www.gov.uk/studentfinance

2016/17

STUDENT

FINANCE

2016/17

INFORMATIONFORPRACTITIONERS

2016/17

STUDENT FINANCE 2016/17POLICY OVERVIEW

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2016/17 STUDENT FINANCEPOLICY OVERVIEW

SLC pay the Tuition Fee Loan directly to a university or collegei

Maximum fees and fee loan for full-time courses will be maintained at2015/16 levels:

• Maximum fees for full-time courses maintained at £9,000 where an institution has met conditions on widening participation set by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA)

• Maximum non-means tested Tuition Fee Loan for full-time courses maintained at:

• £9,000 for full-time courses at publicly funded institutions

• £6,000 for specifically designated courses at private institutions

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Academic Year Start

Payment 1 % Payment 2 % Payment 3 %

Autumn(Sep – Dec)

3rd Wed Oct

25%1st Wed

Feb25%

1st Wed May

50%

Winter(Jan-Mar)

1st Wed Feb

25%1st Wed

May25%

3rd Wed Oct

50%

Spring(Apr-Jun)

1st Wed May

25%3rd Wed

Oct25%

1st Wed Feb

50%

Summer(Jul-Aug)

3rd Wed Jul

25%1st Wed

Feb25%

1st Wed May

50%

The payment of tuition fees will be made to HEP’s in three instalments

TUITION FEE LOANHEP PAYMENT DATES

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Policy for students starting their courses on or after 1st September 2012:

• Maximum fees and loans for Erasmus study or work placement years and non-Erasmus overseas years of study maintained at £1,350*

• Maximum Tuition Fee Loan £900 for specifically designated courses at private institutions

• Maximum fees and loans for Sandwich work placement years maintained at £1,800**

• Maximum Tuition Fee Loan £1,200 for specifically designated courses at private institutions

TUITION FEE LOANSANDWICH AND PLACEMENT YEARS

*15% of maximum fee cap with OFFA access agreement **20% of maximum fee cap with OFFA access agreementi

2016/17

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016/17 COHORT FULL-TIME STUDENTS

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Non-means tested and reduced rate Maintenance Loan (excluding

bursary years) also increased by 2.41%i

Revised package of Maintenance Support for new entrants into HigherEducation in A/Y 2016/17: (2016 Cohort)

• Maintenance Grant and Special Support Grant replaced by additional Maintenance Loan

• The maximum level of Maintenance Loan has been increased by:

• 10.3% for those previously entitled to Maintenance Grant

• 2.41% for those previously entitled to SSG (excl those aged over 60)

• 2.41% for those previously entitled to SSG for those aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT FULL-TIME STUDENTS

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2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORTMAXIMUM MAINTENANCE LOAN RATES

Parental Home Rate: Live at home while they study £6,904£Elsewhere Rate: Live and study away from home outside London £8,200£London Rate: Live and study away from home in London £10,702£

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Full Year Student* Maximum Loan(100%)

Non-Income Assessed(% of Max Loan)

Parental Home £6,904 £3,039

Elsewhere £8,200 £3,821

London £10,702 £5,330

Overseas £9,391 £4,540

*Lower amounts available for final year students

2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORTFULL YEAR MAINTENANCE LOAN RATES

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Full Year Student*

Maximum Loan(100%)

Non-Income Assessed

(% of Max Loan)

Income Assessed(% of Max Loan)

Parental Home £6,904 £3,039 44% £3,865 56%

Elsewhere £8,200 £3,821 46.6% £4,379 53.4%

London £10,702 £5,330 49.8% £5,372 50.2%

Overseas £9,391 £4,540 48.3% £4,851 51.7%

*Lower amounts available for final year students

2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORTFULL YEAR MAINTENANCE LOAN RATES

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Household Income Home Elsewhere London

£25,000 & under £6,904 £8,200 £10,702

£30,000 £6,322 £7,612 £10,103

£35,000 £5,740 £7,023 £9,503

£40,000 £5,158 £6,434 £8,904

£45,000 £4,576 £5,845 £8,304

£50,000 £3,994 £5,265 £7,705

£55,000 £3,412 £4,667 £7,105

£60,000 £3,039 £4,078 £6,506

2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORTMAINTENANCE LOAN ENTITLEMENT

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Continuing students who started attending full-time courses on or after 1st September 2012 and before 1st August 2016:

• Maximum fees and Tuition Fee Loans for full-time, sandwich and full-time distance learning courses starting on or after 1st September 2012 maintained at 2015/16 levels

 • Maximum Maintenance Loan increased by inflation (2.41%) • Maximum Maintenance/Special Support Grant maintained at £3,387

• Income thresholds for maximum grants maintained at 2015/16 levels

2016/17 STUDENT FINANCECONTINUING 2012 COHORT STUDENTS

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Household Income

Continuing Student* 2016/17

New Student2016/17

£25,000 & under £9,896 £10,702

£30,000 £9,423 £10,103

£35,000 £8,949 £9,503

£40,000 £8,476 £8,904

£45,000 £7,975 £8,304

£50,000 £7,441 £7,705

£60,000 £6,373 £6,506

£70,000 £5,331 £5,330

*2012 Cohort F/T Student - London Rates

MAINTENANCE SUPPORTCOMPARISON

2016/17

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016/17 COHORT FULL-TIME STUDENTS

(ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS, NOT AGED OVER 60)

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New Full-Time students who are eligible for benefits starting their coursefrom 1st August 2016, no longer qualify for a Special Support Grant:

• They can apply for a Maintenance Loan, which is 2.41% higher* than the grant/loan available in 15/16 (*household income up to £25,000)

• All Maintenance Loan, with the exception of a £1,100 disregard is taken into account by DWP as student income when calculating benefits during term time

• Maintenance Loan does not cancel entitlement to benefits during the long vacation, for eligible students

MAINTENANCE SUPPORTIMPACT OF MAINTENANCE LOAN ON BENEFITS

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Full Year Student* Maximum Loan(100%)

Non-Income Assessed(% of Max Loan)

Parental Home £8,144 £3,039

Elsewhere £9,347 £3,821

London £11,671 £5,330

Overseas £10,453 £4,540

*Lower amounts available for final year students

2016 cohort F/T students eligible for benefits, not aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT F/T STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS

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The ‘eligible for benefits’ loan rate is available to students who:

• Are a lone parent who is responsible for a child

• Are a lone foster parent of a child or young person aged under 20

• Have a partner who is also a full-time student and one or both of them are responsible for a child or young person aged under 20 who is in full-time non-advanced education

• Are deaf and qualify for Disabled Students' Allowances

• Are entitled to Housing Benefit or housing element of Universal Credit

Students should always ask DWP/JobCentre Plus for definitive clarification on their on-going benefit entitlement if unsurei

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT F/T STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS

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The ‘eligible for benefits’ loan rate is available to students who...

• Have a disability and qualify for income related Employment Support Allowance

• Are waiting to go back to a course having taken approved time out that has now come to an end, for a period not exceeding one year

• Are entitled to Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance

• Have been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks

Students should always ask DWP/JobCentre Plus for definitive clarification on their on-going benefit entitlement if unsurei

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT F/T STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS

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Household Income

Income Assessment

Assessed Contribution Total

£25,000 & under £0 £0 £11,671

£30,000 £870 £0 £10,801

£35,000 £1,741 £0 £9,930

£40,000 £2,611 £0 £9,060

£42,875 £3,112 £0 £8,559

£50,000 £3,966 £854 £7,705

£60,000 £5,165 £2,053 £6,506

£69,805 & over £6,341 £3,229 £5,330

2016 cohort F/T students eligible for benefits – London Rate

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT F/T STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS

2016/17

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016/17 COHORT FULL-TIME STUDENTS

(AGED OVER 60)

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Students who are aged over 60 on the first day of the first A/Y of theircourse: (regardless of eligibility for benefits)

• With an income of up to £25,000, the maximum level of Maintenance Loan available is £3,469

• For income over £25,000 up to £43,668, the loan s reduced by £1 for every complete £5.46 by which the income exceeds £25,000

• With an income of £43,668, the minimum loan of £50 is available

• With an income over £43,668, no Maintenance Loan is available

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT F/T STUDENTS AGED OVER 60

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Household Income Income Assessment Total

£25,000 & under £0 £3,469

£30,000 £915 £2,554

£35,000 £1,831 £1,638

£40,000 £2,747 £722

£43,668 £3,419 £50

£43,669 n/a £0

£50,000 n/a £0

2016 cohort F/T students, aged over 60

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT2016 COHORT F/T STUDENTS AGED OVER 60

2016/17

SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPORTDISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCES

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Maximum Disabled Students’ Allowance will be maintained at 2015/16Levels in 2016/17:

Disabled Students’ Allowances provide help towards the additional costs astudent may face as result of their disability, long-term health condition,mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty

DSAs Support:

• Is available in addition to the standard student finance package,

• Does not have to be repaid,

• Is not affected by household income,

• Looks at the specific needs of the individual student

DISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCESPOLICY OVERVIEW

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Allowance Part-Time Max Support

Full-Time Max Support

Frequency of Payment

Non-medical personal helper

£15,543 £20,725 Annual

Specialist equipment £5,212 £5,212 Duration of Course

Other disability-related expenditure

£1,305 £1,741 Annual

Disability related travel No Limit – Reasonable spending can be claimed

DISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCES2016/17 MAXIMUM RATES

For both full-time and part-time postgraduate students, there is a single allowance of up to £10,362 a yeari

2016/17

SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPORTDEPENDANTS’ GRANTS

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Childcare Grant:Based on 85% of actual registered/approved childcare costs up tomaximum of: £155.24 per week for one child

£266.15 per week for two or more children

Parents’ Learning Allowance:Help with course-related costs for students with dependent childrenAmount received will be between £50 and £1,573

Adult Dependants’ Grant:Normally for the student’s partner. Can be for another adult who is financially dependent on the student where the adult’s net income is not more than £3,796 p.a. Maximum grant available: £2,757

DEPENTANTS’ GRANTSPOLICY OVERVIEW

2016/17

STUDENT FINANCE 2016/17POSTGRADUATE LOANS

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All pending final policy and approval:

Loan support of up to £10,000 (non-means tested) available for studentsstarting a Postgraduate Taught Masters course from 1st August 2016:

• Rationale is to widen access and participation in Masters level courses

• The loan will be a contribution towards course costs, not specifically intended for either fees or maintenance

• Applicants must be aged under 30 on the first day of the first academic year of the course (age to be confirmed)

• 50,000 applicants estimated in first year (2016/17)

POSTGRADUATE LOANSOVERVIEW

A Times Higher Education survey stated that the average homefee for a taught postgraduate course in 2014-15 was £5,680i

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Key policy points – All pending final policy and approval:

• Loans for full-time or part-time postgraduate taught Masters courses of 1 or 2 years in length (There are no subject restrictions)

• Available to English domiciled and EU students*

• Students who already hold taught or non-taught Masters qualifications (or higher) will not be eligible

• Eligibility not affected by previous PG study where a student did not achieve the qualification and did not receive a postgraduate loan

POSTGRADUATE LOANSOVERVIEW

*Regulatory residency rules for postgraduate loans mirror those in place for undergraduate students i

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Key policy points – All pending final policy and approval:

• £10,000 loan for a 1 year full-time postgraduate taught course

• £10,000 loan available for a 2 year part-time postgraduate course

• F/T courses, loan paid to student in 3 instalments across the year (subject to HEP confirmation of attendance)

• P/T courses, loan split £5,000pa over the two years of study as appropriate (subject to HEP confirmation of attendance)

• 1 confirmation point per academic year to release funding to a student

POSTGRADUATE LOANSOVERVIEW

Income contingent loans of up to £25,000 will be made available to research-based masters and PhD students (TBC) i

2016/17

STUDENT FINANCE 2016/17APPLICATIONS & ASSESSMENT - OVERVIEW

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Each year thousands of students apply late for their finance and have noway to pay for their course or accommodation, some even have to drop out!

Please encourage the students you work with to apply on time!

• It can take up to least six weeks to process an application so apply early

• The easiest way to apply is online at gov.uk/studentfinance*

• Students don’t need a confirmed place at university or college to apply

• Apply with their preferred choice, they can change details later if needed

STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATIONSKEY MESSAGE – APPLY EARLY

*The application window is usually open from Jan-May. Students can register on UCAS for updates and information from SFEi

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Students can follow a few simple steps to try and ensure we can processtheir application as quickly as possible, these include:

• Make a note of their account log-in details and keep them safe

• Make sure any evidence and information needed to support theirapplication is supplied first time (students and parent/partners)

• Submit an application even if there’s a delay in getting sponsor income details so some funding* will be available when they start their course

• Sign and return their online declaration form as soon as possible so as not to delay payments

STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATIONSKEY MESSAGE – GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME

*Tuition Fee Loan and element of the Maintenance Loan which is non-means testedi

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www.gov.uk/studentfinance

STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATIONSGOV.UK – FOR APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION

2016/17

SFE RESOURCES FOR PRACTITIONERS AND STUDENTS

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SFE RESOURCES THE ROLE OF SFE RESOURCES

We are continually working to develop anddeliver a range of resources in line with theneeds of our customers and partners:

• Understanding how they prefer to access information and material

• Using the most appropriate media to deliver key messages at key times

The ultimate aim being to offer resources thatmatch five main principles...

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SFE RESOURCES DEDICATED PRACTITIONER WEBSITE

www.practitioners.slc.co.uk

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A range of resources have recently been added,for academic year 2016/17 including:

• Introductory Quick Guide

• PowerPoint Presentation

• Student Finance Films

• Promotional poster for our Student Finance Zone on The Student Room

SFE RESOURCES IAG MATERIALS – NEW FOR 2016/17

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SFE’s dedicated zone on The Student Room has everything students andparents need to understand student finance, applications and repayments:

• Links to Resources

• Step–by–Step Guides

• Q&A Surgeries

• Student Forums

• Official SFE Information

SFE RESOURCES THE STUDENT ROOM

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SFE RESOURCES SFE ON YOUTUBE – WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/SFEFILM

The SFE YouTube channel hosts our range of videos for students, theirsponsors and practitioners, covering the main areas of student finance:

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SFE RESOURCES IAG MATERIALS – COMING SOON FOR 2016/17

Further resources will be added in thecoming weeks, including:

• Quick Guide Series*

• Practitioners eMag

• Enhanced Repayment Resources

• Student Finance Explainer Films

*How to Apply, Repayments, Guide for Parents, DSA’s and Dependants’ Grants (Available by end of October)i

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www.gov.uk/studentfinance

2016/17

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