685 |
72,034 |
1,155 |
0 |
3,470 (+) |
3,470 |
80,000 |
1,155 |
0 |
3,470 |
3,470 |
(*) Where students are eligible for more than £1,260 of grant, the amount of loan for which they are eligible will be reduced by £1,260.
(+) is the point at which the 75% non means tested element of the loan is reached.
For income between £25,001 and £34,450, the grant is reduced by £1 for every complete £6 by which the income exceeds £25,000. For income between £34,451 and £60,005, the grant is reduced by £1 for every complete £21.12 by which the income exceeds £34,450.
A student whose income is £60,005 will be eligible for the minimum grant of £50. A student whose income exceeds £60,005 will not be eligible for any grant.
| 1) | Disabled Student Allowance - see Bridging the Gap booklet. This allowance is intended to help students who have disabilities meet the extra costs that they might have specifically in relation to their course attendance. |
| 2) | Adult Dependant’s Grant and Parent Learning Allowance - provide help for people with dependants who have a very low income (you will apply for this on the main application form) |
| 3) | Childcare Grant - up to 85% of childcare costs can be met for people with children who have a low income and childcare costs (contact the LA for more information) |
| 4) | Access to learning funds Available through your college and provide help for students on low income who may need extra financial support for their course and to stay in higher education. Usually a grant but might also be a loan. |
| 5) | University scholarships – apply to your chosen university. |
| 6) | Sponsorship – see your school or college’shigher education library |
| 7) | Charitable trusts and foundations – see “alternative funding for students” |
| 8) | Student’s own earned income – wholly disregarded for financial assessment purposes. |
(5) Financial Support in 2009/10
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RELATES TO RENEWING STUDENTS ONLY. NEW STUDENTS SHOULD SEE WWW.DIRECT.GOV.UK/STUDENTFINANCE FOR INFORMATION ON FUNDING.
The maximum Tuition Fee that your university can charge in 2009/10 is £3225.
Not all Higher Education Institutions will charge the full fee, and not all will charge the full fee for all courses. However, it is a reasonable assumption that £3225 will become the standard fee.
The Student Loans Company will pay the fee, whatever it happens to be, in the first instance, provided the student has applied to take out a ‘fee’ loan and at the end of the course this will become an element of the loan that the student will repay.
The maintenance grant is mean-tested but has been increased to a maximum of £2,906.
Dependant Students will be assessed on their own unearned income and their parents’ income: where the household income is £25,000 or less the Student will receive the full £2906 grant and where the household income is above £50.020 the Student will receive no grant. Household income between £25,001and £50,020 will mean that the Student receives a partial grant.
Independent students will be assessed on their own resources, or on those of spouse/partner, on the same scale as above.
| 1) | The maximum loans available to students are as follows:- a) Students living at home - £3,838 b) Students living away from home and at an HEI in London - £6,928 c) Students living away from home and not in London - £4,950 |
In the final year of the student’s course the maximum loan rate is reduced by approximately 10%.
Any assessed parental contribution is deducted from the Maintenance Loan once household income is in excess of £50.020.
| 1) | Disabled Student Allowance - see Bridging the Gap booklet. This allowance is intended to help students who have disabilities meet the extra costs that they might have specifically in relation to their course attendance. |
| 2) | Adult Dependant’s Grant and Parent Learning Allowance - provide help for people with dependants who have a very low income (you will apply for this on the main application form) |
| 3) | Childcare Grant - up to 85% of childcare costs can be met for people with children who have a low income and childcare costs (contact the LA for more information) |
| 4) | Access to learning funds Available through your college and provide help for students on low income who may need extra financial support for their course and to stay in higher education. Usually a grant but might also be a loan. |
| 5) | University scholarships – apply to your chosen university. |
| 6) | Sponsorship – see your school or college’shigher education library |
| 7) | Charitable trusts and foundations – see “alternative funding for students” |
| 8) | Student’s own earned income – wholly disregarded for financial assessment purposes. |
(6) Other Issues to Bear in Mind
| 1. | Students with a disability might be entitled to additional support. |
| 2. | Some courses such as Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy and Nursing are primarily financed through the NHS. Information about this will be available from the HEI the student is planning to attend. The student should still apply to the Local Authority, however, as a reduced rate loan is available to supplement NHS funding. Medical and Dentistry students will receive conventional funding as outlined above but they will be eligible for NHS funding for the fifth and subsequent years of their course. |
| 3. | Students on courses which require travel abroad typically, but not solely, language students may be eligible for means-tested assistance with travel costs. |
| 4. | Other dependant children can be offset against family income – each child is currently worth £1,075! |
Student loan repayments (including both the Fee Loan and the Maintenance Loan) commence in the April following graduation. No payments are required if the income is below £15,000 but once income rises above that figure the student’s employer deducts the repayment on a sliding scale in the same way that National Insurance and Income Tax is deducted. If income falls below £15,000 then repayments stop.
There is no interest charge as such on the loan but it is linked to inflation. Any loan outstanding after 25 years is written off.
Lines are currently open 11am to 1.30pm Monday to Friday.
or
email your enquiry to stusupp@devon.gov.uk
or
you can write to or visit:
Student Finance Office
Devon County Council
Kingfisher House
Western Way
Exeter
EX1 2DE
