Financial support for new students in 2011/12

The information in this section relates to academic year 2011/12 – courses starting 1 September 2011.

Information about the financial support available in academic year 2012/13 is also available.

Quickly find out how much you might get

By providing us with some basic information about yourself, you can use our calculator to work out an estimate of what financial help you might be able to receive.

• Student Finance Calculator – how much can you get?.

Types of student finance available

Help with living costs

• Maintenance Loan
• Maintenance Grant and Special Support Grant
• Bursaries from universities and colleges
• Extra help for students with particular circumstances

Help with tuition fees

• Tuition Fee Loan

Practitioners

• Information and resources for practitioners

Maintenance Loan

Key facts

• The Maintenance Loan is to help with your living costs
• You need to pay it back after you have finished your course
• You will be charged interest on any amount you borrow

How much can you get?

The amount you can get depends on where you’ll be living during term-time. It is also affected by your income and that of your parents or partner.

If your course is longer than 30 term-time weeks (plus short holidays) you can get an extra amount of loan to help with your living costs

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Maintenance Grant and Special Support Grant

Key facts

• These grants are to help with your living costs
• You do not need to pay them back
• You can get either the Maintenance Grant or the Special Support Grant, not both

Which can you get?

If your household income is £41,065 or less and you are also eligible for Income Support or certain other means-tested benefits such as Housing Benefit, you may be able to get the Special Support Grant.

If you are not eligible to receive any means-tested benefits, but your household income is still £41,065 or less, you may be able to get the Maintenance Grant instead.

How much can you get?

The amount you can get depends on your income and that of your parents or partner.

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Bursaries from universities and colleges

Bursaries are extra financial help for students from families on a low income. If you receive the full Maintenance Grant or the full Special Support Grant you are guaranteed to receive a bursary.

If you receive some of the Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant you may still get a bursary, depending on the university or college you attend.

The amount you are entitled to receive can be different depending on the university or college you go to, so you should contact them directly to find out more about the bursaries they offer.

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Extra help for students with particular circumstances

Students with children or adult dependants

There are extra grants available if you have children or if you have any adults who depend on you financially. You would not have to pay any of these back.

• Students with children or other dependants – more information

Students with disabilities

If you have a physical or mental disability, or a specific learning difficultly such as dyslexia, there are grants available to help you meet the extra costs of study you might face. You would not have to pay any of these back.

• Students with disabilities – more information

Other sources of extra help

There are some other grants and extra help available. More information about them can be found here:

• What additional support is available?

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Tuition Fee Loan

Key facts

• You can get a Tuition Fee Loan to cover all or part of your tuition fees
• You need to pay it back after you have finished your course
• You will be charged interest on any amount you borrow
• The money is paid directly to your university or college, not to you

How much can you get?

Universities and colleges in Northern Ireland, England and Wales can charge tuition fees of up to £3,375 a year in 2011/12. The amount you are charged may vary depending on the course or the university or college you choose to attend.

You can get a Tuition Fee Loan to cover the full amount of tuition fees your university or college is charging you, up to a maximum of £3,375.

Different fee arrangements apply to universities in Scotland. Contact the university or college directly for more information.

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Information and resources for Practitioners

• Student Finance NI Presentation (ppt 364kB)
• NHS and DHSSPS Student Funding 11/12 (excel 135kB)

Online Video- help with customers’ online accounts

You can use these to demonstrate to your students and their families. This is provided as a ‘zip file’ to download below.

• Download help videos (Zip file 104MB

Demonstration Account- a mock walkthrough

This ‘dummy’ version of the Student Finance Online Service opens in your browser. You can see every screen of the online application, with extra help added to explain common problems. Download the files and save them on to your computer to start.

This demo is for demonstrative purposes, and does not mirror the interactive nature of the live Student Finance system.

• Demonstration Account - a mock walkthrough (Zip file 4.47MB)

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