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StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

August 2013. StudyLink Overview for Education Providers. Find the best way to finance your future. Overview of studylink. What is StudyLink?

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StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

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  1. August 2013 StudyLinkOverview for Education Providers Find the best way to finance your future

  2. Overview of studylink What is StudyLink? • StudyLink is a part of the Ministry of Social Development; we provide financial support to students, and connect them with the information they need to make informed study decisions • Each year, StudyLink approves approximately 300,000 Student Loan and Student Allowance applications, and pays out more than $1,000,000,000 in feesto education providers • Our website (www.studylink.govt.nz) is the main resource for students to get information, and to apply for financial assistance StudyLink Business Units StudyLink has three service lines: • The Contact Centre, which is based in Lower Hutt • The Student Support Centre, based in Palmerston North (this unit handles the processing side of the business) • Outreach centres, which are based around the country, and deliver face to face services to students Contacting Us You can contact StudyLink through a number of means; • The Helpline – 0508 885 885. This phone line is based in the Student Support Centre and operates between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday • The SAKBase tool. This is an online tool where you can log queries or ask questions • The ‘Providers website’. This contains a number of resources you can use and will provide you with updates on what is happening throughout the year. These contact channels and tools are strictly for education provider use only, and should not be used by students, who can access their details online or call our Contact Centre on 0800 889 900 StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  3. Overview of StudyLink Your relationship with the Helpline • The Helpline acts as a central point of contact for education providers and manages all day to day interactions, including contact via regular phone calls, and the SAKBase escalation tool. • They also issue the quarterly StudyLink News, carry out scheduled health checks to make sure the information StudyLink has about each provider is current, and handles requests for training and brochures Your relationship with Outreach • Outreach provide face to face services to students requiring more in-depth and specialised assistance with their student finance applications. • Outreach also undertake public relations/educative activities with education providers. These may range from attending enrolment/orientation activities, open days, expo events, class intake discussions, online services instruction and training to students in online application processes. StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  4. VoS & education provider documents StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  5. Vos & Education provider documents Overview • The Education Act 1989 requires education providers to supply StudyLink with information it needs to be able to administer the payment of financial assistance to students • The information that you provide as part of this called Verification of Study (VoS), and submitted through the VoS Online website • You can contact the Helpline team for more information about the VoS Online site, or to request access to it There are four documents that outline how this process works: Information Matching Agreement (IMA) • The VoS process is recognised as an official data match by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and as such, a formal Information Matching Agreement between the StudyLink and each provider involved is required by them • All education providers are required to sign a copy of the Information Matching Agreement before the VoS process can occur • The IMA talks about how the match will occur, and what information will be transferred between the parties • Contact the Helpline Team for the latest copy of this document StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  6. Vos & Education provider documents Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) • This document is not a legally binding document, but it documents some of the key areas that are crucial to the relationship between StudyLink and education providers and how we’ll work together • It talks about a ‘change freeze’ period (where no system changes can be implemented) and areas such as the reporting of withdrawal information • Contact the Helpline for the latest copy of this agreement VoS Rules and Processes for Education Providers • This document is effectively a ‘how to guide’ for VoS and explains the rules and processes that are to be used with regards to the VoS process • It is targeted towards admin or enrolment staff at education providers who would be involved in the VoS process, and is available under the ‘Reference’ menu in VoS Online VoS Technical Guide for Education Providers • This document details the technical side of the VoS process for education providers that that download VoS files, import them into their enrolment systems, and then upload the resulting file to StudyLink • It is targeted towards technical and IT based staff, and is available under the ‘Reference’ menu in VoS Online StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  7. Special applicationsLimited Full Time (LFT) and Overseas Study StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  8. Special applications (Limited Full-TimE) Limited Full-time (LFT) • In order to be eligible for Student Allowance payments, Student Loan Living Costs payments, or course related cost payments, students must be studying full-time • Where students are not studying full-time for a qualifying reason, they can apply to StudyLink who may be able to consider them as a “Limited Full-time student”. These criteria can be found on the forms, and also on our website at www.studylink.govt.nz/financing-study/limited-full-time.html • This means that while still enrolled part-time, these students would effectively have the same entitlements as standard full time students – including being eligible for the payments mentioned above The education provider’s role • Under the Student Allowances Regulations 1998, approval of LFT status is made “on the advice of a Tertiary Provider.” • The LFT form has a section for a staff member at your provider to complete; we need you to provide advice from an academic point of view. While StudyLink will receive (in case of medical issues) information from a registered health professional, they may not be in a position to determine what impact such an issue would have in academic terms, and how much study the student should actually be doing • The person completing the form can be any staff member from your education provider. It is recommended however that this is someone that knows of the students case, and knows how much study they realistically could do given their circumstances • You may wish to request further evidence or information from the student to help you support your recommendation StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  9. Special applications (Limited Full-TimE) Do you have to support the application? • No; you are simply providing advice from an academic point of view. If you feel, after seeing all the available information and evidence, that the student should be studying a full time workload, then you can advise that you do not support the students application for these reasons • StudyLink will take your advice into consideration and make the final decision on whether LFT will be approved or declined. Please note that it is not the education provider making the decision – you are merely providing advice that will be considered when StudyLink makes the final decision • The student can still send the application to StudyLink to be assessed, even if you haven’t supported it StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

  10. Special applications (OVerseas) What are Overseas study applications required for? • Where a student is going to be studying overseas for a period of time, they need to submit an Overseas study application, and have this approved, in order for any Student Allowance or Student Loan Living Costs payments to continue • To be approved, the student must be enrolled through a New Zealand Tertiary provider The Education Providers role • As the New Zealand based education provider, you need to complete the education provider section on the form to confirm that the student is indeed enrolled with you. It also confirms the translated EFTS value of the overseas programme, and dates it runs for • The study dates reported need to be the dates of the overseas study period, including any vacation periods (but not any travel or vacation time the student will be taking outside the course) • The form should be completed by a staff member from your Overseas Exchange Office, or other relevant department Importance of Overseas study forms • StudyLink undertakes a regular data match with the New Zealand Customs Service. • Where a student is identified through this match as having left the country, and they have not been approved Overseas Study by StudyLink, any payments that they receive will be stopped • As a result, you are encourage to advise students looking to study overseas to make contact with StudyLink StudyLink Overview for Education Providers

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