sue garrett admissions and student funding adviser progression to higher education - choosing,...
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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?