STUDENT FINANCE GUIDE – PUTTING ALLTHE PIECES TOGETHER
INTRODUCTION:
This booklet’s aim is to help you understand what you are entitled to financially if you are a prospective UK undergraduate student (full or part-time and not a nursing/midwifery student) who will begin studying in September 2007. Understanding the financial side of coming to university can seem complicated. Our aim is to guide you through the maze and help you to understand what financial support is available to you as a student at Staffordshire University.
We also recognise that some students will find it more difficult financially than others to come to university and so we are offering a simple and straightforward system of cash bursaries of up to £1300 per year (dependant upon income) paid at regular intervals throughout the course.
A list of useful contacts is included, so if you have questions or need further help or information…. JUST ASK.
DISCLAIMER: Please note that this guide is not intended to replace Government regulations and we cannot guarantee that the information contained within it will not change.
TUITION FEES:
Staffordshire University will charge the following tuition fees for each year of its full-time undergraduate courses commencing from the 1st September 2006:
• First degree (i.e. BA, BSc, BEng) £3,000 • Foundation year of an integrated first degree course (I.e. level zero) £2,100 • Foundation degree (FD) £2,100 • Higher National Diploma (HND) £2,100
These fee levels will also apply to all such courses offered by Colleges within the Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF).
PAYMENT OF TUITION FEES:
If you take out a fee loan, the Student Loans Company will pay this to the University in February and May to cover the cost of your tuition fees.
If you wish to pay your tuition fees yourself, these must be paid to the University when you begin studying. Various payment plans are available. Please contact the University Finance department for further details. The earlier you contact Finance about this, the more flexible they can be: if you leave it, you have fewer months left before the end of the academic year in which to pay.
UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATION FEES:
Licence Fees for University managed accommodation vary depending on the type of accommodation you choose. Fees for 2006/07 for single study bedrooms, self catering, are as follows: En suite - £79 pw for 38 weeks (£3002), Standard on campus - £59.50 pw for 38 weeks (£2261), Standard off campus - £52.50 pw for 38 weeks (£1995). Fees include utility bills, personal possessions insurance, Internet access and IPTV (30 Freeview channels) and an Accommodation Starter Pack.
You can pay accommodation fees in three ways. 1) In full, within 28 days of the receipt of invoice (attracts a two and a half per cent discount) 2) In three termly instalments 3) 0ver seven months by direct debit. Please contact the University Finance department for further details.
As our accommodation is self catering, we offer a Catering Meals Package. At £27.50 per week, payable termly in advance or for the full year, you can have any 10 meals per week, Monday – Friday during term time. Catering Services will organise your ID card and meal tickets.
PRIVATE RENTED ACCOMMODATION:
If you are living in private rented accommodation, the likely cost of rent is as follows:
Room in a student house: Stoke £35-£50 pw or Stafford £45-£54pw Renting a whole terraced house: Stoke: £70-£90pw Stafford: £100+pw
Contracts are usually 42 weeks long for a room or 52 weeks long for a whole house.
You will also have to put down a deposit (which you will get back at the end of the year if you’ve not damaged the property, have paid all the household bills, and haven’t left any unpaid rent). This cannot be more than two months’ rent for the house. The average deposit is usually one month’s rent, making:
Finally, you will usually be responsible for paying your own gas, water and electricity bills if you live in private rented accommodation. Estimated costs are as follows:
Gas approx. £6-10 per week for the house (divide by number of tenants) Electricity approx. £6-10 per week for the house (divide by number of tenants) Water approx. £4 per week for the house (divide by number of tenants)
You will also need one TV licence per TV owner in the property (£126.50 per year). Not just one for the house.
1. HELP FROM YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY (LA)/STUDENT LOANS COMPANY
ALL FULL-TIME STUDENTS
TUITION FEE LOAN:
If you are a full time student of any age who does not already have an honours degree, a non-means tested tuition fee loan is available to you from the Student Loans Company so that you can pay your tuition fees.
STUDENT LOAN:
If you are a full-time student who is under 60 at the start of the course and does not already have an honours degree, you will be entitled to apply for a student loan to assist with your living and course costs. 25% of the maximum amount of student loan is assessed on your/parents/step-parents/spouses income. You are entitled to the remaining 75% as this does not depend upon your/parents/step- parents/spouses income (however, please see section regarding £2700 maintenance grant below). The maximum loan for 2007-08 is £4510 if you are living away from the parental home and £3495 if you are living at the parental home.
PLEASE NOTE: The tuition fee loan and student loan are not like a Bank loan. Interest is linked to inflation and you do not have to begin repaying them until the April after you graduate (or finish the course) and you are earning at least £15,000. You will repay 9% of your earnings above £15,000. So, for example, if you are earning £16,000, you will repay £7.50 per month. The higher your earnings, the more you will repay. If you are employed, the repayments will be deducted from your salary.
EXTRA WEEKS ALLOWANCE:
Most Staffordshire University courses are approximately 4 weeks longer than standard university courses and you are therefore entitled to extra loan money for each extra week. £52 per extra week if you are living at the parental home and £79 per extra week if you are living away from the parental home. Your LEA should assess you for this allowance when you apply for your student loan. There is a heading entitled ‘additional weeks allowance’ on the Financial Assessment form that Student Finance Direct will send you. If this has a figure zero in it, contact your LA if you wish to check whether or not you have been assessed for this allowance. If your course is four weeks longer, you may still not be entitled to the extra weeks allowance if your/parents/step-parents/spouses income is too high.
MAINTENANCE GRANT:
This is a new grant (which you do not have to repay) of up to £2765 for new full-time and sandwich students who have a household income of £17,910 or less. Students who have a household income of more than £17,911 but less than £38,330 will be eligible for a proportion of the grant. Receiving the maintenance grant reduces your student loan. If you receive between £1 and £1200 maintenance grant, your student loan reduces by £1 for every £1 of maintenance grant you receive. If you receive over £1200 in maintenance grant, then your student loan is reduced by £1200.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are a student who has dependant children and does not have a partner OR you have dependant children and your partner is also a student OR you are over 60 OR you are eligible for certain specified disability benefits, you may be eligible for the Special Support grant of up to £2700 INSTEAD of the £2765 maintenance grant. If you receive a Special Support grant, your student loan will NOT be reduced.
ADDITIONAL HELP FOR STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN:
THE PARENTS LEARNING ALLOWANCE:
This is a grant to help with course-related costs for students who have dependant children. How much you will receive will depend upon your family’s income. The maximum amount in 2007-08 that you can receive is £1,435 and the minimum amount you can receive is £50.
CHILDCARE GRANT:
This is a grant for students with dependent children. How much you receive will depend upon your income. The maximum Childcare Grant in 2007-08 is 85% of actual childcare costs up to £148.75 per week. Students with two or more children can receive up to £255 per week. This grant is only available for students with registered or accredited childcare (this can include after school clubs) or to students using childcare approved under the Childcare Approval Scheme (please contact your LA for further information). Any money you are awarded for childcare for the summer period will be included in the term three instalment of your childcare grant. Please be aware that students can only receive help with childcare costs from either the tax credits system or the LA, not both at the same time.
PLEASE NOTE: EARLY EDUCTION PLACES
All children are entitled to free education sessions from the term after their third birthday and this can be claimed up to commencing school. You can claim the grant if your child is aged 3 or 4 and is attending a private/voluntary childcare setting that is registered with the Local Authority. The funding entitles your child to 5 sessions per week (lasting two and a half hours each) at a registered setting. You can claim a maximum of 2 sessions in any day and the grant is available for 38 weeks of the year. You will be required to pay for any childcare over and above the 5 free sessions per week. For further details, contact the Childcare Service on Stoke (01782) 294981 or Stafford (01785) 353371. If you are eligible for the Childcare Grant, this cannot be paid for a free childcare session but it may be claimed for additional childcare which you have to pay for. For further details contact the University Childcare Service.
STUDENTS WITH AN ADULT DEPENDENT:
ADULT DEPENDENTS GRANT:
This is a grant for students with a spouse/ adult dependant who is wholly or mainly financially dependent upon them. It does not have to be repaid. How much you receive will depend upon your own and your dependents income. The maximum amount of dependents grant for 2007-08 is £2,510 pa.
STUDENTS WITH A DISABILITY:
DISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCES:
If you have a disability, long term health condition or dyslexia which makes studying more expensive or less convenient than it would be otherwise, contact the University Disability Advisory Service. You may be able to receive extra financial help. This could be for academic support (e.g. if you are dyslexic and you need a scribe for note taking) or equipment (e.g. a voice-recognition computer or tapes or Braille). These additional allowances are not means-tested in any way. If you have any queries or would like further information on how we may support your needs, please feel free to contact Staffordshire University Disability Advisory Service. If you want to apply for the Disabled Students Allowance, contact your LA in early March/April and advise them of this.
HOW AND WHEN DO I APPLY FOR THE ABOVE GRANTS AND STUDENT LOANS?
• Contact the Local Authority (LA) in the area in which you live and ask them to send you an application form (PN1) so that you can begin applying for financial Support. You can also apply on-line (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/formsandguides/for_forms.shtml). It is advisable to do this as soon as possible and even if you’re not sure you’ll be starting the course, as LA awards are easier to cancel than arrange in a hurry.
• Once you’ve submitted your application form, your LA will then begin the process of assessing you for the tuition fee loan, the student loan and the grants mentioned above.
• The LA will then send you a Student Support Notification. This will list what financial support you are entitled to. You will also be sent an ART ID Number which you will need to quote if you telephone Student Finance Direct (the call centre who answer enquiries about how your application is progressing).
• The Student Loans Company will then process your loan and send you a Student Loan Payment Schedule which will list the dates throughout the academic year when you will receive your student loan.
• At the beginning of the academic year, the first student loan instalment will be paid by the Student Loans Company into your bank account 3 working days after they receive confirmation from the University that you have enrolled on your course. When you enrol, you will be asked to take your Student ID Card and Student Finance Direct Support Notification form to a central University point where the barcode on the form will be scanned. Your barcode number will be transmitted to the Student Loans Company on the day it is scanned and they will then release the loan instalment into your bank account 3 working days later. If you are a student studying at one of Staffordshire University’s Further Education Partner Colleges, please see your College.
2. HELP FROM STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY:
BURSARIES:
Staffordshire University offers bursary payments (which do not have to be repaid) to all eligible students as follows:
Family Household Bursary Income Less than £17,500 £1,300 £17,500 to £21,500 £1,000 £21,500 to £33,500 £ 500 £33,500 to £37,425 £ 500
All bursaries will be paid in two equal cash instalments at the beginning of February and May. All Payments will be subject to appropriate attendance and progress by the student. If you are in receipt of the full Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant and are being charged the maximum £3000 tuition fee, you will be entitled to receive a £300 bursary.
HOW CAN I APPLY FOR A BURSARY FROM STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY?
The Student Loans Company will assess you for a bursary when they process your fee loan, student loan and any additional grants. You will then receive a notification telling you what, if any, bursary you will receive and the Student Loans Company will then pay this into your Bank account in February and May.
THE ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND (AskALF):
This is money given to the University by the Government. You can make one application per academic year once you have applied for the maximum amount of student loan that the LEA say you are entitled to and you have received your first student loan instalment. You can also put in an application for the summer Access to Learning Fund if you meet the eligibility criteria. It is a discretionary fund, which means you are not guaranteed an award, but if you do receive one, this does not usually have to be repaid (but ALF can ask for the money to be returned if your attendance is poor or you leave the course). Application forms are available from the Student Advice Centre and the University Information Centre at Stoke and Stafford as well as Further Education Partner Colleges that are linked to Staffordshire University. You will need to attend an Access to Learning Fund Workshop, run by the Student Advice Centre, prior to submitting your application.
WHEN AND HOW DO I APPLY TO THE ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND?
Once you have enrolled in September and have received your first student loan instalment, attend an Access to Learning Fund workshop (run by the Student Advice Centre) and apply to be assessed for an award from the University Access to Learning Fund.
Towards the end of your first academic year, see the Student Advice Centre about whether or not you are eligible to put in an application to the Summer Access to Learning Fund.
DYSLEXIA TESTS:
The Access to Learning Fund can also assist with the cost of a dyslexia test. Students should contact the University’s Disability Advisory Service who will discuss your needs and help to make arrangements for you. ALF will then pay the cost of this. If a student has already paid for their test, ALF will only consider assisting if this has previously been agreed with the Disability Advisory Service. If ALF pays for the test and you then decide not to come to Staffordshire University, the University will invoice you for the cost of the test.
3. SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS:
INCOME SUPPORT AND HOUSING BENEFIT:
The following categories of students are eligible to apply for Income Support and Housing Benefit: Lone parents (and some student couples with children), some students with a disability and students who have been certified as incapable of work by a doctor for 28 weeks.
A student’s partner who is not a student is also eligible to apply for Housing Benefit all year round.
However, Income Support and Housing Benefit are means-tested and therefore any student loan, adult dependent allowance and tax credits which you receive will all be counted as income when assessing your entitlement. This means that even though you may be eligible to apply, you may not receive anything. However, the student loan and adult dependent allowance is only counted as income over 43 weeks of the year. It is ignored over July and August, which means that you should re-apply at the beginning of July to see if you are entitled to anything over these two months.
Please see the Student Advice Centre if you want to know if you will be entitled to claim benefits whilst studying and if so, how much you will receive.
INCAPACITY BENEFIT:
Incapacity Benefit is not means-tested and therefore any student income you receive is not counted when assessing your entitlement. Becoming a student does not mean you are capable of work. Please see the Student Advice Centre and/or the University Disability Advisory Service for further information if you are in receipt of this benefit.
DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE:
Disability Living Allowance is not means-tested and therefore any student income you receive does not affect this benefit.
CHILD TAX CREDIT:
Anyone with children who has an income below £58,175 (£66,350 if you have a child under the age of 1)) can apply for and receive the Child Tax Credit, which is administered by the Inland Revenue. Only taxable income and the adult dependant allowance will be counted as income.
WORKING TAX CREDIT:
If you work more than 16 hours per week then you are eligible to apply for the Working Tax Credit. However, any adult dependant allowance you receive will be counted as income.
If you work at least 16 hours per week and have a disability that puts you at a disadvantage of getting a job OR you are aged 25 and working 30 or more hours per week OR you are aged 50 and, after being on Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit for six months prior to beginning work in the last three months for at least 16 hours per week, you may have an entitlement to the Working Tax Credit. Please see the Student Advice Centre for further information.
COUNCIL TAX:
If you are a full-time student living with other full-time students then you will not be liable to pay Council Tax. If there is only one adult non-student in the house, the Council Tax bill should be reduced by 25%. Full-time students living with non-students are not liable for Council Tax in respect of any date after 6 April 2004 (the date of a change in the Law) but the house will still attract the tax which the non-student will have to pay. Please see the Student Advice Centre or the University Information Centre for further information.
IF I AM IN RECEIPT OF BENEFITS OR TAX CREDITS, WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD I PROVIDE TO WHO AND WHEN?
If you are in receipt of income support and housing benefit, provide the DWP and the Council (Housing Benefit department) with details of your student loan/ adult dependents allowance/tax credit amounts when you enrol. Remember that they should not count the Parent Learning Allowance or Childcare Grant as income when calculating your entitlement to benefits. Neither should they count they Special Support Grant or University Bursary as income. However, you will need to give the DWP and Council a copy of a letter from the University explaining that the Bursary is not for living costs. You can ask for a copy of this letter from the University Information Centre which is on the first floor of the Flaxman building on the Stoke Campus and on the ground floor of the Beacon building on the Stafford Campus.
If you are in receipt of the Child Tax Credit, when you enrol provide the Inland Revenue with details of any adult dependant allowance you receive.
If you are in receipt of the Working Tax Credit, when you enrol provide the Inland Revenue with details of your employment income and any adult dependant allowance you receive.
If you are entitled to apply for Income Support and Housing Benefit, re-apply on 1 July, at the end of your first year, because the student loan and dependents allowance are not taken into account over the months of July and August. However, remember that from the 1 September, your student loan and dependents allowance will again be counted as income by the DWP and the Council (Housing Benefit) and you will therefore need to notify them again of what you will be receiving for your second year.
4. OTHER HELP:
STUDENT OVERDRAFT FACILITY:
Most high street banks offer an interest-free overdraft facility, subject to satisfactory credit references. Provided that you operate your account within the agreed overdraft, there are no bank charges. If you are not able to access a current account due to a poor credit rating, ask the Bank if you can open a Basic Bank account. See www.fsa.gov.uk/consumer/pdfs/bank_account.pdf for details about which Banks operate these types of accounts.
TRUSTS AND CHARITIES:
The Careers and Employability Service have access to a computer programme called ‘Funderfinder’ which will search through a database of trusts and charities and advise you which ones you may be eligible to apply for. Although this is not a guaranteed source of income, occasionally students are able to secure one-off payments. For example, the Elizabeth Nuffield Trust is sometimes able to assist students with child care costs where they have been unable to secure sufficient help via the Child Care Package from the LEA or the Tax Credits system.
HELP WITH SCHOOL MEALS:
You can receive help with school meals if you are the parent of a registered pupil and you receive income-based jobseeker's allowance or income support, or child tax credit only (and are not eligible for working tax credit) and your gross annual income is below a certain amount. Please contact your Local Authority for further details.
5. PART-TIME STUDENTS:
Financial help is available if you study part-time. Please see the information on our website for part-time students for further details. You may also wish to contact either the University Information Centre or the Student Advice Centre
6. SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS:
Full time Social Work students are entitled to the same support as other non-social work full-time undergraduate students. However, they are also eligible to apply for a grant plus a practice learning opportunity allowance. Part-time Social Work students are eligible to apply for 50% of this grant as well as up to 50% of the full-time practice learning opportunity allowance. Applications for the bursary and practice learning opportunity allowance should be made to the General Social Care Council.
7. CARE LEAVERS:
If you are a student who has entered Higher Education from Local Authority Care, please contact your Local Authority’s Leaving Care Team regarding whether they are able to offer you any additional financial support.
TIPS FOR MANAGING YOUR MONEY
University involves meeting new friends and enjoying a new social scene but it also means getting used to different income and expenditure. The good news is that you don’t have to be an accountant to control your finances. Below are some useful tips to help you keep hold of the purse strings.
Check you’re receiving everything you’re entitled to financially as a student. The Student Advice Centre (which is based within the Students Union) can help you with this.
Do a financial plan. This will provide you with an accurate financial picture of what you’ve got to spend and help you to keep track of your finances. If you’re not sure how to do one, follow the below steps and complete the financial plan at the back of this booklet.
STEP 1: Be honest and realistic. On the income side, list all your income and divide your student loan into the number of weeks left until your next loan cheque arrives. Then you’ll know how much you have to spend per week.
STEP 2: On the expenditure side, list all your expenditure and don’t forget to include course costs and tuition fees (if you are paying them yourself) as well as household cleaning items.
STEP 3: If your expenditure is higher than your income, prioritise your spending - always make sure you pay your rent, food and course costs first and remember to put some money aside for bills. If you have any excess income, think about saving a bit each month towards holidays, Christmas and insurance.
STEP 4: Stick to your financial plan by only withdrawing a certain amount of cash from the Bank each week that you know you can afford to spend. Or put a percentage of your student loan into a mini ISA (it will earn interest) and transfer only a certain amount into your student account each week that you know you can afford to spend.
If you’re finding it difficult to do a financial plan or you’ve done one and it looks as if you are or will be in financial difficulty, call into the Student Advice Centre and make an appointment to see an Adviser for further help.
Think about….
WHAT you spend. Keep a list over a period of a few weeks. Also, don’t base what you spend on what you’re friends are spending as they could be heading for difficulties or it may be that they have more money than you.
WHY you spend what you do. Remember that University is only for three years. Of course you want to have a good time but bear in mind that getting into financial difficulties can cause a lot of stress and if you get behind on credit repayments, this could affect your credit rating and your ability to get credit after you graduate.
WHEN you spend money. Do you buy things to make yourself feel better when you’re bored or depressed? Be aware of how you’re feeling and don’t allow that to dictate what you spend. Instead of going shopping, do something else instead.
Financial Planner –Complete and decide whether to work out your income and expenditure weekly, monthly or termly)
Assessed/ Repayable? Income Amount Expenditure Amount paid by? £ £
LA/SLC Yes Tuition Fee Loan Rent/Mortgage LA/SLC Yes Student Loan Gas LA/SLC Yes Extra Weeks Electricity Allowance LA/SLC No £2700 Maintenance Water Grant/Special Support Grant LA/SLC No Childcare Grant Telephone/Mobile LA/SLC No Adult Dependant House Insurance/Life Grant Insurance LA/SLC No (unless Disabled Students’ Food you leave Allowances your course early) Access to No (unless Access to Learning Toiletries Learning your Fund (ALF) – no Fund attendance if guarantee of an poor or you award. Attend an leave your ALF workshop run course early) by the SAC. SLC No Staffordshire Council Tax (unless exempt) University Bursaries DWP No * Income Support TV License (see the SAC for a calculation). Stoke on No * Housing Benefit Travel Costs Trent City (see the SAC for a Council calculation). DWP No * Incapacity Benefit School Meals Inland No * Child Tax Credit Clothing Revenue (see the SAC for a calculation). Inland No * Working Tax Credit Childcare Revenue (see the SAC for a calculation). No Disability Living Subscriptions/ Allowance (not prescriptions affected by becoming a student). GSCC No Social Work Course costs (books, Bursary stationary, photocopying) LA/SLC No Part-time Support Haircuts No* Council Tax Benefit Entertainment – unless exempt (see the Student Advice Centre) No Help with School Repayments Meals Other Other Other Other Total
* Unless there is an overpayment.
IF YOU NEED HELP WORKING OUT ANY OF THE ABOVE OR YOUR INCOME IS GREATER THAN YOUR EXPENDITURE, SEE THE STUDENT ADVICE CENTRE FOR FURTHER HELP, SUPPORT AND ADVICE. WHO’S WHO IN THE WORLD OF STUDENT FINANCE?
EXTERNAL AGENCIES:
THE LOCAL AUTHORITY (LA): Assess how much fee loan, student loan and additional grants a student should receive.
THE STUDENT LOANS COMPANY (SLC): Processes and pays the fee loan, student loan and additional grants.
STUDENT FINANCE DIRECT (SFD): Answers queries a student may have about their student support application to the LEA.
THE DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS (DWP): Calculates entitlement to Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance and Incapacity Benefit.
THE INLAND REVENUE (IR): Calculates entitlement to Tax Credits.
STOKE ON TRENT CITY COUNCIL: The Housing Benefit department within the Council calculates entitlement to Housing Benefit.
DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY:
STUDENT FINANCE - THE ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND (ALF): A University Fund which assesses students for awards that they do not have to repay.
STUDENTS’ UNION STUDENT ADVICE CENTRE (SAC): Based within Staffordshire University Students’ Union, this provides free and confidential advice and information on any financial, housing and academic matters to prospective and current students of Staffordshire University. It is a member of AdviceUK, is licensed by the Office of Fair Trading to give debt advice and holds the Community Legal Service Quality Mark for general help with casework in student issues. The service is open between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday throughout the year. Please contact the SAC for appointment and drop-in times.
UNIVERSITY INFORMATION CENTRE: Based in the Flaxman Building in Stoke and in the Beacon Building in Stafford. We offer specialist advice, support, guidance and information on a range of issues. For example: help regarding: whether you have chosen the right course, should take time out or leave, how to make a complaint, how to claim extenuating circumstances, University Regulations, the Access to Learning Fund, problems with your LEA or student loan, special exam arrangements or tuition fees and university bursaries.
UNIVERSITY FINANCE DEPARTMENT: Based in Stafford is responsible for the collection of tuition and accommodation fees.
UNIVERSITY DISABILITY ADVISORY SERVICE: Assists disabled students to access the support that they may need.
OTHER USEFUL TERMINOLOGY:
PN1: The form a student fills in to apply to be assessed for a student loan, grants and help with tuition fees.
STUDENT SUPPORT NOTIFICATION/FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT FORM: Informs a student how much student support they have been awarded.
STUDENT SUPPORT NUMBER: This is on the Student Support Notification/Financial Assessment Form and is another way of identifying who you are.
STUDENT LOAN PAYMENT SCHEDULE: From the Student Loan Company. This tells a student when the student loan and any additional grants will be paid into their Bank account.
ART ID NUMBER: An identification number given by Student Finance Direct to each student who applies for support.
CONTACTS
Staffordshire University
Student Guidance Officer Information Centre, Flaxman Building, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE Email: [email protected] Web: www.staffs.ac.uk/current/student/guidance Tel: 01782 292768
Students’ Union Advice Centre – Stoke Staffordshire University Students’ Union, Student Advice Centre, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DE Email: [email protected] Web: www.staffsunion.com Tel: 01782 294469
Students’ Union Advice Centre – Stafford Staffordshire University Students’ Union, Student Advice Centre, Beaconside, Beacon Building, Stafford, ST18 0AD Email: [email protected] Web: www.staffsunion.com Tel: 01785 353425
Information Centre - Stoke Flaxman Building, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE Email: [email protected] Web: www.staffs.ac.uk/informationcentre Tel: 01782 295705
Information Centre – Stafford Beacon Building, Beaconside, Stafford, ST18 0AD Email: [email protected] Web: www.staffs.ac.uk/informationcentre Tel: 01785 353253
Accommodation – Stoke 1st Floor Flaxman Building, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE Tel: 01782 294217/8/9 Email: [email protected]
Accommodation – Stafford Stafford Court, Beaconside, Stafford, ST18 0AB Tel: 01785 353563 Email: [email protected]
Admissions Office Tel: 01782 292753 Email: [email protected] Open Days Hotline: 01782 292773
Student Finance – Access to Learning Fund Information Centre, Flaxman Building, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE. Email: [email protected] Web: www.staffs.ac.uk/askalf Tel: 01782 295756 / 294510
Financial Services Staffordshire University Beacon Building Beaconside Staffordshire University ST18 OAD Web: www.staffs.ac.uk/services/financial Tel: (01785) 353550
Disability Advisory Service Employability and Student Support Staffordshire University 4-5 Winton Square Station Road Stoke-on-Trent Tel: 01782 294976 Textphone: 01782 294564
University Childcare Service Stoke Campus: (01782) 294981 Stafford Campus: (01785) 353573
External Contacts
Student Loan Company Web: www.slc.co.uk
Student Finance Direct Customer Support Office Web: www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk Tel: 08456 077577
Staffordshire Local Authority (LA) (Assesses students who live in the County of Staffordshire). Surnames beginning A – J: (01785) 278931/278936/278937 Surnames beginning k – Z: (01785) 278932/278933/278935 Web: www.staffordshire.gov.uk
If you wish to obtain the contact details for other Local Authorities, the following web page will help you find these: Web: www.dfes.gov.uk/leagateway
Scotland Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) Web: www.saas.gov.uk
Wales The Welsh Assembly Web: www.learning.wales.gov.uk
Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning Web: www.delni.gov.uk
Bursaries Office – Social Work Bursaries General Social Care Council Goldings House 2 Hay’s Lane London SE1 2HB Tel: 020 7397 5835 Web: www.gscc.org.uk/bursaries.htm
DIUS (Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) Information Line: 0800 731 9133 Student Support Helpline: 01325 392822 Web: www.dfes.gov/studentsupport
Aimhigher – The aimhigher website provides all information you need to get started on the road into HE, including links to all key websites that can help to answer your questions: Web: www.aimhigher.ac.uk
Uni4me UK University site for school children, parents, teachers, careers advisers and education guidance staff: Web: www.uni4me.com
UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) Tel: 0870 1122211, open Monday to Friday, 08:30 - 17:30 Web: www.ucas.ac.uk
NUS (National Union of Students) National Union of Students Nelson Mandela House 461 Holloway Road London N7 6LZ Tel: 020 7272 8900 Web: www.nusonline.co.uk
The Inland Revenue – Tax Credits helpline Tel: 0845 300 3900 (textphone 0845 300 3909) Web: www.hmrc.gov.uk/menus/credits.htm
The Department for Work and Pensions (social security benefits) 15 Stafford Street Hanley Stoke on Trent ST1 1RF
The Department for Work and Pensions (social security benefits) Victoria Park House 2-9, Victoria Road Staffordshire University ST16 2AB (01785) 258466
City of Stoke on Trent Housing Benefit Department Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke on Trent ST4 1RN Tel: (01782) 234567 Web: www.stoke.gov.uk
Staffordshire County Council Housing Benefit Department St Chad's Place Stafford ST16 2LR Tel: 01785 223121 Web: www.staffordshire.gov.uk
UPDATED OCTOBER 2006.