THE ROAD TO RECEIVING YOUR STUDENT SUPPORT

All Applicants

The Advice Unit always advises new students to apply in February-March for a September enrolement. This way you are more likely to receive your loan at the start of the academic year.

The Application Process

Contacting your LEA - Completing your PN1/PR1 Form

Once you have decided to embark into higher education, you should contact your local LEA to obtain the initial application form known as either a PR1 Form (if you are a returning student) or a PN1 Form (if you are a new student). You can also apply online or download a form from the Student Finance Direct website at Student Finance Direct.

The purpose of this form is to establish your eligibility for student support and will focus on your nationality and your family income (i.e. are you a British citizen, have you been granted Right of Abode or Indefinite leave to Remain in the UK). Please note that all applicants must be able to demonstrate one of the above in order for your application to proceed. You will be asked to produce your birth certificate, passport or letter from the Home Office confirming your settled status.

The form will also verify any previous periods of undergraduate study. Please note, that if you are undertaking a second degree, you will not qualify for any financial support from your LEA.

The form will also ask you to clarify any periods of employment and your proposed studies at the University of Bolton.

The form should be completed as soon as possible and returned to your LEA.  If your form is returned early then the turnaround time for processing the form is normally between 2-4 weeks.

If you need any help completing this form, then you should contact the Advice Unit as soon as possible.

The Assessment Procedure

Any funding available to you will depend on many factors such as: how old you are, your parents' income (if under 25 or not independant), when you began your studies and whether or not you have already studied a Higher Education course.

As the new fund system is complicated and based very much on the circumstances of the individual, it is not possible to give a complete breakdown on this website of what you might receive. However, please feel free to contact the Advice Unit for further information regarding your individual entitlement for student support.

Independent Status

If you are under 25 and claim independent status due to estrangement/no contact with parents, then you must provide verification from a professional person outside your family who knows your personal circumstances such as a social worker, teacher, letter from Job Centre Plus, Doctor, Minister of religion, solicitor or court order.

The lack of contact must usually be perminant. It is not enough to simply claim that you do not get on with your parents or do not have regular contact but see or speak to them occasionally or that you do not live with them.

Your LEA will normally expect you to have had no contact with your parents for at least 12 months at the time of application although this may not apply in exceptional circumstances.

Please note:

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  You can not claim independent status simply because your parent do not wish to submit their financial information.
   
  Please contact the Advice Unit to find out what you will be entitled to if your parents will not give their financial information.
   
  You can apply for student support as an independent student if you meet one of the following conditions:
   
  You are 25 or over before the start of the academic year for which you are applying.
   
  You have been married before the start of the academic year.  You must enclose your marriage certificate.
   
  You have supported yourself for three years before the start of the course. You will need to include evidence of any paid employment (P60s), means tested benefits, received a studentship or training under any scheme for the unemployed, or could not support yourself because you had to care for a person under 18 who was dependent on you. This could be verified by a Social Worker, Doctor, Job Centre Plus, and child's birth certificate.
   
  Your parents are deceased.
   
  Your parents cannot be traced or it is not possible to contact them
   
  You are in local authority care or under a custodianship order on your 18th birthday or immediately before your course if you are under 18 when it begins.

• Your LEA will automatically pass on the information to Student Finance Direct and the Student Loan Company and once it has been processed and you have completed registration with the University, the first payment will be made directly into your bank account.  All Loans and Grants are paid in three termly instalments.

Student Finance Direct

Student Finance Direct will then process your application and will send you a Support Notification which will specify details of your student support including tuition fees, student loan, higher education grant and grants for any dependants.

Your should:

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• Submit a copy to the Student Centre who will forward your assessment notice to Student Data Management.
• Keep a copy for your records - do not lose it as it contains your ART number.

Please remember - your student funding is designed to help with your living costs such as rent/mortgage, food, travel, etc. I t is not designed for any other purpose such as major household repairs, having central heating installed in your home, buying a car or very expensive computers!

Checking on the process of your application

You can do this by contacting Student Finance Direct using the online automated system by ringing 08456 077 577 (you will need your ART and pin number to access this facility) or checking your application online. If you need money quickly because your LEA is assessing your PN1/PR1 application you should contact the Advice Unit to check if you are eligible for an Emergency Loan. (See relevant section).

Repaying your Student Loan

You will only start making repayments at the start of the tax year after you complete your course. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.

The SLC will write to you about this and will include repayment and deferment forms.

Interest on the loan is linked to inflation therefore these loans are not comercial loans so what you will repay will be worth what you initially borrowed.

If your income is above £15,000 your employer will automatically deduct repayments from your monthly salary at the same time as deducting tax and national insurance.

If you earn less than £15,000 you will not have to make any repayments and if you are receiving Job Seekers Allowance or Income Support then you should complete a deferment form as soon as possible and returnthis to the SLC.

Important note: Every year the Advice Unit sees students who cannot obtain a Student Loan due to previous Student Loan arrears or a default judgement, which has been recorded against them. If you fail to notify a change of address, fail to respond to letters from the SLC or fail to complete the appropriate deferment form then you may have these sanctions.