STUDENT FINANCE 2014/15 Paul Shipton Student Finance Wales

1. STUDENT FINANCE 2014/15 Paul Shipton Student Finance Wales

2. SESSION CONTENTS

3. STUDENT FINANCE WALES OVERVIEW • Student Finance Wales provide financial support on behalf of the Welsh • Government to students from Wales entering higher education in the UK: • The two main costs full-time students will have while studying are • tuition fees and living costs • SFW make finance available to help students with both • Depending on their circumstances, course and where they study, • students may be able to get a range of financial help and support • This includes grants and bursaries (which don’t have to be paid back) • and loans (which do)

4. COMMON CONCERNS

5. COMMON CONCERNS TUITION FEES i i ! My child can’t afford to go to university, it’s far too expensive! No eligible students will have to pay their tuition fees up-front to go to university or college* Regardless of household income, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan & Grant to help with the cost of fees, and a Maintenance Loan to help with their living costs

6. COMMON CONCERNS REPAYMENTS i i ! Debt from a student loan will be unmanageable! Repayments don’t start until your child’s income is over £21,000 a year. They’ll then repay only 9% of their income over this threshold The amount they repay will only increase with their earnings as repayments are based on their income, not how much they have borrowed

7. THE STUDENT FINANCE PACKAGE 2014/15

8. THE STUDENT FINANCE PACKAGE SUPPORT AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS INCLUDES: Tuition Fee Support The Student Finance Package Maintenance (Living Cost) Support Bursaries & Scholarships Additional Support

9. TUITION FEES OVERVIEW • Currently capped at £9,000 per year. • The tuition fee will be decided by the university or college including if it charges different amounts for different courses • The average tuition fee for new students in 2012 was around £8,389 • Students at private universities or colleges offering designated courses will be able to borrow up to £6,000* towards tuition costs • *Students will have to self-fund any additional fee charged

10. TUITION FEES TUITION FEE SUPPORT • A Tuition Fee Loan of up to £3,685 is available as well as a Tuition Fee Grant to cover the difference between the available Tuition Fee Loan and the Tuition Fee charged by your university • For courses with £9,000 Tuition Fees you would receive a maximum Tuition Fee Grant of £5,315 • Tuition Fee Loans and Tuition Fee Grants are paid direct to your university or college • Tuition Fee Loans are repayable, but only when you’ve left university or college and your income is over £21,000 a year • If you leave or finish your course before April 2016, you won’t start making repayments until after this date

11. THE STUDENT FINANCE PACKAGE 2014/15 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT

12. HOW MUCH? – ACCOMMODATION What’s the average weekly cost of student accommodation? ? ? £117 per week* Lowest Highest £46pw Q £415pw A ? ? *Approximate figures from The Guardian based on university owned accommodation

13. MAINTENANCE SUPPORT • Maintenance support is available to help with living costs a student • will have while in higher education • Two main types of support are available, Maintenance Loan and Welsh Government Learning Grant • The Maintenance Loan is repayable and all eligible students are • entitled to receive some funding • The amount of loan available will depend on where a student lives • and studies • Maintenance support is paid directly into the student’s bank account each term

14. MAINTENANCE SUPPORT MAINTENANCE LOAN 2014/15 MAXIMUM RATES ! ! Additional means tested loan is available for each extra week of study for students attending their course beyond 30 weeks (*) Slightly lower rates of support apply to final year students

15. MAINTENANCE SUPPORT WELSH GOVERNMENT LEARNING GRANT • The Welsh Government Learning Grant doesn’t have to be repaid • How much grant a student can get depends on their household • income • Household income thresholds for 2014/2015: Household Income: Up to £18,370 Full Grant of £5,161 Household Income: Up to £50,020 Partial Grant

16. MAINTENANCE SUPPORT COMBINED SUPPORT: Student living away from home, outside London 2014/15

17. BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS

18. BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS OVERVIEW • Many universities and colleges offer financial support to their students • through bursaries and scholarships • Bursaries: • Linked to personal circumstances and often, household income • Awards can include fee waivers or cash • Scholarships: • Can be linked to academic results or outstanding ability in an area • such as sport, music or art • Can be subject specific and are limited in numbers

19. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

20. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT OVERVIEW • Extra money or support may be available to students if they: • Have children or adults dependent on them • Have a disability, long-term health condition, mental-health condition • or specific learning difficulty • Are studying an NHS or Social Work course • NHS courses include: • Nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, chiropody, dietetics, radiography, occupational therapy, the later stages of medicine and dentistry For more information on eligibility and applications for NHS support go to: www.wales.nhs.uk

21. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT

22. REPAYMENT - HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW? How much do you need to earn before you start paying back your student loan? Over £21,000 After you graduate, your income is £25,000 a year, what would your monthly repayments be? t t Q Q £30 A A *Eligible English domiciled students studying at a publicly funded university or college

23. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT OVERVIEW • Students won’t make repayments until their income is over £21,000 • a year gross (before tax) • Full-time studentswill be due to start repaying in the April after graduating from/leaving their HE course • Repayments will be 9% of income over £21,000 and when employed deductions will be made from their pay through the HMRC tax system • If their income falls to £21,000 or below, repayments will stop • Early repayments can be made at any time, but any outstanding • loan balance will be written off 30 years after entering repayment

24. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT INTEREST RATES There will be a variation in the interest rate attached to a student’s loan during study and when earning following graduation: During study until entering repayment • Interest rate is: • Retail Price Index (RPI) +3% Earnings: Below £21,000 • Interest rate is: • Set at RPI Only Earnings Between: £21,000 - £41,000 • RPI plus some amount • between 0% and 3% Earnings: Above £41,000 • Interest rate is: • Retail Price Index (RPI) +3%

25. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT THE FIGURES Any outstanding loan balance will be cleared 30 years after entering repayment. !

26. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PARTIAL CANCELLATION OF LOANS • Eligibility will be automatic once you start repaying your student loan, either voluntarily or when you are required to do so. • Partial cancellation of up to £1500 • If you have a Maintenance Loan of £300 and the amount of your first repayment is £10, you will receive a partial cancellation of £290; • If you have a maintenance Loan of £3,000 and the amount of your first repayment is £50, you will receive a partial cancellation of £1,500;

27. APPLICATIONS & INFORMATION

28. APPLICATION INFORMATION KEY MESSAGES FOR STUDENTS • Apply online through www. studentfinancewales.co.uk as soon as possible to make sure their student finance is in place for the start of their studies • Make a note of their account log-in details & keep them safe (if students have had EMA/ALG continue to use that customer reference number) • Students do not need a confirmed place at university or college • to apply for student finance • They can change most details online before starting their course • Agree to share information from their application, this helps apply • for many bursaries and some scholarships

29. APPLICATION INFORMATION COMPLETING AN APPLICATION Before starting the application, students should have the following to hand: • Passport - SLC can check identity using valid UK passport details for most students • University and course details • Bank account details and National Insurance number If you will be supporting a students application you will need to set up your own account on www.studentfinancewales.co.uk and provide information including: • National Insurance number(s), household income, details of other child dependents If you can’t submit income details online, you should send a photocopy of evidence including: P60s, Pay slips or Tax returns

30. SUPPORTING AN APPLICATION HOUSEHOLD INCOME • If you’ll be supporting a student’s application for means-tested student • finance SFW will need to see details of your household (taxable earned • and unearned) income and National Insurance number(s) • Earned income includes: • Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay • Long-term disability benefits received prior to minimum retirement age • Net earnings from self-employment • Unearned income includes: • Interest from savings (only the annual summary is required) • Benefits and pensions • Rent from property or a room For most applications, SLC verify income from these NI numbers with no need to send any documents, unless we ask for them

31. SUPPORTING AN APPLICATION TAX YEAR USED FOR ASSESSMENTS • Please give financial information for the tax year prior to when the student • will start in higher education • For students starting in Sept 2014 please submit financial information • for the 2012/13 tax year • Supporting an application – drop in income: • If your income has dropped by 15% or more in the current tax year SFW • can reassess an application so a student may receive additional support • Submitting a Current Year Income form: • Support the student's application for finance as normal • Complete the (CYI) form with estimates of this financial year's details • Provide evidence to support estimates at the end of the current tax year

32. APPLICATION INFORMATION STUDENTFINANCEWALES.CO.UK

33. UNISTATS COMPARE UNIVERSITIES AND COURSES

34. 2014/15 RESOURCES

35. RESOURCES • Guides • Quick guides • Short videos • New website

36. Studentfinancewales.co.uk

37. MONEY MANAGEMENT

38. MONEY MANAGEMENT HINTS AND TIPS FOR STUDENTS • Before starting in higher education, students should think about the costs • they are likely to face and how to manage their money, tips include: • Plan a budget – and (try to) stick to it! • Ask questions and get any advice you need • Check out student bank accounts and NUS Extra cards • Try to avoid taking credit cards, store cards or pay day loans!! • If you need financial support and advice once you are at university or college, staff there will be able to help

39. QUESTIONS?