Sue Garrett Admissions and Student Funding AdviserProgression to Higher Education -Choosing , applying and funding

Sue Garrett, Admissions and Student Funding Adviser

Choices and opportunities

• With 34,000 programmes in UK there will be more than one that suits you

• Huge range of subjects, approaches, teaching styles and assessment methods

• Different types of institutions, universities, FE colleges, conservatoires

• campus, city, “ancient”, “redbrick”

Where will I fit in?

• Large city university? e.g. Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, UCL

• Campus university? e.g. Bath, Exeter, East Anglia, Birmingham

• Rural college? e.g. Cirencester college, Harper Adams, Royal Agricultural College

• VISIT!! Open days or over the summer

What is important to you?

• Sports, arts and social facilities?

• SU societies?• Halls of residence?• Support services such as

study skills, disability advice or money advice centres?

Choosing a course

One of your A-Levels?

Something new or interdisciplinary?

Vocational?

History American Studies Heritage Studies

Biology Natural Sciences Wildlife Management

Chemistry Pharmacology Medicine

Physics Mechanical Engineering

Construction Engineering Management

French International Management and Modern Languages

French and Translation

Sociology Gender Studies Social Work

Choosing a course

• Choose something you enjoy

• Be open-minded• Look at subjects which

build on but are not the same as your current course choices

• Look at the detail - content varies greatly

• Contact hours vary greatly, check on unistats

• Check entry requirements

Choosing a course

There are no official rankings

Places to look:• Unistats

www.unistats.com• Key Information Sets• Research Assessment

Exercise (RAE)• Teaching Quality

Assessment (TQA)• Newspaper rankings –

The Times, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Guardian

You can see % of applicants who are made an offer on this comparison site

Spartan Test for personalisedsubject and career options

When and how to apply

• Applications open for registration in the summer• Deadline for most courses mid January 2015 • mid October 2014 for some courses / Oxbridge• One online centralised admissions system for all

UK higher education courses• You can apply for up to 5 UK institutions• We do not know where else you have applied, and

you do not need to rank your choices

UCAS application

• Decisions will come back from all 5 choices, this can take some time

• Most offers are conditional on grades e.g.ABB with A in Maths

• From up to 5 offers you may have received , you then choose one as your Firm choice( first) and one as your Insurance choice (second, as a backup with lower offer)

Course Institution Offer Your Decision

English Bristol AAA Firm

English Cardiff AAB Decline

English Nottingham AAB Insurance

English Exeter unsuccessful

English Warwick AAA Decline

First and insurance choices

What is an offer based on?

From the UCAS form

• Academic performance – e.g. GCSE profile• Academic potential – e.g. predicated A level or IB grades• Reference – usually from the school or college • Personal Statement- your own supporting statement

Also for some• Interview• Portfolio• Test or additional submission of work (

Law/Maths/Oxbridge)

Personal statement

A supporting statement which is an essential part of UCAS application. It is your opportunity to tell us:

•why you are right for the course•why your current study is relevant•how your personal experiences support your application•Maximum of 4000 characters including spaces•47 lines

When is the personal statement important?

• As part of selection• To choose between

applicants with similar predicted grades, therefore vital for competitive courses

• Where entry requirements specify work experience or other non-academic skill, you will include this here

• As a basis for interview• To reconsider “near

misses” at confirmation

• If your results match or exceed offer for university firm choice your place will be confirmed

• Sometimes a university will confirm your place even if you miss your offer grade slightly

• If not, hopefully you will have made your insurance offer grades and therefore still have a confirmed place

Results day

University costs and funding

• Tuition fees• Books and

course extras• Accommodation

(rent and bills)• Food• Contents

insurance • Travel

Tuition fees

UK/EU tuition fees 2015 •£9000 per year for most degree programmes

•placement fees are capped at 20% of full fee for work placement periods, and 15% of full fee for periods of study abroad

•Just for tuition NOT accommodation and living costs

•Overseas rate of fees higher (not eligible for fee loan)

Tuition fee payment

• Fees do not have to be paid upfront

• All “home” UK students qualify for a Fee loan to fully cover their full UK tuition fees regardless of family income

• The Student Loan Company pays the fee loan direct to the University

• Option to pay fees directly to the university if you prefer

What are the costs at University?

Plan your budget based on:

•Length and type of course

•Year of study

•Type of accommodation

•Placements

•Any additional needs e.g.dyslexia software

•How much you shop/go out!

studentcalculator.org.uk

A guide budget

Item Cost

Rent (mid-priced, en suite accommodation, 38 week contract) £4,484

Food £1,216

Toiletries & Laundry £150

Clothes £270

Local travel (buses within city) £255

Leisure, social activities, travel & sport £1,140

TV licence £145

Telephone (landline/mobile) £350

Healthcare (medicines, glasses, contact lenses, prescriptions & dental)

£125

Books, materials, photocopying & equipment £300

Contents insurance (£3,000 belongings & £1,000 laptop) £115

TOTAL £8,550

Main UK government student support 2015

•Tuition fee loan

For all UK and EU students to cover full tuition fees (repayable after graduation)

•Maintenance loan

For all UK students to help with living costs(repayable after graduation)

•Maintenance grant

For some UK students (income dependent)from families where income of is under

£42620 (non-repayable)

UK student support

Maintenance grant

•Based on assessed household income.•Maximum grant of £3,387 if household income is £25,000 or under•Partial grant (on a sliding scale) where income is between £25,000 and £42,620

This will be paid directly into a bank or building society account in three instalments with the student loan, one at the start of each term.

UK student support

Maintenance Loans:

•Up to £5,740 if you live away from home and study outside of London e.g. Bath (minimum £3,731)

•£4,565 if you live at home (minimum £2,967)

•Paid in 3 instalments

( London max: £8009, min: £5205)

UK Government student Support 2015

Extra help is targeted at students in specific circumstances, in addition to loans and grants

Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) are NOT income assessed, and do NOT have to be repaid, up to £20,725 to cover extra costs for study related support purposes

DSA changes for 2015

-DSA will NO LONGER cover standard student/course specification laptops and software-DSA funding towards university accommodation, non-medical helpers, and other day to day costs will also be reduced from 2015.

Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants’ Grant ARE income assessed, but do NOT have to be repaid

Main UK government student support 2015

Household Income

Maintenance Grant

Living cost loan (away from home not London)

Total

£25,000 or less

£3,387 £4,047 £7,434

£30,000 £2,441 £4,520 £6,961

£35,000 £1,494 £4,993 £6,487

£40,000 £547 £5,467 £6,014

£45,000 £0 £5,519 £5,519

£50,000 £0 £4,998 £4,998

£55,000 £0 £4,476 £4,476

£60,000 £0 £3,995 £3,995

Over £62,143 £0 £3,731 £3,731

Student loan repayment

• Repayments start April after graduation

• Both loans repaid through deductions from salary – like a tax but only if earning £21000 plus

• You repay 9% of your income over £21000 per year

• If you don’t pay it all off in 30 years the remaining debt is written off

• It’s a student loan not a parent loan – parents are never liable to repay!

• There will be no early repayment penalty , but repaying extra or early may (?) prove to be the wrong decision because you may not repay the full amount before it's wiped after 30 years

Student loans interest rates

• Interest is variable as it is based on inflation rate (RPI)

• For full-time students, interest is charged at the rate of inflation (RPI – Retail Price Index) plus three per cent from the date you take out your loan April after you’ve finished studying.

• From April after you graduate interest rate based on your earnings:

1) rate of inflation if you earn £21,000 or less2) rate of inflation plus up to three per cent if you

earn between £21,000-£41,0003) rate of inflation plus three per cent if you earn

over £41,000

www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk

moneysavingexpert.com repayment calculator tool

Scholarships and bursaries

• Scholarships – usually awarded on academic merit but can also be for Sporting or Musical excellence

• Bursaries – more likely to be income related but may have additional criteria

• All Universities will have slightly different schemes find out from their web pages

• Find information as you course search on www.ucas.ac.uk

University of Bath funding New Funding Package 2015

2015 Bath Bursaries

•University of Bath Bursary for 2015 entrants available to UK students only.

•£3,000* per year for all years of study, including unpaid placements and study abroad periods (you will not be eligible for a bursary during paid placement periods).

•Cash bursaries paid directly to you in three instalments on top of government loans and grants

*Includes some bursaries under the National Scholarship Programme - funded by the Government and the University, awarded to our highest achieving students

Eligibility:

UK Undergraduatesincome £20,000 or less plus meet ONE or more of the following criteria:

1.Low HE participation neighbourhood2. Poorly performing school.3. A care leaver (leaving local authority care)4. In receipt of means tested benefit5. Completed an Access to HE Diploma

UK students: 1 and 2 from UCAS data. 3 and 4 evidence from student. 5 from entry qualifications.

EU Students: 1 to 4 to provide evidence as not obtained via UK

sources.

University of Bath income related scholarships

Awards :

•A range of named scholarships, some for specific subject areas

•Currently £1000, £3000 or £5000 per year

•Generally not payable during placement years

•Subject to review each year, 2015 awards to be confirmed

Eligibility:full-time UK home studenthousehold income assessment is £42,620 or less entry grades of at least AAB or equivalent Not in receipt of fee waiver or Bath bursaryselection also based on supporting statement as awards are limited in numberOnline application submitted by deadline in August

Any questions?