What support is available this year 2010/11?

This page applies to Academic Year 2010/11.

You can also find information regarding support available in Academic Year 2009/10.

• Student loans
• Partial cancellation of student loan debt
• Help with your tuition fees
• Grants and other assistance
• Bursaries
• Part time students
• Postgraduate students
• Open university students

Student Loans

the loan rates for your final year are lower since you complete Higher Education at the end of the Summer term.

Loan rates are slightly higher for students living in London (not in their parental home) to accommodate the higher cost of living. 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.

Full Year

Final Year

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Partial cancellation of student loan debt

If you take out a Maintenance Loan in academic year 2010/11 you could have up to £1,500 cancelled from your student loan balance by the Welsh Assembly Government when you start repaying.

To receive this cancellation of debt you must: take out a Maintenance Loan through Student Finance Wales in academic year 2010/11.

When you first make a repayment to your loan we will automatically cancel up to £1,500 of the Maintenance Loan that you take out in academic year

Here are some simple examples that show you how the amount of cancellation you may be entitled to can be affected by:

• the amount of Maintenance Loan you take out; and
• the amount of your first repayment.

Example 1

If you take out £3,000 Maintenance Loan in 2010/11 and your first repayment to us is £50, we would cancel £1,500 of your outstanding student loan debt.

Example 2

If you take out £1,200 Maintenance Loan in 2010/11 and your first repayment to us is £5, we would cancel £1,195 of your outstanding student loan debt.

Example 3

If you take out £200 Maintenance Loan in 2010/11 and your first repayment to us is £200, you would not receive any debt cancellation.

Please note that the actual calculation is more complicated than this. In reality, your first repayment will be applied to interest first and then to the total balance of all the loans you took out during your studies. This mean you may have more of your outstanding student loan debt cancelled than these examples show.

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Help with your tuition fees

You will be charged tuition fees of up to £3,290. You may be entitled to a grant for part of your tuition fees.

Tuition Fee Loans

You will not have to pay fees before you start studying, or while you continue your course.

Eligible students will be able to apply for a Student Loan for Fees to cover the cost of any assessed contribution towards your fees. You can borrow any amount up to the full amount of fee charged. this may be the difference between the total fee charged and the amount of fee grant awarded.

these will be paid directly to your place of study and will be repaid like any other student loan, once you have finished studying and are earning over the repayment threshold.

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Grants and other assistance

Higher Education Grant

If you started your course between 1 September 2004 and 1 September 2006, you may qualify for a Higher Education Grant, You must be on a full-time undergraduate, sandwich or part-time ITT course.

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

Academic Year 2010/11

If you are from Wales, and your household income is below £5,750 you will also receive £500 from the ALG scheme.

For further information contact your contact your Local Authority.

Assembly Learning Grant (HE) for continuing students

The Assembly Learning Grant (HE) (ALG) continues to provide extra support for students from low-income families. Students may apply for an ALG from their Local Authority on top of a student loan and other forms of support.

this information is only relevant to students who enrolled on a course of higher education before 2006/07, and are already in receipt of an Assembly Learning Grant (HE) and remain eligible until such time as they complete that particular programme of study.

To qualify for an ALG (HE) this year, you or your family’s or household income must be £17,770 or less.

For further information contact your Local Authority.

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:

Academic Year 2010/11

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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.

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Part-time students

If you are a part-time undergraduate student studying a course in higher education, you could get financial help through the Fee Grant, Course Grant and other support, if you have adult or child dependants, depending on your circumstances.

Fee Grant

If you are studying at least 50% of an equivalent full-time course you may be entitled to receive a Fee Grant, depending on your household income.

There are three different rates of Fee Grant depending on how intensive your course is. The table below sets out the maximum fee grant that you could get:

Your household income also affects the amount of Fee Grant available to you.

You will not be awarded a Fee Grant that’s higher than the actual tuition fee you are charged.

The Fee Grant is paid directly to your university or college and you don’t have to pay it back.

Course Grant

You may be able to receive a Course Grant of up to £1,095, depending on your household income.

The Course Grant is paid to you and you don’t have to pay it back.

Other part-time support available

You may be able to get extra help on top of the Fee Grant or Course Grant if you have adult or children that depend financially upon you. This extra hep includes:

• Adult Dependants’ Grant (ADG)
• Childcare Grant (CCG)
• Parents’ Learning Allowance (PLA)

The amount of grant available to you depends on how intensive your course is. The table below sets out the maximum grant amounts you could get if you are eligible.

These additional support grants are paid to you and you do not have to pay them back.

Disabled students - extra help

If you have a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty, you can apply for extra help through Disabled Students' Allowances.

You can find Disabled Students' Allowances information and the application form in the full-time section of the Forms and Guides

Applying for part-time grants

In order to receive the Fee Grant, Course Grant or other support available, you need to complete an application for grants for part-time study (PTG1 form).

You can find this form on the Forms and Guides page Forms and Guides

If you are an Open University student

The same rules on the Fee and Course grants apply, but the Open University deals with its own applications.

You can contact the OU Financial Support Office on 01908 653411, or email financial-support@open.ac.uk

If you are a disabled student please contact the OU DSA Office for information about eligibility and how to apply. You can contact them on 01908 654136, Textphone: 01908 659955 or email to DSA-Queries@open.ac.uk.

Need more information?

You can find out lots of information about part-time student finance, including:

• more detail about what help you can get;
• whether you qualify for help;
• how you are assessed; and
• how to apply

In our Guide to financial support for part-time students in higher education

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Postgraduate students

In general, there is no mandatory support for postgraduate study centrally funded by the Welsh Assembly Government for students who normally live in Wales; an exception to this are PGCE studies for those wishing to become teachers.

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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.

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