What support is available in Academic Year 08/09?

This page applies to Academic Year 08/09. You can find information regarding support available in Academic Year 09/10 here.

Student Loans

Loan Rates

Help Towards Your Tuition Fees

Grants and Other Assistance

Bursaries

Part Time Students

Open University

The Higher Education Act 2004 gives the National Assembly for Wales's powers to decide what levels of tuition fees and student support will apply in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government are implementing these powers for the start of the academic year 2006/07 and providing student finance services, in partnership with the Student Loans Company and Local Authorities, under the Student Finance Wales' brand.

This Section will set out the different forms of financial assistance to which you may be entitled.

Student Loans

Loans are available to help with your living costs, e.g. course materials, accommodation, food, clothes, travel etc. Interest is charged at the rate of inflation, so the amount you repay will be equal in value to the amount you borrow.

Can I apply for a loan?
If you are on a full-time, sandwich or part-time initial teacher training course, you are eligible to apply for a loan, even if you have previously studied in Higher Education, your Local Authority will tell you if you are eligible to apply for a loan again. To receive a student loan you must be aged under 60.

How will my loan be paid?
Your loan is usually paid in three instalments, one at the start of each term, directly into your bank account. Student Finance Wales will issue a payment schedule letter to you which will explain what amounts will be paid and when.

How much can I borrow?
This will depend upon your household income and where you live whilst you study. For continuing students 75% of the loan is non income-assessed, while 25% is income-assessed. This means that a proportion of the loan paid to you will be dependent upon your household income. For new students, the amount of loan available will depend upon household income, and may also depend on the amount of any Assembly Learning Grant awarded.

Your ‘household income’ means either:

• Your income if you are an independent student, i.e.
• You are over 25 when you commence your studies OR
• You have been married or entered into a civil partnership before you start your course (your Local Authority (LA) may ask for proof of this) OR

• You have supported yourself financially for at least three years before you start your course OR
• You have no living parents.

OR

Your parents' income if you are a dependent student (i.e. you live in your parental home and / or rely on at least one of your parents for financial support). For example, if you live with both parents, both their incomes will be taken into account. If you live with only one of your parents, it will be their income only that is taken into account. If they live with a spouse or partner (of either sex), this person’s income will also be taken into account.

If your parents or partner do not provide details of their income to your Local Authority, you will not receive all the financial support to which you are entitled.

back to the top

Loan Rates

Loan Rates are slightly higher for students living in London (and not in their parental home) to accommodate the higher cost of living there. Your Local Authority (LA) will decide whether you will be entitled to the London loan rates on the basis of the post code of your place of study. If you are unsure whether you come into this category, your LA will be able to advise you.

back to the top

Help towards your tuition fees

You can apply for a loan of up to £3145 to cover the exact amount that the university or college charges for a course and the money will be paid directly to the university or college to cover the cost of fees.

Flexible Tuition Fees

The Higher Education Act 2004 gives universities and colleges in England the powers to set their own level of tuition fees, subject to a cap set by the Department for Education and Skills. The 2004 Act also gives responsibility for the tuition fee regime in Welsh Higher Education Institutions to the National Assembly for Wales. Institutions in England now charge different fees for different courses, of up to £3,145.. Higher Education Institutions in Wales will charge an annual deferred flexible fees since academic year 07/08 and the fees for 08/09 will be up to £3,145.

If you start your studies in Wales in academic year 07/08, your fees will be as follows:

Fee Grant: If you study in Wales

If you normally live in Wales AND study at a higher education institution in Wales, you will also be entitled to a fee grant of up to £1,890 which does not have to be repaid.

The fee grant is available irrespective of family income, and is paid directly to your place of study.

If you study in Enlgland or Northern Ireland

If you normally live in Wales but study in England or Northern Ireland, you will not be entitled to a fee grant. You will be charged fees according to the fees of the country in which you study, and that set by the institution, up to a maximum of £3,145. Student Finance Wales will provide a loan to cover these fees which you will need to repay in the same way as your Student Loans.

If you study in Scotland

back to the top

Grants and other assistance

If you normally live in Wales, you may be entitled to the following support from the Welsh Assembly Government:

Assembly Learning Grant

The Assembly Learning Grant (ALG) provides financial support to help meet general living costs.

If you want to apply for The Assembly Learning Grant you should complete this application form (927kb). For further information contact your Local Authority.

The Assembly Learning Grant is paid in three instalments, one at the start of each term, just like your Student Loan.

How much you get depends on your household income, and will be calculated by your Local Authority when you make your application. The table below will help you estimate your entitlement:

For every £1 of ALG you receive, the amount of Maintenance Loan you are entitled to will be reduced by £1, up to £1,225. This means that up to £1,225 of repayable loan will be replaced, by the non-payable grant.

Note: New Initial Teacher Training students

Students on Initial Teacher Training courses that do not lead to a first degree, and are studying for 10 weeks or more will receive £1,225 minimum, regardless of your household income. Students who are studying between 6 and 10 weeks will receive a minimum of £610.

Financial Contingency Funds

These are available through your university or college. The fund enables the institutions to provide discretionary assistance to students who are experiencing financial difficulties, or who might not otherwise have been able to afford to enter or remain in higher or further education.

Bursaries

Bursaries are extra financial help for students which are provided by the college or university that you attend.

There will be a National Bursary Scheme operating for students in Higher Education in Wales. Further details are available at the Welsh Bursaries Scheme home page.

back to the top

Part-time students

Fee Grant

Part-time undergraduate students studying at least 50% of an equivalent full-time course (your college will be able to tell you if your course qualifies) are entitled to receive a Fee Grant, depending on your household income. Your LA will work out how much support you can get.

There will be three different rates of fee grant depending on how intensive your course is.  For example, if you study at a rate equivalent to 75% of a full-time course, you could qualify for a higher fee grant than a student studying at a rate equivalent to 50% of a full-time course.  The table below sets out the maximum fee grant that you could get.

Intensity Of Course	Maximum Fee Grant
50%-59%	£620
60%-74%	£745
75% or more	£930

You can also apply for assistance with course related costs worth up to £1,050.  If you are on a part-time teacher-training course, you are not eligible for part-time grants but you may qualify for full-time support.

Student who already have a degree cannot normally apply for this support.

Other Part-time Support available

Part-time undergraduate students studying at least 50% of an equivalent full-time course (your college will be able to tell you if your course qualifies) may be entitled to receive Adult Dependants’ Grant (ADG), Childcare Grant (CCG) or Parents’ Learning Allowance (PLA).

The maximum grants payable for part-time students will be 50%, 60% or 75% of the full-time maximum, according to whether the student is studying at 50-59%, 60-74% or 75%+ intensity of as full-time equivalent course.

The table below sets out the maximum grant amounts you could get if you are eligible.

Product	Full-time max	75% of full-time	60% of full-time	50% of full-time
ADG	£2,580	£1,935	£1,548	£1,290
CCG (1 child)	£157.25 p.w.	£117.94 p.w.	£94.35 p.w.	£78.63 p.w.
CCG (2+ children)	£267.75 p.w.	£200.81 p.w.	£160.65 p.w.	£133.88 p.w.
PLA	£1,470	£1102.50	£882	£735

back to the top

Additional Support Available

Open University students

The Open University deals with applications for the fee grant, the course grant and Disabled Students Allowance from its own students. If you are studying with the Open University (OU) and you need any information, you should contact them on 01908 653411, or e-mail them at reg-fees@open.ac.uk for more details. If you are a disabled student studying at the Open University, you should contact your OU regional centre and ask about the conditions of eligibility for Disabled Students Allowances and how you should apply for them.

back to the top