Frequently asked questions about....funding & benefits
How much student loan can I get?
How much student loan you can get depends on your personal and financial circumstances. If you have done any studying above A-Levels before your current course, or have had any resits, you should definitely come and see us to discuss your entitlement. There are many booklets explaining what you are entitled to - check our links page for country specific information.
My brother gets a grant but I don't, what's going on?
We can check your entitlement and see if any mistakes have been made! Come and see us
What is the MMU Bursary?
The MMU bursary is available to all students paying the new £3,375 tuition fees. It is worth up to £1,000 depending on your financial circumstances. It is a grant and is non-repayable. Although the Bursary is from the university, your entitlement is decided by Student Finance England. You apply by signing a part of your student funding application form (PN1/PR1) to allow the information to be shared with the university. If you owe money to the university, or want to know how the bursary will affect your benefits, you should contact us. More information can be found at ; http://www.mmu.ac.uk/studentfinance/bursaries.php
I've decided to withdraw from my course, what effect will that have on my money?
You will not normally receive any further student funding once Student Finance England/Student Loan Company receives notification of your withdrawal from the University. In addition, they will probably try to claim back any overpaid Maintenance Grant (calculated on the number of days you were enrolled on the course) claiming back any overpayments (calculated based on actual numbers of days on the course). The Maintainance Loan should be reclaimed the following tax year after withdrawal. More information can be found in our Academic Problems Booklet and www.mmu.ac.uk/sas/studentservices/docs/Withdrawal%20leaflet%202161.pdf .
You should also be aware that the funding you have received so far and any amount of time you have studied will affect what funding you can receive in the future.Come and see us for more information.
If you withdraw before the 1st December, the Student Loan Company will not release your Tuition Fee Loan to the university but you should not be expected to pay your fees yourself if you were entitled to a free loan. If you are self funded (i.e. have to pay your fees yourself) the rules are different. Please come and see us if you wish to discuss this further.
I want to change my course, what effect will this have on my funding?
This depends very much on when you are transferring, how many years of support you have already recieved, what year of a course you are transferring into and what courses you are transferring to and from. You should
come and see us to discuss the funding implications before making any firm decisions.
What's this Hardship Fund thingy?
The Hardship Fund's official title is The Access to Learning Fund - known affectionately as ALF. It is a non-repayable grant aimed at students in financial hardship to enable them to continue in Higher Education. It is administered by the Student Financial Support Office of the University, although we can and do help students to apply. More information can be found at the
ALF web pages, and you can
pick forms up from us or the Student Information Point.
What are my Financial Notification and Payment Schedule?
The Financial Notification is sent by Student Finance England and explains what student support you will get for the year. It comes with a cover letter and the tables showing your entitlement. The sheet with the tables showing your entitlement is the sheet needed when people ask for your Financial Notification. You only get one copy which is often handed into the university on enrolment. It is a good idea to take a copy before handing it in, although you can obtain further copies by phoning Student Finance England or by printing one off from the SFE website (you must log into your SFE account to do this).
The Payment Schedule is sent by the Student Loan Company and gives the dates of when payments will be made. This does not break down the actual type of support received, only when it will be paid. As such, it is useful for your own information, but not so useful for other organisations unless they specifically ask for it.
How do I download my Financial Notification?
The Student Finance England website allows you to download and print out various pieces of correspondence. To log in you need your customer reference, secret password and secret answer. If you have forgotten your password or secret answer, you can get new ones sent to the email address registered with Student Finance England. If you are logging in with a new password and answer for the first time, you will be asked to change the password and secret answer to something you can remember.
Once you have logged in, there is a link on the right called “View Correspondence”. This takes you to a chronological list of letters you have been sent including Financial Notifications. Each will show several pages including the front and back of theletters. This means that page 1 is the cover letter, page 2 is the back of the cover letter (blank) page three is the tables of entitlement and page four holds the end of the tables or is blank. So double check any pages that you print to ensure you have the information you want before logging off!
How am I meant to live on £3.46 and a tin of beans?
If you're concerned about how much you have to live on, then come into the Advice Centre. We can check that you are receiving the correct amount of funding, help you to apply for the Access to Learning Fund, offer you budgeting advice or direct you to our job shop
www.csi.mmu.ac.uk/jobs/ You could also look at our
Money Management booklet.
Can I claim benefits?
Who are you? Which benefits are you thinking of? There are so many different situations and benefits out there that we cannot answer this in a simple paragraph. Most students can't claim means tested benefits, but there are exceptions to these rules. We can do a complete benefit check and funding forecast for you and discuss your options. We can also help you apply for other sources of funding such as trust funds and the Access to Learning Fund.
I've just finished university but haven't got a job yet, what can I claim?
I've just had a demand for council tax, aren't students exempt?
For the most part, full time students are exempt from paying Council Tax. However you will not be automatically exempt so you will have to detail to your local council. Please see our
Council Tax booklet for information on how to do this.
If you have a partner or live with non-students over 18, they will probably have to pay Council Tax. See our
Council Tax Booklet for more information. if you have a problem with your exemption then
come and see us.
How do I apply for the Child Care Grant?
For full time students, the Child Care grant is part of the support offered by Student Finance England. When you fill in your PN1/PR1 form you should have told them about your children. CCG1 is a separate form which allows you to inform them about your Child Care needs. This form asks for an estimate of the cost and your grant is initially based on that. Throughout the year you will have to fill in and return CCG2 forms which ask for actual amounts paid and receipts so that your grant amount can be finalised and re-calculated.
Is there any other money I can get?
Yes, all students can apply MMU's Access to Learning Fund -
www.mmu.ac.uk/studentfinance/alf.php please see the hardship information above.
Plus there are hundreds of trust funds out there with varying criteria for eligibility - for example, one might be a fund to help single parents with childcare costs, another might be for women studying engineering. The
Educational Grants Advisory Service has an online form you can fill out and they will tell you which funds you can apply to. You would then have to apply separately to any funds which come up. Please read any documentation very carefully - paying particular attention to any deadlines.