Financial Support Guide 2012-2013 by Robert Gordon University

financial support 2012-2013 FOR FULL TIME UNDERGRADUATE UK & EU STUDENTS

Now the top modern University in Britain and shortlisted for the University of the year, a degree from Robert Gordon University is aS close to a guaranteed job as you can get. THE SUNDAY TIMES UNIVERSITY GUIDE 2011

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

HOW TO APPLY FOR STUDENT SUPPORT

STUDENTS FROM SCOTLAND Tuition Fees Student Loans Young Students’ Bursary Independent Students’ Bursary Supplementary Grants Previous study/repeat years

8 9 10 14 16 18 20

STUDENTS FROM ENGLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND Tuition Fees & Tuition Fee Loans Maintenance Loans Maintenance Awards Supplementary Grants Previous study/repeat years

22 23 24 30 32 32

ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSION (AHP) COURSES BSc Hons Nutrition and Dietetics BSc Hons Diagnostic Radiography BSc Hons Occupational Therapy BSc Hons Physiotherapy

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CONTENTS NURSING COURSES

EU STUDENTS

HOW TO PAY TUITION FEES

ACCOMMODATION

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

CHILDCARE SUPPORT

TAX CREDITS

DISCRETIONARY FUND

EMERGENCY LOAN FUND

TEMPORARY LOANS

SCHOLARSHIPS

ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FUNDING

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE ENROLMENT

CONTACTS

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introduction This leaflet is an important and valuable guide to help you deal with the financial aspects of studying at Robert Gordon University in session 2012-2013. Outlined in this guide is general information on how to apply for financial support towards the costs of studying at Robert Gordon University. Further details can be obtained from: Scottish and EU students www.saas.gov.uk Students from England www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance Students from Wales www.studentfinancewales.co.uk Students from Northern Ireland www.studentfinanceni.co.uk It is important that you apply for all your support at the earliest possible date, either with a conditional or unconditional offer. If you apply late, you may not get the financial support you are entitled to in time for the start of the session. Students from Scotland and EU students can apply from April onwards and students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply from January onwards at the appropriate website.

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HOW TO APPLY FOR STUDENT SUPPORT Scottish students should apply to the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for fees, bursary, student loan and supplementary grants online at www.saas.gov.uk from mid April onwards.

EU students should apply online to the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for the payment of tuition fees at www.saas.gov.uk from mid April onwards. Application to SAAS can be made with a conditional or unconditional offer of a place. Do not wait for exam results. If your course or institution details change you can easily change or cancel your application by contacting SAAS. To ensure funding from SAAS is in place at the start of your course, you should apply by 30th June 2012. The closing date for SAAS receiving applications for session 2012-13 is 31st March 2013. Students applying after this date will not receive any financial support including the payment of tuition fees.

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Students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales can apply online at: Student Finance England www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance Student Finance Northern Ireland www.studentfinanceni.co.uk Student Finance Wales www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

In order to qualify for support for tuition fees and living costs you have to be eligible as well as having been offered a place on an acceptable course. The final decision on whether or not you are eligible rests with SAAS/Student Finance. To meet the residency requirements, (to be a ‘home’ student) you must have been ordinarily resident in the British Isles for the 3 years immediately preceding the academic year in which the course begins, but not for the purposes of education.

You should note that if you receive a late offer, SAAS/Student Finance cannot guarantee that notification of any contribution due towards tuition fees and/or living costs will be available at the start of the session. IMPORTANT: AN APPLICATION FOR SUPPORT IS VALID FOR ONE ACADEMIC SESSION ONLY. CONTINUING STUDENTS MUST MAKE A SEPARATE, FORMAL APPLICATION EACH YEAR OF THEIR COURSE, WITHIN THE APPROPRIATE TIMESCALE.

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STUDENTS FROM SCOTLAND 8 | YOUR CAREER STARTS HERE

TUITION FEES SAAS will pay tuition fees for most Scottish domiciled and EU students studying an undergraduate course in Scotland. Students who are not eligible to have fees paid by SAAS will be liable to pay the tuition fee of ÂŁ1,820 to the University.

YOU MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO SAAS FOR PAYMENT OF TUITION FEES EACH YEAR OF YOUR COURSE OR YOU WILL BE LIABLE FOR THE FULL AMOUNT.

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STUDENT LOANS Students will be assisted with their living costs by way of a student loan. How much you can borrow will depend on your level of income and, if this applies, your parents’, husband’s, wife’s, civil partner’s, partner’s, parent’s partner’s, step parent’s income. The rates are reviewed annually before the start of the academic year. The maximum loan will be lower in the final year of your course as the loan does not cover the summer holiday in that year. Students can apply to SAAS for a student loan at the same time as payment of tuition fees.

Eligibility for a loan To be eligible for a loan, a student must be: • a ‘home’ student on a full-time, undergraduate course; • not be in breach of any obligation to repay any loan; • under the age of 50 at the commencement of your course OR aged 50 to 54 and be able to show that you intend to return to employment after completing the course; • have a valid National Insurance Number. If you are under 16 when you start your course, SAAS cannot assess your entitlement to a student loan. However, you can apply for your loan at the same time as other support you are entitled to (fees and bursary). When you turn 16, your loan entitlement will be assessed and information sent to the SLC. The SLC will set up your loan account and send you a Payment Schedule letter to tell you how and when they will pay your loan. Loan Rates The table opposite shows the amounts for a course that lasts for 30 weeks. Extra payments will be paid for each week you have to study over 30 weeks and 3 days. The extra payments are income-assessed and are £56 if you stay at home and £85 if you stay away from home.

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Full Year

Final Year

Min. Loan

Max. Loan

Min. Loan

Max. Loan

Staying at home

£620

£4,585

£495

£4,105

Staying away from home

£940

£5,570

£810

£4,945

If you are eligible for the Young or Independent Students’ Bursary, this will replace part of your loan support. Students who have applied for a student loan but have not taken out their full entitlement will be able to make one ‘top-up’ application during the academic year. Students should contact the Student Loans Company directly regarding this. Additional Loan There is an additional loan of up to £810 available to all students who have a household income of less than £22,789. You do not get the additional loan if you are on a paid placement or are not eligible for tuition fee payment. How the loan is paid Your loan will be paid in monthly instalments on the 7th of each month during term-time with a first double payment on the first day of the course. If you apply for your loan on time and enrol in advance of the course start date, you should expect to receive your first instalment directly into your bank account on the first day of your course, or within 3 to 4

working days after you have enrolled if you enrol on or after the start date. If you apply for your loan later in the academic year, your loan will be back-dated from the start date of your course until the time your application is processed and then paid monthly thereafter. If you wish to apply for a loan you must do so through SAAS, either online at the same time as applying for tuition fees, or if later by completing the appropriate application form (AB1) available from SAAS or the University. SAAS will forward to the Student Loans Company all the information it needs to set up a loan account in your name and make payment of the loan. If you have received a Payment Schedule letter from SLC and the first instalment of your loan is not paid into your bank account on the date specified on the letter, you should contact RGU’s Student Finance team. The team are in the process of moving offices, so please check www.rgu.ac.uk/studentfinance for the most up-to-date contact details. How your entitlement will be notified As soon as your application has been processed, SAAS will send you an Award Notice giving details of the support you are to receive for the academic year. This letter will state that you should take it to the University–we do not require this unless we specifically ask to see it. At the same time as sending you this, they will notify the SLC of your loan entitlement who will set up your loan account and send you a Payment Schedule Letter giving details of instalment amounts and payment dates.

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Repaying the loan The amount to be paid back will depend on the amount borrowed plus the interest charged. Interest is applied to the student loan from the moment you receive your first payment until your loan is paid off in full. Interest will be linked to inflation and is adjusted each year in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) - so the value of the amount you pay back will be about the same in real terms as the value of the amount you borrowed. This will apply as long as the loan lasts and will include any time when you are not studying or not repaying the loan, as well as when you are repaying the loan. Repayment will not begin until the April after you complete or otherwise leave your course. Repayments will only be sought once your income is more than £15,795 a year. Payments will be made through the Inland Revenue and will begin automatically once your income reaches the appropriate level. Income each year

Marginal Income Over £15,795

The amount you have to repay each year will be 9% of your annual income over £15,795 (figure for 2012), i.e. the first £15,795 of income will be disregarded and you will repay 9% of your income above that level. The level of repayments will rise directly in line with your income. Repayment will not be over a fixed period. The length of time over which you will repay will depend on your income and on the total amount you have borrowed. Repayment will normally continue until you have paid off the full amount. Whether or not you repay the whole amount you have borrowed will depend on your income. For example, if your income remained below £15,795 a year gross throughout your working lifetime you would not have to make any repayments. Loans will be cancelled if not repaid 25 years after they became eligible to be repaid. The table below shows the repayments which you would make at different income levels. Repayments (9%) Yearly

Monthly

Weekly

Up to £15,795

Nil

£17,000

£1,205

£180

£15

£3

£20,000

£4,205

£450

£37

£9

£25,000

£9,205

£900

£75

£17

£30,000

£14,205

£1,350

£112

£26

£35,000

£19,205

£1,800

£150

£35

You can make extra voluntary payments direct to SLC to repay your loan quicker. Further details about student loans, repaying your loan and the interest rate can be found on the SLC website at www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk

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YOUNG STUDENTS’ BURSARY (YSB) Students under 25 and who are not married, not in a civil partnership agreement, not living with a partner or not self-supporting may be eligible for a Young Students’ Bursary if they are from a household on low income. A maximum bursary of £2,640 will be made if the household income is £19,310 a year or less. The bursary is paid instead of part of the student loan therefore reducing the amount of loan you need to take out.

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If your household income is over £34,195 a year, you will not qualify for a Young Students’ Bursary and your living cost support will be entirely through a student loan. The amount of loan available will go down as household income goes up. The higher the household income, the more of a contribution the parents need to make to support their children.

The table below gives examples of entitlement at various income levels.

Income

YSB

Loan

Household Contribution

Additional Loan

Total

£18,000

£2,640

£2,930

£810

£6,380

£20,000

£2,518

£3052

£503

£6,073

£23,000

£1,986

£3,584

£5,570

£26,000

£1,453

£3,880

£237

£5,570

£29,000

£921

£4,079

£570

£5,570

£32,000

£389

£4,278

£903

£5,570

£35,000

£4,333

£1,237

£5,570

£38,000

£4,000

£1,570

£5,570

£44,000

£3,333

£2,237

£5,570

£50,000

£2,667

£2,903

£5,570

£60,000

£1,170

£4,400

£5,570

£62,000

£940

£4,630

£5,570

Application should be made to SAAS at the same time as applying for the payment of tuition fees. You must indicate on your application if you wish to be considered for this bursary – you will not automatically be considered. If you have received support from UK or other EU public funds for a course of higher education before or you have to repeat a year of your course, you may not be eligible for this bursary. Also, if your course requires you to undertake a period of paid placement, you will not be able to claim this bursary during that time. You will however be eligible for a student loan.

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INDEPENDENT STUDENTS’ BURSARY (ISB) If you are an independent student you may be eligible for the Independent Students’ Bursary. Students must be eligible for the full standard rate of tuition fees from SAAS to be eligible for the bursary.

There are a number of conditions you must meet to be classed as independent. In general, if you are over 25, are married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner or your parents are no longer alive, you meet the criteria. Full details are available on the SAAS website at www.saas.gov.uk The amount of bursary available will depend on the level of your household income. If your household income is low, the bursary will be given instead of part of the student loan so it reduces the amount of loan you can take out. The bursary does not have to be paid back. The highest amount available is £1,000 if your household income is £19,310 or less a year or if you are single. The bursary will go down to zero for a household income of £34,195 a year. If your household income is over £34,195 a year, you will not qualify for an Independent Students’ Bursary and your living cost support will be entirely through a student loan. The amount of loan available will go down as household income goes up.

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The table below gives examples of entitlement at various income levels. Income

ISB

Loan

Household Contribution

Additional Loan

Total

£18,000

£1,000

£4,570

£810

£6,380

£20,000

£954

£4,616

£503

£6,073

£23,000

£752

£4,511

£307

£5,570

£26,000

£551

£4,379

£640

£5,570

£29,000

£349

£4,248

£973

£5,570

£32,000

£147

£4,116

£1,307

£5,570

£35,000

£3,930

£1,640

£5,570

£38,000

£3,597

£1,973

£5,570

£44,000

£2,930

£2,640

£5,570

£50,000

£2,263

£3,307

£5,570

£59,000

£940

£4,630

£5,570

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SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS Extra support may be available depending on your personal circumstances. You may be eligible for the following additional grants:

Dependants’ Grant This income-assessed grant may be claimed for your husband, wife, civil partner or partner. You cannot claim this grant for another student. If your husband, wife, civil partner or partner has any income, this may affect your entitlement. The maximum amount available is £2,640. You cannot claim this grant for children but you could be entitled to more money through tax credits. Anyone who is responsible for at least one child, whether or not they are in paid work, can apply for Child Tax Credit. Child Tax Credit will also passport free school meals provided by your Local Education Authority. Lone Parents’ Grant You can claim this income-assessed grant if you are single, widowed, divorced, separated or your civil partnership has dissolved and you are bringing up children on your own. If you have at least one dependent child, extra support is available either as an extra grant of £1,305 or by SAAS giving you more allowances against your income.

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Care LEAVERS’ Grant This grant can pay up to £105 a week to help with accommodation costs in the long holiday if you were previously in care. It is paid from SAAS directly to your landlord. If you were in care on your 16th birthday or afterwards for at least 3 months and you are under 21 at the start of your course or were in care when you finished your compulsory schooling, you may be eligible for this grant. You should tell SAAS when making your application if you think you are entitled to this grant and they will send you a form asking for more details. Application for supplementary grants should be made to SAAS. Further information on all of these are available at their website at www.saas.gov.uk

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) If you have a disability or learning difficulty you may claim for certain extra expenses which arise because you are on a course. You can claim for items such as tapes, Braille paper, extra photocopying charges, equipment e.g. personal computer, Braille printer or note-taker, portable loop or radio aid. Non-medical help is also available e.g. to pay for readers for people with sight difficulties, sign language interpreters, note-takers, helpers for people in wheelchairs. Further details regarding DSA can be obtained from the SAAS website at www.saas.gov.uk or from our Disability & Dyslexia Service - see the section on Students with Disabilities.

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PREVIOUS STUDY/REPEAT YEARS Repeat Year If a student has to repeat a year of their course, SAAS will only consider paying the tuition fee for the repeat year if the reason for repeating is for medical or strong compassionate reasons. The student would have to pay fees for the repeat year and would only be eligible for a student loan and any supplementary grants they were previously eligible for but would NOT be eligible for any Young or Independent Students’ Bursary or Additional Loan.

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Students with an HND gaining entry to a Degree course Students who have obtained an HND and who are given direct entry into year 2 or 3 of a degree course will receive the full support they are eligible for from SAAS for the duration of the degree course. Students who enter into year 1 of a degree course after having studied an HND will not receive the payment of tuition fees for the first year of the degree course nor, if otherwise eligible, the Young Students’ Bursary, Independent Students’ Bursary and Additional Loan. They will only receive the student loan and any supplementary grants they are eligible for e.g. lone parent grant, etc.

Change of course

Second Degree

If a student decides to change course during year 1 of their course, SAAS will support the student for the duration of the new course. This is called a false start and is only available once.

Students who have already completed a degree course will not be eligible for tuition fee support nor any bursaries for the 2nd degree course. You will be eligible for a student loan.

If a student decides to change course after year 1, SAAS will not pay tuition fees for the amount of years they paid fees for the first course nor will the student be eligible for the Young Students’ Bursary, Independent Students’ Bursary or Additional Loan which they may previously have been eligible for. For example, if a student completed 2 years of a course then changed course and began again at year 1, the student would have to pay fees for years 1 and 2 of the new course and SAAS would pay the final years. They would be eligible for a student loan and any supplementary grants for the duration of the new course but not eligible for any Young Students’ Bursary, Independent Students’ Bursary or Additional Loan they may previously have been eligible for years 1 and 2 of the new course.

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STUDENTS FROM ENGLAND, WALES AND Northern Ireland Full details on all student support available for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland is available at the following websites -

England

www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Wales

www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

Northern Ireland

www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

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TUITION FEES RGU has adopted a tiered approach with three bands of undergraduate fees reflecting the fact that some courses cost more to deliver than others, for example those involving laboratory or studio work versus classroom teaching. Band

Course

Fee/ Year

Placement Year

Band 1

Business Management Social Science

£5,000

£2,500

Band 2

Art & Design Architecture & Built Environment Computing Engineering Health and Science

£6,750

£3,375

Band 3

Pharmacy

£8,500

n/a – no placement incorporated into MPharm

TUITION FEE LOANS Full-time undergraduate students will not have to pay fees before they start University or whilst they are studying. Instead, students will be able to apply for a Student Loan for Fees to cover these costs. The Student Loans Company will pay fees directly to the University on their behalf. Students will repay these loans once they have left University – see ‘Repaying the Loan’ section. Students wishing to take out a Student Loan for Fees should apply online at the appropriate Student Finance website.

The University is also looking to establish a scheme for scholarships and bursaries eligible to all students, including students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and will present plans in due course.

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MAINTENANCE LOANS Maintenance Loans are available to help with accommodation and other living costs.

To be eligible for a Maintenance Loan, a student must be: • a ‘home’ student on a full-time, undergraduate course • under the age of 60 when you start your course Students wishing to take out a student loan to cover living costs should apply online at the appropriate Student Finance website. The table below shows the maximum loan rates available for session 2012-2013. The amount you can get depends on your household income. The amounts are lower in the final year of the course as the loan does not cover the summer holiday in that year.

Maximum loan

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Students from England

£5,500

Students from Wales

£4,745

Students from Northern Ireland

£4,840

How the loan is paid Your loan will be paid in three equal instalments. If you apply for your loan on time, you should expect to receive your first instalment directly into your bank account on the start date of your course if you enrol in advance, or within 3 to 4 working days after you have enrolled if you enrol on or after the start date. Second and third instalments will be January and April respectively and will also be paid directly into your bank account. If you apply for your loan later in the academic year, your loan will be paid in either one, two or three instalments, depending on when you apply.

How your entitlement will be notified As soon as your application has been processed your appropriate Student Finance will send you an award letter giving details of any contributions you must make towards tuition fees, your maximum loan entitlement, details of any bursary/supplementary grant payments to be made and the level of any assessed parental/spouse contribution for the academic year. At the same time, they will notify SLC of your loan entitlement who will set up your loan account and send you a loan payment schedule detailing instalment amounts and payment dates.

If you wish to apply for a loan you should apply to your appropriate Student Finance at their website who will forward to the Student Loans Company all the information it needs to set up a loan account in your name and make payment of the loan. If you have received a Payment Schedule letter from SLC and your loan is not in your bank on the date specified on the letter, you should contact Student Finance. Please refer to www.rgu.ac.uk/studentfinance for the most up-to-date contact details.

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REPAYING THE LOAN Students from England and Wales The amount to be paid back will depend on the amount borrowed plus the interest charged. Interest is applied to the student loan from the moment you receive your first payment until your loan is paid off in full. The amount of interest charged will vary depending on your circumstances – see table below. Interest is applied for as long as the loan lasts and will include any time when you are not studying or not repaying the loan, as well as when you are repaying the loan. Under new repayment arrangements for 2012/13, you won’t have to start making repayments until 2016 even if you finish or leave your course earlier. Repayments will only be sought once your income is more than £21,000 a year. Payments will be made through the Inland Revenue and will begin automatically once your income reaches the appropriate level.

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The amount you have to repay each year will be 9% of your annual income over £21,000, i.e. the first £21,000 of income will be disregarded and you will repay 9% of your income above that level. The level of repayments will rise directly in line with your income. Repayment will not be over a fixed period. The length of time over which you will repay will depend on your income and on the total amount you have borrowed. Repayment will normally continue until you have paid off the full amount. Whether or not you repay the whole amount you have borrowed will depend on your income. For example, if your income remained below £21,000 a year gross throughout your working lifetime you would not have to make any repayments. Any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years.

The table below shows the repayments which you would make at different income levels. Repayments (9%)

Income each year

Marginal Income Over £21,000

Yearly

Monthly

Weekly

Up to £21,000

Nil

£25,000

£4,000

£360

£30

£7

£30,000

£9,000

£810

£67

£16

£35,000

£14,000

£1,260

£105

£24

You can make extra voluntary payments direct to SLC to repay your loan quicker. Interest Rate

Interest Rate While you are studying

Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 3%

If you finish or leave your course before April 2016

RPI plus 3% until the April after you leave your course and then RPI

From April 2016

Interest will be based on your income:

£21,000 or less RPI £21,001 to £41,000 RPI plus up to 3% depending on your income £41,001 and over RPI plus 3%

Further details about student loans, repaying your loan and the interest rate can be found on the SLC website at www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk

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Students from Northern Ireland The amount to be paid back will depend on the amount borrowed plus the interest charged. Interest is applied to the student loan from the moment you receive your first payment until your loan is paid off in full. Interest will be linked to inflation and is adjusted each year in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) - so the value of the amount you pay back will be about the same in real terms as the value of the amount you borrowed. This will apply as long as the loan lasts and will include any time when you are not studying or not repaying the loan, as well as when you are repaying the loan.

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Repayment will not begin until the April after you complete or otherwise leave your course. Repayments will only be sought once your income is more than £15,795 a year. Payments will be made through the Inland Revenue and will begin automatically once your income reaches the appropriate level. The amount you have to repay each year will be 9% of your annual income over the relevant earnings threshold. The threshold in 2012 will be £15,795 and this figure will increase in line with inflation each year. The level of repayments will rise directly in line with your income. Repayment will not be over a fixed period. The length of time over which you will repay will depend on your income and on the total amount you have borrowed. Repayment will normally continue until you have paid off the full amount. Whether or not you repay the whole amount you have borrowed will depend on your income. For example, if your income remained below £15,795 a year gross throughout your working lifetime you would not have to make any repayments. Any outstanding loan balance that remains unpaid after 25 years will be written off.

The table below shows the repayments which you would make at different income levels. Repayments (9%)

Income each year

Marginal Income Over £15,795

Yearly

Monthly

Weekly

Up to £15,795

Nil

£17,000

£1,205

£180

£9

£2

£20,000

£4,205

£378

£32

£7

£25,000

£9,205

£828

£69

£16

£30,000

£14,205

£1,278

£107

£25

£35,000

£19,205

£1,728

£144

£33

MAINTENANCE AWARDS Students from England Maintenance Grant Students can apply for a Maintenance Grant. The maximum amount available is £3,250 per year and how much you will get will depend on your household income. The grant is paid in three instalments and does not have to be paid back. This grant is paid instead of part of the Student Loan therefore reducing the amount of student loan available.

The table below is a guide as to how much you could get towards accommodation and living costs through the Maintenance Grant. Household Income

Maintenance Grant

£25,000

£3,250

£30,000

£2,341

£35,000

£1,432

£40,000

£523

Over £42,600

no grant

Further details available at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

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Students from Wales Assembly Learning Grant (ALG) Students can apply for an Assembly Learning Grant (ALG). The maximum amount available is £5,000 per year and how much you will get will depend on your household income. The grant is paid in three instalments and does not have to be paid back. This grant is paid in substitution for an element of the Student Loan for maintenance. This means that your eligibility for a Student Loan will be reduced by up to the amount of grant you receive. The table below is a guide as to how much you could get towards accommodation and living costs through the ALG. Household income

Assembly Learning Grant

Maintenance Loan

£18,370

£5,000

£1,901

£25,000

£3,242

£2,800

£30,000

£2,033

£3,526

£34,000

£1,106

£4,082

£40,000

£711

£4,319

£45,000

£381

£4,517

£50,020

£50

£4,715

Further details at www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

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Students from Northern Ireland Maintenance Grant Students can apply for a Maintenance Grant. The maximum amount available is £3,475 per year and how much you will get will depend on your household income. The grant is paid in three instalments and does not have to be paid back. This grant is paid in substitution for an element of the Student Loan for maintenance. This means your eligibility for a Student Loan will be reduced by up to the amount of grant you receive. The table below is a guide as to how much you could get towards accommodation and living costs through the Maintenance Grant. Household income

Maintenance Grant

£19,203

£3,475

£25,000

£2,201

SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS You may be eligible for the following additional grants: Disabled Students’ Allowance Adult Dependants’ Grant Parents Learning Allowance Childcare Grant Lone Parent Grant Vacation Grant for Care Leavers The extra support available will depend on your personal circumstances. You do not have to repay these grants unless you loose entitlement to them. Further details available at the appropriate Student Finance website. PREVIOUS STUDY/REPEAT YEARS

Depending on the circumstances, you may receive funding if you have to repeat a year of your course or if you change your course. If you have already £41,065 £50 completed a degree course you will not receive any over £41,065 No grant support for a second degree course. You should Further details at www.studentfinanceni.co.uk contact the appropriate Student Finance website for details.

£35,000

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£689

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ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSION (AHP) COURSES There are special arrangements in place for support for students who are undertaking a degree course in Allied Health Professions. At Robert Gordon University the following courses come under this category:

BSc Hons Nutrition and Dietetics BSc Hons Diagnostic Radiography BSc Hons Occupational Therapy BSc Hons Physiotherapy For payment of tuition fees and an income-assessed Scottish Executive Health Department bursary, students from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland should apply online to SAAS at www.saas.gov.uk For a student loan, students from Scotland should apply to SAAS and students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland should apply to Student Finance Student Finance England www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance Student Finance Northern Ireland www.studentfinanceni.co.uk Student Finance Wales www.studentfinancewales.co.uk EU students are eligible for the payment of tuition fees only i.e. they are not eligible for any student loan or bursary.

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The table below shows the maximum bursary and student loan rates. Non IncomeincomeAssessed Assessed Bursary loan

Maximum Total Support

Students from Scotland Students living at home

£1,865

£1,790

£3,655

Students living away from home

£2,455

£2,330

£4,785

Students from England

£2,455

£2,324

£4,779

Students from Wales

£2,455

£2,324

£4,779

Students from Northern Ireland

£2,455

£2,370

£4,825

The table below gives an idea of the support you might get, depending on your circumstances. The example is given for students living away from home on a course lasting 30 weeks and not in the final year. Rates will differ for students in their final year. Income after deductions

Assessed Parental Contribution

Healthcare Bursary

£15,000

£2,455

£20,000

£2,455

£25,000

£126

£2,329

£30,000

£681

£1,774

£35,000

£1,237

£1,218

£40,000

£1,792

£663

Details on the assessed contribution for students whose husband, wife, civil partner or partner’s income is taken into consideration is available on the SAAS website at www.saas.gov.uk Practical Placement Expenses If you have to go on a practical placement away from University and you have extra travel or accommodation costs, you may receive assistance with these from SAAS. Placement expenses are income-assessed and the amount SAAS will pay depends on your, your parents’ or husband’s, wife’s, civil partner’s or partner’s income. The maximum amount students can claim for accommodation is up to £10.08 each day for placements during term-time and £8.57 each day for placements during the summer. You should complete form AB24 which can be downloaded from the SAAS website.

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NURSING COURSES Assistance available to students undertaking the Bachelor of Nursing or Midwifery course is a non income-assessed bursary only - students on these courses are not eligible for student loans, a Young Students’ Bursary or an Independent Students’ Bursary. The annual rate for students commencing in session 2011/12 was £6,578. The bursary is paid monthly directly into the student’s bank account. Students should ensure SAAS have their bank details.

Dependants’ Allowance You can apply for an allowance for your husband, wife, civil partner or partner and for any child you are legally responsible for. Single Parents’ Allowance You may be entitled to an extra allowance of £1,305 if you are single, widowed, divorced, separated or no longer live with a partner and bringing up children on your own. Childcare Allowance for Parents The childcare allowance is payable to any student who is a parent and wants to claim formal childcare costs. If you have to pay all or part of the cost for registered or formal childcare, you can receive up to £1,216 a year, depending on the cost of childcare. ‘Formal’ childcare includes childminders, after-school clubs and providers of day-care and education. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) If you have a disability, you may be eligible to claim for certain extra expenses you have to pay because you are on the course. Further details can be obtained from our Disability & Dyslexia Service (see section Students with Disabilities) or from SAAS.

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Expenses for clinical placement

Clinical placement is the part of the course that consists of supervised practice in clinical areas. You can claim expenses for some extra travel and reasonable accommodation costs. Travel costs can be claimed on the basis of the cheapest fare. You should take advantage of season tickets, zone cards, and student railcards wherever possible. If you claim more than the cheapest fare available your claim will be restricted to the cheapest fare. The amount of your normal daily travelling costs to University will be deducted (but no more than ÂŁ5 a day) from the costs of placement travel and the difference will be paid. If you must live away from your term time address because of your placement you may reclaim extra board or lodgings charges up to a maximum of ÂŁ25 per night. For further details on all support available for nursing students visit the SAAS website www.saas.gov.uk

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EU STUDENTS TUITION FEES EU students studying in Scotland will not normally have to pay tuition fees. Students should apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for these fees to be paid. Application should be made online at www.saas.gov.uk from mid-April onwards.

Students who miss the SAAS deadline date for payment of tuition fees will become liable for payment of the fee of ÂŁ1,820 to the University. An application MUST be submitted to SAAS each year. Students who have successfully completed a degree with government support from any EU member state will NOT be eligible to apply to SAAS for tuition fee support for any subsequent course at a similar or lower level. EU students are NOT eligible for any student loans, bursaries or maintenance awards from SAAS. Students from Ireland should contact their local education authority to enquire whether there are any maintenance grants available to them. Students from other EU countries should contact their own education authority/government to enquire about any possible financial assistance.

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HOW TO PAY TUITION FEES Options available If you have to pay some or all of your tuition fees yourself, there are two ways you can organise payment:

Payment in one lump sum Payment by this method should be made before or during online enrolment. If your contribution has not been confirmed prior to enrolment, you will not have to make any payment at enrolment. The payment will be due as soon as your contribution is confirmed. Payment by instalments If you have to pay a contribution of more than ÂŁ800 towards your tuition fees, you can opt to pay by instalments.

i) Payment in two instalments 50% at or before enrolment 50% by direct debit on 1st February

ii) Payment in four instalments 40% at or before enrolment 20% by direct debit on 1st December 20% by direct debit on 1st January 20% by direct debit on 1st February

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Your first payment will be due at enrolment and you must pay online by credit/debit card. The remaining instalments can be paid by one of the following options: • Cash – at the Student Info Zone. See www.rgu.ac.uk for details. • Cheque – sent to Student Finance, clearly stating the student name and student ID number on the reverse of the cheque. • Credit/Debit Card – either as part of the online enrolment process or by telephone 01224 262664. • Direct Transfer to the University bank account. You must quote the name of the student and the student ID number as a reference or we will not be able to identify your payment. Account Name: Robert Gordon University Bank:

Bank of Scotland 39 Albyn Place Aberdeen AB10 1YN

Sort Code:

80-05-14

Account No:

06003836

If paying by instalments, you must ensure that you have funds in place to pay the instalment amount on the due date.

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ACCOMMODATION All flats are self-contained and self-catering with capacity for 3-8 students. Each student has their own study bedroom while kitchen and living areas are shared. Some of the accommodation is en-suite whilst the remainder has shared washing and toilet facilities.

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Accommodation Costs University Accommodation

Location

Lease Length

Weekly Price

Total Price

Woolmanhill Standard room

40 weeks

£88.50

£3,540

Woolmanhill En-suite room

40 weeks

£103.00

£4,120

Garthdee Round Tower En-suite shower

40 weeks

£93.50

£3,740

Garthdee Square Tower En-suite shower

40 weeks

£95.00

£3,800

Linksfield, Rosemount & St Peters Standard room

40 weeks

£100.00

£4,000

Linksfield, Rosemount & St Peters En-suite room

40 weeks

£109.00

£4,360

Ardmuir Properties

50 weeks

£106.00

£5,300

Ramsay Development Single en-suite room

40 weeks 50 weeks

£125.00 £117.00

£5,000 £5,850

Crathie Development Single en-suite room

40 weeks 50 weeks

£120.00 £117.00

£4,800 £5,850

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UNIHOMES ACCOMMODATION Location

Lease Length

Weekly Price

Total Price

Craigievar Development One bedroom flat ** single occupancy

50 weeks

£170

£8,500

Craigievar Development One bedroom flat ** twin/double occupancy

50 weeks

£90

£4,500

Craigievar Crescent Single room

50 weeks

£94

£4,700

Craigievar Crescent Twin room

50 weeks

£62.50

£3,125

Dee View Single standard room

50 weeks

£87.50

£4,375

Dee View Twin standard room

50 weeks

£62.50

£3,125

Dee View Twin en-suite room

50 weeks

£72.50

£3,625

East Lodge/West Lodge Single standard room

50 weeks

£100

£5,000

58 Schoolhill Single standard room

50 weeks

£100

£5,000

East Lodge Norwood Hall Single standard room

50 weeks

£115

£5,750

East Lodge Norwood Hall Single en-suite room

50 weeks

£125

£6,250

137 Garthdee Road Large single standard Medium single standard Twin/double standard

50 weeks 50 weeks 50 weeks

£115 £95 £90

£5,750.00 £4,750.00 £4,500.00

89 Craigievar Crescent Single standard Twin standard

50 weeks 50 weeks

£94 £62.50

£4,700.00 £3,125.00

204 Morrison Drive Single standard

50 weeks

£94

£4,700.00

80 Garthdee Road Single standard

50 weeks

£94

£4,700.00

461 Great Western Road Single standard Twin standard Twin standard plus *

50 weeks 50 weeks 50 weeks

£94 £62.50 £67.50

£4,700.00 £3,125.00 £3,375.00

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* Twin plus is a twin room with individual sleeping rooms accessed by a joining door. ** Please note that the cost of utilities at Craigievar Development is not included in the rent. In addition to the above costs, a non refundable registration/reservation fee of £120 is payable for all accommodation payable when accepting an offer of accommodation. Payment Options

The following payment options are available – • in full on acceptance of the offer of accommodation • 8 monthly instalments – October to May • 3 instalments for 40 week leases – October, January and April • 4 instalments for 50 week leases – October, January, April and June Further details regarding accommodation can be obtained at www.rgu.ac.uk/accommodation T: +44 (0)1224 262129/2131 Email: accommodation@rgu.ac.uk

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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES The Disability & Dyslexia Service provides individual students with arrangements to suit their specific needs and to ensure that they receive the necessary support. Students receive advice on the kind of support that will benefit them during their time at University. Arrangements can also be made for students with mobility difficulties who may need to travel between sites.

Disabled Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Allowance (DSA)

DSA is designed to meet any additional study-related costs that may arise for disabled students. DSA is not income-assessed, but needs assessed. Before you can apply for DSA, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) or your education authority will require an Assessment of Needs report and evidence of your impairment or specific learning difficulty. An Assessment of Needs will cover all aspects of your University studies and make recommendations to remove any barriers to your learning. The Service is validated by the Scottish Government to undertake these assessments. For more information regarding support for students with disabilities, contact our Disability & Dyslexia Service: Tel: +44 (0)1224 262103 Email: disability@rgu.ac.uk www.rgu.ac.uk/studentservices/disability

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CHILDCARE SUPPORT Childcare Fund

The Childcare Fund is available to ‘home’ UK students on full-time undergraduate courses to help towards the cost of registered or formal childcare – formal childcare includes childminders, after school clubs, day care, sitter services and providers of pre-school and education. EU students and students studying Nursing and Midwifery courses are not eligible for assistance from this Fund. Students on AHP courses and students who are not eligible for the payment of their tuition fees are not eligible but may be considered for a Childcare Allowance for registered or formal childcare – a maximum of £1,215 is available. Consideration for assistance for additional childcare costs can be considered from the Discretionary Fund. Awards are discretionary and are based on personal and financial circumstances. Not all students who are eligible to apply for support from this Fund will be assisted as the Fund is limited. Students who are successful will have their award paid in monthly instalments throughout the academic year. In most cases

payment will be made direct to the childcare provider. Payments made are additional to any loan entitlement and students must apply for their full loan entitlement before assistance is given from the Fund. Application for assistance from this Fund should be made directly to the University. Further details and application forms are available from the University Info Zone, from Student Finance, or email studentfinance@rgu.ac.uk Scottish students who are widowed, divorced, separated or single with at least one dependant child may be eligible for the Lone Parents’ Grant from SAAS. Further details can be obtained from the SAAS website at www.saas.gov.uk Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for childcare grants. Details can be obtained from the appropriate student finance website. Students who are eligible for this support are not eligible to apply for assistance from the Childcare Fund. Students with children may also receive support through the Tax Credits. Refer to the Tax Credits section of this leaflet.

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TAX CREDITS

TEMPORARY LOANS

Students and their families could receive more money through the tax credits. Students with children are entitled to claim Child Tax Credit which the Inland Revenue will pay to those who are responsible for at least one child, whether or not they are in paid work. Students who work more than 16 hours a week could also be eligible for Working Tax Credit. Extra help is also available to those who have a disability or who are caring for children with a disability. Further information on tax credits are available at www.hmrc.gov.uk or by calling the HM Revenue and Customs helpline on 0345 300 3900.

Temporary loans are available for students who are in financial difficulty at the beginning of the session due to a delay in their student loan and/or maintenance awards. Application is made through Student Finance.

DISCRETIONARY FUND The Discretionary Fund is money allocated to the University to assist students in financial difficulty to continue their studies. Before applying to the fund, students must have taken out their full student loan entitlement. All â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; students, undergraduate and postgraduate, full and part time, are eligible to apply. Further details from Student Finance. EMERGENCY LOAN FUND The University operates a temporary, interest-free loan service to all full-time students. Students can borrow small amounts from the Fund which must be repaid within an agreed period of time. Application is made through Student Finance.

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SCHOLARSHIPS At RGU we recognise that being a student can be expensive. That’s why we offer a range of scholarships. Winning a scholarship can be an great way of boosting your income, leaving you free to concentrate on your studies. It’s also an excellent way to gain practical experience through the industry mentoring and placement opportunities which many of our corporate scholarships offer.

Below we have detailed some of the scholarships that we offer. Scholarships open to students in any year of study: RGU: SPORT offers a number of Sports Scholarships to promising sports men and women to support them in developing their talents and succeeding in their chosen sporting field whilst undertaking academic study. Financial assistance is awarded to support travel, training, equipment and competition expenses. Further details can be obtained at www.rgu.ac.uk/rgusport Scholarships open to Year 1 students: • Talisman Engineering Scholarship • Talisman Management Scholarship • Technip Engineering Scholarship • Wood Group Engineering Scholarship Scholarships open to Year 2 students: • AMEC Scholarship • Bureau Veritas Scholarship • Petrofac Business Scholarship • Petrofac Engineering Scholarship • Sparrows Offshore Scholarship • Technip Surveying Scholarship • Kongsberg Maritime Scholarship • Total Computing Scholarship

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Scholarships open to Year 3 students: • KCA Deutag Business Scholarship • KCA Deutag Engineering Scholarship • FMC Technologies Engineering Scholarship • The Fiona Fuller Business Scholarship (sponsored by Atkins) • Sparrows Offshore Scholarship • Total Scholarship • Zenith Engineering Scholarship Further details on all our scholarships are available on our website at www.rgu.ac.uk/scholarships

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ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FUNDING FAMILY ACTION

HORIZONS EDUCATION FUND

Family Action offers a range of services providing information on funding. They specialise in funding from charitable trusts and maintain a database of trusts and charities that assist students. They also administer over 30 educational trusts themselves, giving small grants to students who study at institutions that are affiliated to their service – Robert Gordon University is an affiliated member. To find out if you are eligible for any of these or another grant making trust you can do an educational grant search at www.family-action.org.uk/ educationalgrantssearch

This fund is available to lone parents living in the UK on a low income with sole responsibility for dependent children. Applicants must be British citizens or have refugee status, indefinite leave to remain, discretionary leave to remain or have been granted humanitarian protection. Grants are awarded to help with expenses associated with a course of education or training, such as fees, books, equipment, travel and childcare. Each applicant’s circumstances are assessed individually. The amount of the grant should be between minimum £500 to a maximum of £1,000 per year.

THE SUTHERLAND PAGE TRUST Open to full time students who have successfully completed the first year of their course. Eligible courses include Medicine, Law, Arts, Divinity or Science. Only students who were born in Scotland, or who have at least one parent born in Scotland, or who have been resident in Scotland for at least three continuous years prior to entry to a Scottish university are eligible to apply. Applications are normally available early October with a closing date in November. Forms can be obtained from the Student Info Zone.

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Application is normally made in October. Further details available at: www.yourhorizons.com/education-advicefor-lone-parents

CARNEGIE TRUST Fee Assistance Students attending or accepted for a first degree course at a Scottish university, who were born in Scotland or who have a parent born in Scotland or who have at least three years of secondary education in Scotland, and whose fees are not being paid by any other body, may apply for assistance with fees. To be eligible they must also demonstrate that they would suffer hardship if assistance was not given. No other form of assistance is available and applicants must satisfy the Trustees that they could support themselves or be supported if assistance were given. Assistance will not be given with fees for postgraduate study. Applications will be considered between 1st April and 1st October in the year of commencement of study. Further information available at www.carnegie-trust.org

THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN SCHOOLS TRUST The Royal Caledonian Schools Trust can assist the children of a Scot who has served or is serving in the Armed Forces. Assistance can be given for living costs, books and equipment and additional fees. Further details are available at their website at www.rcst.org.uk ENHANCED LEARNING CREDITS ADMINISTRATION SERVICES (ELCAS) The MoD’s Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELC) is an initiative to promote lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. The ELC scheme provides financial support in the form of a single up-front payment in each of a maximum of three separate financial years. Further information is available at www.enhancedlearningcredits.com

LEVERHULME TRADE CHARITIES TRUST The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust offer bursaries to students who have an immediate family member who is/was a commercial traveller, chemist or grocer. Funds are for maintenance, tuition fees, travel, study materials, accommodation, childcare costs, etc. Students should be undertaking a first degree course in the UK. Further details are available at their website at www.leverhulme-trade.org.uk

TRUST FUNDS

The following websites may be useful:• www.family-action.org.uk • www.scholarship-search.org.uk • www.support4learning.org.uk • www.acf.org.uk

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WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE ENROLMENT When you start at University you want things to go as smoothly as possible. These notes will help you make sure you are fully prepared for the financial aspects of your enrolment at University.

• If you wish to apply for assistance with tuition fees from SAAS or your education authority, or if you need a student loan or are eligible for a bursary - APPLY NOW. • If you have to pay some or all of your tuition fees and want to set up an instalment plan, you can do this as part of the online enrolment process. • If, when you enrol, you have yet to receive confirmation from SAAS, your education authority or other funding body of the amount you are due to pay in fees, you will still be allowed to enrol. No payment is required at enrolment if your contribution has not been confirmed. If however, later in the session SAAS, your education authority or other funding body have not confirmed your tuition fees are to be paid by them, you will be liable for the amount due. NOTES: At enrolment you will be asked to confirm how your tuition fees are being paid, whether or not this has been confirmed, i.e. SAAS/education authority funded, self-funded or part self-funded. It is essential that you are aware of these facts before you enrol. Scottish students will receive an Award Notice from SAAS which states that they should take this to the University - we do not require to see this unless we ask for it.

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CONTACTS Student support enquiries For loans, bursaries, funds, etc Student Finance T: (0)1224 262127/6 studentfinance@rgu.ac.uk www.rgu.ac.uk/studentfinance Course fee enquiries For payment of tuition fees/instalment options Student Finance T: (0)1224 262664 studentfinance@rgu.ac.uk www.rgu.ac.uk/studentfinance Student Accommodation Service T: (0)1224 262129/2131 accommodation@rgu.ac.uk www.rgu.ac.uk/accommodation Disability & Dyslexia Service T: (0)1224 262103 disability@rgu.ac.uk www.rgu.ac.uk/studentservices/disability Student Info Zone Refer to www.rgu.ac.uk for contact details. Scottish and EU students can obtain further information on funding available from: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) Gyleview House 3 Redheughs Rigg Edinburgh EH12 9HH T: 0300 555 0505 www.saas.gov.uk

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CONTACTS Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland should contact the appropriate education authority or visit one of the following websites: Students from England www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance T: 0845 300 5090 Students from Wales www.studentfinancewales.co.uk T: 0845 602 8845 Students from Northern Ireland www.studentfinanceni.co.uk T: 0845 600 0662 The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers the payments of loans and is responsible for keeping details of your account, sending annual statements and answering questions about your loan. If you have any queries about your individual loan account, you should contact them directly: Student Loans Company 100 Bothwell Street Glasgow G2 7JD T: 0845 026 2019 www.slc.co.uk This brochure was produced by Student Finance to assist students in session 2012-2013. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information is correct, the University cannot accept any liability for changes in legislation or regulations made after the date of going to print or indeed any inaccuracies or errors in the leaflet.

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