Intercalated Funding – Medicine & Dentistry

1. Intercalated Funding – Medicine & Dentistry Debbie Forsey Money Management Adviser Advice SU, Queen’s Students’ Union

2. Abbreviations DoH – Department of Health SFNI – Student Finance Northern Ireland TFL – Tuition fee loan ML – Maintenance loan MG – Maintenance grant PCDL – Professional and Career Development Loan PGL – Postgraduate loan

3. Students on a first degree course in Medicine or Dentistry are eligible for standard funding from SFNI in respect of a TFL and means-tested MG and ML for the first three years of their course. (refer to slide 7 later)

4. After the second or third academic year a student may decide to take a year away from their Medicine/Dentistry degree in order to follow a one year intercalated degree. The type of funding available during this intercalated year will depend on the course being followed.

5. If a student decides to follow an intercalated, one year, undergraduate degree e.g. BSc Human Biology, they will continue to receive standard SFNI funding for the intercalated year i.e. TFL and means-tested MG & ML. They will not be eligible for any travel expenses.

6. If a student decides to follow a one year postgraduate course during the intercalated year e.g. Masters in Public Health, they will not be eligible for any undergraduate funding from SFNI for that year – no TFL and no MG or ML. There is no assistance from DoH either. They will be required to self-fund the Masters. From 2017/18 NI students are able to apply for a Postgraduate tuition fee loan via SFNI(NE).

7. After the intercalated course has been completed students will then progress on to the next year of the degree in Medicineor Dentistry Normally students on year four of Medicine or Dentistry are eligible for standard SFNI Funding (refer back to Slide 3), butif they have completed an intercalated course (whether undergraduate or postgraduate), funding for years four and five of Medicine or Dentistry comes from the DoH. This funding is still administered by SFNI, on behalf of the DoH.

8. In Northern Ireland the DoH, via SFNI, provides bursaries for eligible students of Medicine and Dentistry in their fifth and later years of study in the UK (years four and later after an intercalated degree).   Tuition fees are paid directly to Queen’s – no longer a loan The bursaries are income assessed and the amount paid depends on household income. Students will also be eligible to apply for a non-income assessed reduced loan for the balance of the maintenance support.

9. The DoH funding package available for either year four (if a student has completed an intercalated course) or year five (if they have not completed an intercalated course) is different to the package of support received in previous years from SFNI. DoH rates on next slide

11. The amounts of means-tested bursary and non-means-tested loan are less when a student receives DoHfunding than when they receive standard SFNI funding. The justification for this is that students are not required to take out a TFL to pay for their fees in those years but will have their fees paid in full by DoH, regardless of household income, on receipt of an invoice from Queen’s.

12. DoHRegulations stipulate that Medical or Dental students who repeat* more than one year of their standard course will not be entitled to a DoHbursary award for fourth or fifth year. Medical and Dental students who are required to repeat part of the course remain eligible to apply for a TFL, and means-tested MG and ML. * this is not applicable to medical/dental students who have support renewed by SFNI due to compelling personal reasons

13. Funding the Masters – be realistic • PGL – fees only • Savings • Family support • Part time work • Commercial borrowing – bank, credit union, Postgraduate Scholarships - do your homework • Be creative – money is not going to fall into your lap • Don’t make assumptions • Payment options

14. Second Undergraduate degrees in Medicine or Dentistry No ML for intercalated year, but ML for subsequent years. ML available for students who proceed as normal through the course.