1. www.gov.uk/studentfinance 2016/17 2017/18 STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 INFORMATION FOR PRACTITIONERS

2. 2017/18 Introduction to SFE 2017/18 Student Finance Policy Overview Student Loan Repayments and Applications SFE Resources Questions & Comments i SECTION CONTENTS

3. 2017/18 Student Finance England is part of the wider Student Loans Company, responsible for providing financial support on behalf of the UK government to students from England entering higher education in the UK: Depending on their circumstances, course and where they live/study, students may be able to get a range of financial support from SFE Generally, each academic year sees amendments to student finance policies, ranging from changes to support levels and student eligibility rules to the introduction of new products With this in mind it is vital that students, their parents/sponsors and the practitioners they refer to get the most accurate information possible i STUDENT FINANCE ENGLAND AN INTRODUCTION

4. 2017/18 1 Policy 2 People 3 Partnerships i STUDENT FINANCE ENGLAND FUNDING INFORMATION PARTNERS ACCOUNT MANGERS

5. 2017/18 ‘Working with partners across England and Wales, the team is responsible for establishing/managing the relationships with admissions, outreach and recruitment staff from across the HE and FE sectors’: While the above is a good summary, it would take more than a few lines to cover the true extent and variety of the support we offer our partners Our service offer is to communicate key student finance messages through bespoke IAG training sessions and via timely remote updates We work with contacts across SLC to help resolve long standing or complex issues surrounding policy, processes or assessments STUDENT FINANCE ENGLAND MEET THE FI PARTNERS ACCOUNT MANGERS i

6. 2017/18 ? SLC BY THE NUMBERS FACTS & FIGURES

7. SECTION 1 2017/18 Q How many student finance applications do SLC process per annum? A 7.7 million A 1.8 million Q SLC hold and manage the personal details of how many customers? SLC BY THE NUMBERS FACTS & FIGURES

8. SECTION 1 2017/18 Q What is the gross value of the student loan book managed by SLC? Q What is the amount currently collected through loan repayments? A £87 billion A £2+ billion SLC BY THE NUMBERS FACTS & FIGURES

9. SECTION 1 2017/18 Q Amount paid to students in Maintenance Loans & Grants? Q Amount paid to learning providers in higher and further education? A £7.1 billion A £8.4 billion Figures from SLC 2015/16 Business Plan www.slc.co.ukwww.slc.co.uk SLC BY THE NUMBERS FACTS & FIGURES

10. 2017/18 STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 POLICY - GENERAL ELIGIBILITY SECTION 1 Information in this section subject to final policy approval!

11. SECTION 1 2017/18 Students need to meet certain residency criteria in order to be eligible for financial support from SFE: Settled status – can live in the UK without any Home Office restriction Ordinarily resident in England on the first day of the first academic year of their course Been living in the UK for the three years immediately prior to this date Tuition Fee Loans only for European Union (EU) students*, who do not meet the five year UK residency requirements for maintenance support *EU students must have lived within the EEA for 3 years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course i STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 GENERAL ELIGIBILITY - RESIDENCY

12. SECTION 1 2017/18 Students may still be entitled for support if they qualify under any of the exceptions to the general residency rules: The student, their spouse, civil partner, parent/stepparent are recognised by the UK government as a refugee and lived in England since this status was awarded The student, their spouse, civil partner, parent/stepparent, have been granted Humanitarian Protection to stay in the UK and meet the standard residency requirements EEA /Swiss migrant workers and the children of Swiss nationals and Turkish workers if they meeting the employment/residency requirements STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 GENERAL ELIGIBILITY - EXCEPTIONS

13. SECTION 1 2017/18 The long residency regulation extends eligibility for student finance out to students who qualify under and can evidence one of the following criteria: Applicants aged under 18 years of age are required to have lived in the UK for at least 7 years Applicants aged 18 years and above are required to have either spent at least half their life in the UK, or at least 20 years in the UK This needs to include three years’ lawful ordinary residence before the first day of the first academic year of the course for all such applicants STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 NON-UK NATIONALS WHO HAVE LIVED IN THE UK A LONG TIME Residency and eligibility can be complex areas to fully understand, if a student is in doubt they can call SFE on 0300 100 0607 i

14. SECTION 1 2017/18 All application forms are designed to help students select the right option: STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 HELPING STUDENTS UNDERSTAND RESIDENCY

15. 2017/18 STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 POLICY OVERVIEW – TUITION FEES & LOANS SECTION 1 Information in this section subject to final policy approval!

16. SECTION 1 2017/18 STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 POLICY OVERVIEW Higher Education providers with an OFFA Access Agreement achieving a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) rating of Meets Expectations in year one will be able to charge up to £9,250 in tuition fees for a full-time course: Students at publicly funded HEP’s will be able to apply for a non means- tested Tuition Fee Loan of up to £9,250 to meet course costs Students at privately funded HEP’s in England will be able to apply for a non means-tested Tuition Fee Loan of up to £6,165 Maximum fee levels have risen 2.8% in line with forecast inflation SLC pay a Tuition Fee Loan directly to a university or college

17. SECTION 1 2017/18 Policy for students starting their courses on or after 1 st September 2012: Maximum fees and loans for Erasmus study or work placement years and non-Erasmus overseas years of study of £1,385* Maximum Tuition Fee Loan £920* for specifically designated courses at private HE providers Maximum fees and loans for Sandwich work placement years £1,850** Maximum Tuition Fee Loan £1,230** for specifically designated courses at private HE providers TUITION FEE LOAN SANDWICH AND PLACEMENT YEARS *15% or **20% of maximum fee cap with OFFA Access Agreement achieving TEF rating of Meets Expectations in year one i

18. 2017/18 SECTION 1 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT 2016 COHORT FULL-TIME STUDENTS (NOT ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS, OR AGED OVER 60) Information in this section subject to final policy approval!

19. SECTION 1 2017/18 Revised package of Maintenance Support for new entrants into Higher Education in A/Y 2017/18 (2016 Cohort): The maximum levels for Maintenance Loans and supplementary grants will be increased by forecast inflation rate of 2.8% for A/Y 2017/18 The maximum levels of Maintenance Loan have increased to; £11,002 for those previously entitled to Maintenance Grant £11,998 for those previously entitled to SSG (excl those aged over 60) £3,566 for those aged over 60 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT 2016 COHORT FULL-TIME STUDENTS

20. SECTION 1 2017/18 2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT MAXIMUM MAINTENANCE LOAN RATES Parental Home Rate: Live at home while they study £7,097 £ Elsewhere Rate: Live and study away from home outside London £8,430 £ London Rate: Live and study away from home in London £11,002 £

21. SECTION 1 2017/18 Full Year Student* Maximum Loan (100%) Non-Income Assessed (% of Max Loan) Income Assessed (% of Max Loan) Parental Home£7,097£3,124 44% £3,973 56% Elsewhere£8,430£3,928 46.6% £4,502 53.4% London£11,002£5,479 49.8% £5,523 50.2% Overseas£9,654£4,667 48.3% £4,987 51.7% *Lower amounts available for final year students 2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT FULL YEAR MAINTENANCE LOAN RATES

22. SECTION 1 2017/18 Household Income HomeElsewhereLondon £25,000 & under£7,097£8,430£11,002 £30,000£6,499£7,825£10,387 £35,000£5,901£7,220£9,771 £40,000£5,303£6,615£9,155 £45,000£4,705£6,009£8,539 £50,000£4,107£5,404£7,924 £55,000£3,509£4,799£7,308 £60,000£3,124£4,193£6,692 2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT MAINTENANCE LOAN ENTITLEMENT Students can get an estimate of their student finance entitlement using the calculator on gov.uk/studentfinancegov.uk/studentfinance i

23. SECTION 1 2017/18 Household Income Income Assessment Assessed Contribution Total £25,000 & under£0 £7,097 £30,000£598£0£6,499 £35,000£1,196£0£5,901 £40,000£1,794£0£5,303 £45,000£2,392£254£4,705 £50,000£2,990£852£4,107 £55,000£3,588£1,450£3,509 £58,215 & over£3,793£1,835£3,124 2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT MAINTENANCE LOAN ENTITLEMENT – AT HOME RATE

24. SECTION 1 2017/18 Household Income Income Assessment Assessed Contribution Total £25,000 & under£0 £11,002 £30,000£615£0£10,387 £35,000£1,231£0£9,771 £40,000£1,847£0£9,155 £50,000£3,078£877£7,924 £55,000£3,694£1,493£7,308 £60,000£4,310£2,109£6,692 £69,847 & over£5,523£3,322£5,479 2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT MAINTENANCE LOAN ENTITLEMENT - LONDON

25. 2017/18 SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPORT DISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCES SECTION 1 Information in this section subject to final policy approval!

26. SECTION 1 2017/18 Disabled Students’ Allowances provide help towards the additional costs a student may face as result of their disability, long-term health condition, mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty: DSAs Support: Is available in addition to the standard student finance package, Does not have to be repaid, Is not affected by household income, Looks at the specific needs of the individual student DSAs rates have been increased by 2.8% for academic year 2017/18 DISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCES 2017/18 POLICY OVERVIEW Students should apply for their DSAs’ as soon as possible, the process can be triggered from the main online application form i

27. SECTION 1 2017/18 Allowance Part-Time Max Support Full-Time Max Support Frequency of Payment Non-medical personal helper £15,978£21,305Annual Specialist equipment£5,358 Duration of Course Other disability-related expenditure £1,342£1,790Annual Disability related travel No Limit – Reasonable spending can be claimed DISABLED STUDENTS’ ALLOWANCES 2017/18 MAXIMUM RATES For both full-time and part-time postgraduate students, there is a single allowance of up to £10,652 per academic year i

28. 2017/18 SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPORT DEPENDANTS’ GRANTS SECTION 1 Information in this section subject to final policy approval!

29. SECTION 1 2017/18 Childcare Grant: Based on 85% of actual registered/approved childcare costs*, subject to a maximum of: £159.59 per week for one child £273.60 per week for two or more children Parents’ Learning Allowance: Help with course-related costs for students with dependent children, the amount received will be between £50 and £1,617 Adult Dependants’ Grant: Normally for the student’s partner or other adult financially dependent on the student where the adult’s net income is not more than £3,796 p.a. The maximum grant available is: £2,834 DEPENDANTS’ GRANTS 2017/18 POLICY OVERVIEW *Where a childcare provider has not been identified, the amount of childcare grant payable will be a maximum of £123.38 per week i

30. 2017/18 STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 PART-TIME STUDY SECTION 1 Information in this section subject to final policy approval!

31. SECTION 1 2017/18 Eligible students ‘attending’ part-time HE courses may be able to apply for: Non Means-Tested Tuition Fee Loan Up to £6,935 for part-time courses at publicly funded institutions Up to £4,625 for specifically designated courses at private institutions In order to be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan, students must be studying at an intensity of at least 25% of an equivalent full-time course Part-time students aren’t entitled to a loans/grants towards living costs* but can access Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) 2016/17 STUDENT FINANCE SUPPORT AVAILABLE TO PART-TIME STUDENTS *Consultation is underway on the introduction of Maintenance Loan Support for part-time students from A/Y 2018/19 i

32. SECTION 1 2017/18 Eligible students with Higher Education qualifications who wish to study part-time for another HE qualification in engineering, technology or computer science can apply for fee loan support for a second course:* Tuition Fee Loans will only be available to students studying at an intensity of at least 25% of an equivalent full-time course This policy change focuses on part-time study to enable those already in employment to update their skills and qualifications and retrain Additional Tuition Fee Loans will be extended to students wishing to do a second part-time degree in a STEM subject from A/Y 2017/18 *Eligible exception courses are only those with JACS codes for engineering, technology or computer science subjects i PART-TIME STUDENTS OTHER SUPPORT

33. 2017/18 NHS FUNDED COURSES NHS STUDENT FUNDING REFORM SECTION 1 Information in this section is a high level notification of policy intent and is subject to change and clarification!

34. SECTION 1 2017/18 As part of the NHS bursary reforms; from 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and allied health students studying in England will no longer receive the current package of NHS grants and bursaries: Instead, they will have access to the same student finance system* as other undergraduate students This means that Nursing, Midwifery and AHP students will be funded by DfE in exactly the same way as students on other eligible HE courses Students studying nursing, midwifery and allied health subjects as a second degree in England will also be eligible to apply for the full package of support administered by SFE NHS STUDENT FUNDING REFORM POLICY INTENT *All full-time and part-time support products - Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan, Targeted Grants and DSA at the same rates i

35. SECTION 1 2017/18 The intention of this new policy is to allow more nurses, midwives and allied health professionals into the NHS by removing restrictions on the number of available student places: Under the loans system administered by SLC, students on nursing, midwifery and allied health courses will receive around a 25% increase `in the financial support available to them for living costs* In addition to the SFE finance package, eligible students will be able to access additional support from the NHS Bursary Service if they incur extra travel costs, have child dependants or study eligible part-time or postgraduate courses NHS STUDENT FUNDING REFORM POLICY INTENT *Compared to the combined NHS bursary and student loan system i

36. SECTION 1 2017/18 Maximum Total Support (By Student Location) NHS Bursary Scheme DfE Loan System Difference (£) London£8,750£12,058£3,308 Outside London£6,975£9,256£2,281 Living At Home£5,623£7,588£1,965 CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS: EXCERPTS COMPARISON OF STUDENT SUPPORT RATES From - https://consultations.dh.gov.uk/workforce/healthcare-education- funding/supporting_documents/NHS%20bursary%20consultation%20April%202016.pdf i Based on 2016/17 Academic Year, 42 Week Course:

37. SECTION 1 2017/18 Higher education and NHS/Healthcare funding is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: Students apply to the bursary provider in country of study rather than where they are domiciled These changes apply to students studying in England Regardless of where the student is domiciled, no healthcare bursary will be available if they study one of the ‘in scope’ courses in England If English domiciled students can claim healthcare bursaries studying elsewhere in the UK, they can only access RRML from SFE* NHS STUDENT FUNDING REFORM CROSS-BORDER ISSUES - ENGLAND *If all bursaries are removed, DfE will make the standard SFE funding package available to English domiciled students i

38. 2015/16 2017/18 STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS OVERVIEW SECTION 3

39. 2017/18 SECTION 3 Students won’t make repayments until their future income is over £21,000 a year gross (before tax), or the weekly/monthly equivalents: If they study a full-time course, students will be due to start repaying in the April after graduating from/leaving higher education They’ll repay 9% of any income earned over £21,000 and if employed, deductions will be made from their pay through the HMRC tax system* If their income falls to £21,000 or below their repayments will stop Any outstanding loan balance will be written off 30 years after entering repayment *If students move or work overseas, repayments will be 9% of any earnings over the threshold for the country they are living in i STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS AN OVERVIEW

40. 2017/18 SECTION 3 £30 Monthly Repayment? £4,000 9% Deducted from? Income each year before tax 9% will be deducted from Monthly Repayment (Approx) £21,000£0 £30,000£9,000£67 £40,000£19,000£142 £50,000£29,000£217 £60,000£39,000£292 Income £25,000 STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS THE FIGURES The £21,000 annual income threshold will be frozen until 2021 and subject to review: www.gov.uk/government/consultationswww.gov.uk/government/consultations i

41. 2017/18 SECTION 3 Interest levels will depend on a students income and circumstances: Interest rate is: Set at RPI Only During study until entering repayment £ Income: Under £21,000 £ Income: £21,000 to £41,000 £ Income: Over £41,000 £ Interest Rate: Retail Price Index +3% % Interest Rate: RPI Only % Interest Rate: RPI + up to 3% % Interest Rate: RPI +3% % The interest rate is updated once a year using the RPI figure from March which is carried forward and applied in September i STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS THE INTEREST – FULL-TIME

42. 2017/18 SECTION 3 Income Contingent Student Loans for post 2012 students: STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS THE INTEREST – UNDERSTANDING THE RATES 2.5% 5.5% 0.9% 3.9% 4.6% 1.6% RPIMax InterestRPIMax InterestRPIMax Interest 2014/152015/162016/17 From 1 st September 2016, the interest rate for Type 1 ICR Loans will be set at 1.25% until further notice i

43. 2017/18 SECTION 3 www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS DEDICATED WEBSITE

44. 2015/16 2017/18 SLC BY THE NUMBERS CALLS, CALLS, CALLS! ?

45. 2017/18 SECTION 2 Change of CircumstancesEvidence Query SLC CUSTOMER CALL REASONS THE TOP SIX 2015/16 1.1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Status of ApplicationHelp with Completing ApplicationUnable to Log-In to Online AccountPayment not Received 10.1% 10% 8.6% 8.5% 4.3% 3.8% 6.

46. 2015/16 2017/18 STUDENT FINANCE 2017/18 APPLICATIONS & ASSESSMENT - OVERVIEW SECTION 2

47. 2017/18 SECTION 2 Each year thousands of students apply late for their finance and have no way to pay for their course or accommodation, some even have to drop out! Please encourage the students you work with to apply on time! It can take up to six weeks to process an application so apply early The easiest way to apply is online at gov.uk/studentfinance* Students don’t need a confirmed place at university or college to apply Apply with their preferred choice, they can change details later if needed STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATIONS KEY MESSAGE – APPLY EARLY *If they cannot apply online (EU Students), applicants will be directed to the relevant paper forms and supporting documents i

48. 2017/18 SECTION 2 Students can follow a few simple steps to try and ensure we can process their application as quickly as possible, these include: Make a note of their account log-in details and keep them safe Make sure any evidence and information needed to support their application is supplied first time (students and parent/partners) Submit an application even if there’s a delay in getting sponsor income details so some funding* will be available when they start their course Sign and return their online declaration form as soon as possible so as not to delay payments STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATIONS KEY MESSAGE – GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME *Tuition Fee Loan and element of the Maintenance Loan which is non-means tested i

49. 2017/18 SECTION 2 www.gov.uk/studentfinance GOV.UK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY

50. 2017/18 SECTION 2 Before starting an application, students should have the following to hand: Passport - SFE can check identity using valid UK passport details University and course details Bank account details and National Insurance number The easiest way for parents or other sponsors to support a students application is online through GOV.UK, providing information including: National Insurance number(s) Household income information (Based on prior tax year) Details of other child dependants STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATIONS COMPLETING AN APPLICATION Many bursaries and scholarships can be applied for directly if students/sponsors consent to share the information given to SLC i

51. 2017/18 SECTION 2 National Insurance Numbers validated via DWP data link Passports validated using automated link with HMPO Students/sponsors agreeing to consent to share between SLC and HEP’s* Parent/Sponsor household income details assessed via HMRC data link SLC APPLICATION PROCESSING BY THE PERCENTAGES *This has enabled over 150,000 payments to individual students and processing of over 30,000 full or partial fee waivers i 82% 97% 99% 98%

52. 2017/18 SFE RESOURCES FOR PRACTITIONERS AND STUDENTS SECTION 4

53. 2017/18 SFE RESOURCES DEDICATED PRACTITIONER WEBSITE www.practitioners.slc.co.uk

54. SECTION 4 2017/18 SFE RESOURCES 2017/18 QUICK GUIDES Our Quick Guides provide high level information on everything from the 2017/18 support package to the application process and student loan repayment: Communicate key facts, processes & dates Ideal for open days or information events Order yours now! www.practitioners.slc.co.ukwww.practitioners.slc.co.uk Additional resources available from Nov 7th

55. SECTION 4 2017/18 Issue 4 content includes: Student finance changes for 2017/18 Funding for healthcare courses Helping students understand interest Focus on payments and processing Issue 4 of our online magazine for teachers and student finance advisors is available NOW, with more great articles and student finance updates! SFE RESOURCES EXCHANGE - THE PRACTITIONERS E-MAG

56. SECTION 4 2017/18 www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance www.youtube.com/SFEFILM www.twitter.com/sf_england www.facebook.com/SFEngland SFE ONLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

57. www.gov.uk/studentfinance 2016/17 2017/18 IF YOU ARE UNSURE PLEASE ASK! QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?