Advice

There is a wide range of financial support available to students, all with different rules and providers, this can make it really difficult to be sure that your applying for everything that you are entitled to.

For most students student funding be it from Student Finance England or your Local Education Authority is your main means of support and it is vital you get it right, or it could to lead to problems throughout the year.

The main types of funding available for home students not studying NHS funded courses are:

• Tuition Fee Loan. This covers your tuition fees and is paid directly to the university. It is not means tested and both home and EU students can apply for this. This will need to be paid back
• Maintenance Loan. This helps cover some of your living costs such as rent. Part of this loan is not means tested so as long as you are eligible for funding you should receive this. The extra amount is means tested and dependent on how much Maintenance grant you may receive. This also has to be paid back
• Maintenance Grant is entirely dependent on the income of the household/student. If the previous tax years income is under £25000 per year, you will receive the full amount. But even if income is above this figure you can still receive some element of the grant. This does not have to be paid back, so you should always apply for this as it is essentially free money.

 There is also supplementary funding available dependent on your circumstances, this funding is in the forms of grants so does not need to be paid back:

• Special Support Grant.This is for student who are entitled to benefits and replaces the Maintenance Grant. It is the same amount but is not included as means for benefit purposes and allows the student to receive the full Maintenance Loan and Grant.
• Parent Learning Allowance. If you have a dependent child living in the household
• Childcare Grant. This helps with the cost of Childcare up to 85% of a registered childcare provider
• Adult Dependent’s Grant. If there is a adult who is financially dependent on yourself you may be able to apply for this (Note: You can not claim for adult children)
• Disability Support Allowance. If you have a condition which affects your study you may be able to receive this grant to help with the extra costs you may have at university due to your condition. If you believe you may be eligible for this you should contact the universities disability support team.

All these grants except DSA is based on means, the test is much stricter than the standard means test for the Maintenance loan and grant. If you believe you are eligible for further funding then contact Student Finance England or the Advice Centre for further help.

 For further details on the rates of funding you may be entitled to please see our Money Matters booklet is a comprehensive guide to the student funding available to the different types of students at Hallam

There are eligibility rules that must be met for this funding, which can often be complex if you have concerns then either contact the Advice Centre or your funding provider.

Wish to contact Student Finance England but concerned about the cost of ringing a 0845 number? Instead of ringing 0845 300 5090 why not try 0141 243 3600 for a cheaper rate.

Forms

Many people find the student funding forms for new and continuing students difficult to understand and complete, if you’re having problems why not look at  Directgov’s help videos:-

1. For help completing an online application form – check out the following video:-

How to apply for student finance

2. How to set up an online account:-

How to set up an online account

3. Evidence you may need to prvide to support your finance application:-

Applying for student funding -evidence you may need to supply

4. For information on when you will receive your money:-

Information on when you will receive your student funding

5. What to do if your circumstances change:-

What to do if your circumstances change

6. What to do if you forget your student finance account  login details:-

What to do if you forget your login details

7. What to do if you get locked out of your student finance account:-

What to do if you get locked out of your account

Trusts and Charities

There are thousands of charities in the country willing to give free money to eligible students. Many have strict guidelines on who can apply and there may be limited funds available each year.

To search available funding check the Family Action website which is an advisory service with a database of different organisations.

University Bursaries

The university offers two bursaries to students who pay full tuition fees (£3290), which are: 

• Hallam Grant. This is a payment of £700 which is paid to students who receive the full Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant. For 2008/09 starters you must receive £1000+ of the grant
• Hallam Partnership Grant. This is a payment of £300 which is paid to students who come from a college/school who is apart of the Universities partnership scheme. Check the University website     http://www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/schools.html to check if you school or college is a member.

These grants are paid in February each year, to receive the funding you need to tick the consent box on the student funding form which will allow the funding provider to pay the bursaries into your account. 

Help from the University

For Home students depending on your means or if you have an emergency situation you may be able to get financial help from the Student Finance Centre who operate the Access to Learning Funds.

 The Access to learning fund is a scheme set up to help retain students on their university courses who might otherwise have to leave due to financial difficulties.

International students may be able to receive financial help in emergency situations from the International Emergency Fund.

For short term financial problems students can apply to the Crisis Loan Voucher scheme for food and transport costs, students will need to show they can pay this back within 4 weeks.

For further information contact the Advice Centre or the Student Finance Centre situated on level 2 of the Surrey Building.