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From Advice Centre

How to navigate around the Advice Centre pages

The Advice Centre offers free, confidential and impartial information and advice on a wide range of subjects such as academic issues, money, housing, debt, health and much more.

The aim of the Advice pages are to help you find the answers to your questions quickly and easily.

This front page is designed to keep you updated with topical issues throughout the year.

We also have a range of downloadable leaflets and useful links that should help answer your questions, you can access these through the Advice and Information section.

If these leaflets and links don’t answer your questions, then you may wish to come in and see us or to ring or email us, you can see all our opening times and contact details in the Contact Us section. And if you need help when we are closed, you may wish to check the Out of Hours section to see if other help is available.

We also have 2 volunteer run services:

Money Doctors, which aims to help improve students’ ability to manage their own financial affairs. There is loads of useful information regarding student finances and budgeting on the Money Doctors section.

Great Sexpectations, which aims to raise awareness of good sexual health and provide information and signposting to help students who are worried about their sexual health. See the Great Sexpectations section for loads of useful info.

From Advice Centre

Worried about getting your student funding on time?

Don’t Panic!

You can still enrol on your course and move into your accommodation as normal!

Due to the problems and delays from Student Finance England last year, the University and  Union are currently working together to put a contingency plan in place, just in case.

The key is to keep everyone informed if you don’t get your funding on time, this includes your Landlord, the tuition fee section at the University, childcare provider, etc. If it doesn’t come in on time and you have no money contact the Advice Centre, don’t struggle in silence. Here’s a checklist for you to follow:

1. Contact your Landlord and explain that there is a delay. Most Landlords will be aware of the situation. If the Landlord is unsympathetic, contact the Advice Centre.

2. Tuition Fees – If you receive an invoice for fees but have applied for a tuition fee loan, notify the tuition fee section that there is a delay.

3. Have you got an overdraft facility? If not speak to your bank and ask for one, or ask if you can increase your overdraft. Details of Student Bank Accounts available.

4. Access Fund Loan – You can apply direct to the Student Finance Centre for an Access Fund Loan. This is a short term loan (usually around £50 per week) to assist you with your food and travel costs. You must repay this loan when you receive your student loan instalment.

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven’t repaid last years Access Fund Loan, then you are NOT eligible to apply this year.

You must have also applied for your Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England  before the deadline dates and any delay of your funding must be due to no fault of your own to be considered for an Access Fund Loan from the University

5. If you have childcare, speak to the childcare provider as soon as possible and ask if they will wait until your student funding arrives. If there are any problems contact the Student finance centre on 0114 225 2184.

6. Were possible try to keep in touch with Student Finance England on the status of your funding. Be warned there may be long delays, if you have concerns regarding the cost of an 0845 number try 0141 243 3600

From Advice Centre

Final Year Students – what next?

Once you’ve finished your last exam after a good number of years of (hopefully) hard work, celebrated… and recovered… What next? Read our guide to all the things you need to know.