Starting university or college in September 2008

 

An outline of the financial support available is shown below-

 

     

From September 2008, universities and colleges will be able to charge new students up to £3,145 a year for their courses.

 

So, depending on what you study and where, you may have to pay a contribution up to a maximum of £3,145 a year.

 

Amounts charged will vary between courses as well as between different universities and colleges.

 

However you will not have to pay these fees upfront, instead you will be able to take out a student loan to pay for the fees charged by your university or college.

This loan is not repayable until you have finished studying and are earning more than £15,000 a year.

 

From September 2008, new full-time students from lower income households will be able to apply for a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to £2,835 a year.

 

How much you get will depend on your income and that of your household.

 

Students whose household income is around £25,000 or less will get the full grant of £2,835.

 

Students with household incomes of between approximately £25,001 and £60,005 will get a partial grant.

 

Grants are payable in 3 instalments – one at the start of each term.

 

 

If you attend a university or college wishing to charge the maximum fee of £3,145 a year for your course, and you are receiving the full maintenance grant of £2,835 the university or college will have to provide at least £310 a year in non-repayable financial support, such as a bursary to you.

 

It will be important to speak to the Student Advice Service at the university or college that you are interested in to find out what it offers. 

 

You will also be able to obtain this information from the university's website or prospectus.

 

For more information about this provision, please go to the Directgov website.