Advice

Full time Students

From 2012/13 the system of student funding will change, and universities will be allowed to charge up to £9000 per year for tuition fees.

Courses at Sheffield Hallam will be charged at £8500 per year (except PGCE courses which will be charged £9000). Students can still apply for financial support from the government through Student Loans and Grants, which means they will not need to pay costs up front.

The majority of students (dependent on their course of study) will receive financial support from Student Finance England (Students who reside in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different funding agencies). 

Any student funding you receive will be dependent on a number of factors ranging from the course of study, mode of study, household income and if you have any dependents etc. If you have any doubts please feel free to contact the Advice Centre for further guidance.

Student Finance England Funded Students

Eligibility

The majority of students will receive funding from Student Finance England (SFE).

To be eligible for funding you must be on an eligible course, meet the required residency rules and not already hold an honours degree. Some courses have different rules regarding eligibility.

What am I entitled to?

If you meet the eligibility criteria for student funding, then you are entitled to a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your fees this will be paid directly to your institution.

If you meet the eligibility criteria part of the Maintenance Loan will also be available to you.

The remaining part of the Maintenance Loan plus all Student Grants are based on the household income for the previous tax year. The income used will be dependent on your student status.

Student Grants do not need to be paid back like the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan. The main grant for students is the Maintenance Grant.

If the household income is below £25,000 per year then you will receive the full amount of Maintenance Grant £3250.

For income above £25,00 a partial grant will be paid until the income reaches £42,874 at which point no grant is paid.

The following table shows the amount of Maintenance Grant and Loan available to students.

Note: If you are a student who receives disability related benefits and/or are a lone parent then you may be eligible for a Special Support Grant instead of the Maintenance Grant

The National Scholarship Programme (NSP)

 The NSP scheme has been set up to help students from low income families. The scheme will support students by offering a £2000 fee waiver from the students tuition fees plus a £1000 cash bursary in their first year.

To be assessed for the scheme the University advises students to apply for means tested student funding by the 31st March.

There is a number of eligibility criteria doe the NSP scheme which can be found on the University’s site here

What does the Student Funding package cover?

The funding is designed to cover your living and course costs such as rent and food. Funding from SFE is paid in 3 instalments each term.

Managing these instalments is essential to meet your basic requirements (and have a little fun) for advice about budgeting for university see our Money Doctors page

When Should I apply for Student Funding?

The application process for new students opened on the 9th January 2012. SFE advise that to avoid delays students should apply as early as possible even if they have not had confirmation of acceptance on the course.

If you apply and your circumstances change i.e. you attend a different university then you just need to inform SFE of the change of circumstances, who will change your application.

If you submit your application before the 31st May SFE will guarantee that your funding will be on time once you enrol on your course.

To apply for student funding you can follow this link which will generate you an account and security details

How Do I pay this back

Only the Maintenance and Tuition Fee loans need to be repaid back, and repayments are only made once you have graduated and you earn over a specific amount £21,000 per year.

Repayments are taken from ’source’ by HMRC similar to Tax and National Insurance.

Useful websites

Direct Gov website for 2012/13 funding

Your Future – A government website about the changes to funding and living costs for students from 2012/13