Queen Mary, University of London The access to learning fund 2011 ...

ContentsSection One: What is the fund for? 2• Tuition fees• How your application is assessed• Who can apply• Short term loans from the Accessto Learning Fund• Students entitled to claim socialsecurity benefits• Information on how yourapplication will be processedSection Two: How to apply 6• Application deadlines• Supporting evidence• Timetable for making a decision• How to appeal• Budgeting tipsThe information given in this brochure is correct at the time of goingto press. The College reserves the right to modify or cancel anystatement in it and accepts no responsibility for the consequences ofany such changes. Any section of this publication is available uponrequest in accessible formats (large print, audio, etc.). For furtherinformation and assistance, please contact: DiversitySpecialist, hr-equality@qmul.ac.uk, 020 7882 5585

Section One: What is the fund for?The aim of the Fund is to support vulnerablestudents, in particular to help them access andremain in higher education. It is used:• to assist those who need extra financial help tomeet particular costs which are not being metfrom statutory (or other) sources of funding• to help if students are in financial hardship• to provide emergency payments for unexpectedcrises• to intervene in cases where a student may beconsidering leaving Queen Mary because offinancial problems.Tuition FeesThe Fund cannot help you to pay any tuition feesyou are liable for. However you can still apply tothe fund as there might be other costs that youcan get help with.How your applicationis assessedYou are expected to have accessed all supportavailable to you before applying to the Fundincluding requesting your full student loanentitlement and making use of any overdraftfacilities available to you.Your application will be treated either as a‘standard’ claim or a ‘non standard’ claim orboth. We will assess ‘standard’ applicationsunder an ‘additional need’ method that looksat the difference between your acceptedreasonable expenditure and your expectedincome. If you have unforeseen circumstancesyour application can then also be consideredunder a ‘non standard’ assessment.The assessment process for ‘standard’ and ‘nonstandard’ awards is designed to identify studentswho have particular financial needs and thosewho are in unforeseen financial difficulty. Thisshould result in most of the available fundingbeing directed towards students with a lowincome and those who have exceptionallyhigh course-related costs.Who can apply?EligibilityThe Access to Learning Fund is for students whoare eligible for UK government financial supportfor living costs. Eligibility for this depends on thestatus and duration of your residency in the UK orEEA. If you need further information on theresidency rules please speak to a Welfare Adviserin the Advice and Counselling Service.International students and EU students who areonly eligible for tuition fee support cannot applyto the Access to Learning Fund.02 Queen Mary, University of London

Section One: What is the fund for? (cont)Short term loans from theAccess to Learning FundIf you have not yet received your maintenanceloan payment from the Student Loans Companyat the start of term, because you have not yetreceived your financial assessment from StudentFinance Direct, you can apply for an interimloan from the Access to Learning Fund.We expect you to repay this loan when yourfirst maintenance loan instalment arrives.You should write 'short term loan' on theapplication form in Part 9 Non-standardAwards if you are applying for a short term loan.Students entitled to claimWelfare benefitsApplicants are advised that payments from theAccess to Learning Fund are unlikely to affectyour benefit payments. Students who receivehelp from the Fund can request a letter fromLesley Green in the Bursaries, Grants andScholarships Office to present to their localJobCentre Plus/Housing Benefit/Local HousingAllowance office to help them in claiming benefitsif required.If you are claiming or think you may be entitled toWelfare Benefits, you may find it useful to makean appointment to see a Welfare Adviser. Youcan make an appointment by calling in personat the Advice and Counselling Service (GroundFloor, Geography Building or by visiting thewebsite www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk or by phoning020 7882 8717.How your applicationis processedQueen Mary administers the Access to LearningFund on behalf of the Government and assessesapplications according to national guidelines asfollows:Standard awardsA standard award can help to meet general costsassociated with being a student such as livingcosts like accommodation, food and utility billsand with course-related costs such as childcare,travel and books.For full time undergraduate students beingassessed for a standard award there is anassumed income, set at a realistic level: £1694per year for full year students and £565 per yearfor final year students. This assumes incomefrom a number of sources including part timework, additional support from your parents orpartner, bank overdraft, savings etc.For full time postgraduate students a weeklynotional postgraduate income amount is usedin standard assessments. This is set at £194per week. For students with children or who areunable to work due to disability the amount is£161 per week.04 Queen Mary, University of London

There is also a set expenditure level, known asComposite Living Costs, (CLC) based on statebenefit amounts for general living costs such asfood and usual household costs such as utilitybills. The relevant amount will be set dependingon your circumstances. CLC for 2011/12 are asbelow:• Single student £107 per week• Student with partner £147 per week• Lone parent £107 per week plus £64 foreach child.Non-standard awardsIf you have exceptional or unforeseen costs andyou are in financial hardship as a result of thesecosts then you may be eligible for a non-standardaward. Some examples of non-standard awardsare as follows:• repairs to essential household equipment• prescription costs for students on continuingmedication• help with priority debts• emergency situations such as travel costs dueto family illness or bereavement• being refused a student account with anoverdraft facility• set up costs if re-housed in unfurnishedaccommodation• set up costs for students expecting a baby forthe first time• students who are out of attendance but whoneed to retake exams• Students who are eligible for benefits over thesummer vacation can apply for help to covercosts during the first three weeks of Septemberwhen waiting for their student loan payment.These are only examples; if you feel yourcircumstances are exceptional you should apply.If you would like advice about how to presentyour application, contact the Advice andCounselling Service (Ground Floor, GeographyBuilding) or by phoning 020 7882 8717 or byvisiting the website www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk.Queen Mary, University of London 05

Section Two: How to applyIf you think you might need to apply for help fromthe Fund we recommend that you apply as earlyas possible; you don't need to wait until you haverun out of money. If your circumstances changeafter you have submitted an application you canreapply to the Fund. Application forms areavailable from:• Bursaries, Grants and Scholarships office,room CB2, Queens Building at Mile End or canbe downloaded from our website:www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/bursaries/alf.html• Advice and Counselling Service, Ground Floor,Geography Building at Mile End,www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk• Students' Union in the Blomeley Centre, MileEnd Campus• Student Office at WhitechapelIf you are unable to come in to College pleaseemail bursaries@qmul.ac.uk or telephone 0207882 5079 and ask for an application form to beposted out to you.If you have special or unusual circumstances youmay find it helpful to see a Welfare Adviser beforesubmitting your application. You can make anappointment in person at the Advice andCounselling Service (Ground Floor, GeographyBuilding) or by telephoning 020 7882 8717 or byvisiting the website www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk.Alternatively, you may contact the Students'Union in the Blomeley Centre.Application DeadlinesApplications for standard awards should besubmitted by 4 May 2012. Applications for nonstandardawards should normally be submitted atleast four weeks before the end of your academicyear but if you are a continuing student you canapply until 13 July 2012.Supporting evidenceYou will need to provide supporting evidencewith your application. We do not want originals –legible photocopies are fine. If for any reasonwe do need to see original documents, theAdministrator will contact you. Applications that donot have the correct supporting evidence cannotbe processed. We will return these forms to you,which will delay your application. The guidancenotes on the application form will tell you whatdocuments we need to see. We do ask to see bankstatements for all accounts covering the previous 3months, so if you think you may need to apply forhelp from the Fund, it is a good idea to keep these.Don’t worry if you have not got them, as your bankshould be able to give you duplicate copies.Timetable for makinga decisionProvided you have completed your applicationform accurately and you have suppliedappropriate documentary evidence, we willmake an assessment and decision within fourworking weeks of submission. If your applicationis complete and has been received in theBursaries, Grants and Scholarships office byThursday afternoon then you will usually have adecision via e-mail the following week after theALF committee meeting on Tuesday. You shouldnormally expect to receive a payment within fourweeks. However in some cases we may need todefer your initial payment beyond four weeks todeal with a particular circumstance. If thisapplies, we will let you know in advance.If you are requesting an emergency loan or othershort-term help, your application should beprocessed and paid within one working week.Depending on your situation, it may be processedand paid within 24 hours.06 Queen Mary, University of London

How to appealIf you are not satisfied with the decision andwould like your application to be reconsidered onthe basis that you have further information whichyou did not disclose with your original applicationyou may do so by writing to Lesley Green,Assistant Academic Registrar, Bursaries, Grantsand Scholarships Office, within fourteen days ofthe date of the letter. Your application will then bereconsidered by the Access to Learning FundCommittee and you will be notified of theoutcome by letter. If you have no furtherinformation to disclose and wish to appealagainst the decision you may do so by writing tothe Senior Assistant Registrar, Academic Registry& Council Secretariat, Queen Mary, University ofLondon, London E1 4NS within fourteen days ofthe date of this letter. Information on the groundsfor appeal is set out in paragraph 2.122 xi of theCollege Appeal Regulations which can be foundat the following link:www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy_zone/academic/college_appeal_regulations_2010_11.pdfBudgeting tipsManaging your finances as a student is veryimportant. If you need advice about increasingyour income and planning a budget please see aWelfare Adviser. You can make an appointmentby calling in person at the Advice andCounselling Service (Ground Floor, GeographyBuilding) or by phoning 020 7882 8717 orvisiting the website at www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk.• Spend time planning and prepare a budget.Leaflets on planning a budget are availablefrom the Advice and Counselling Servicewww.welfare.qmul.ac.uk.• Be realistic when you list your income andessential expenditure.• Keep a record of everything you spend – thishelps identify regular and occasional spendingpatterns.• Consider setting up standing orders and directdebits – they can help you plan and makeconsistent regular payments to all the placesyou need to without worrying about missingpayment dates.• Plan for extra expenditure such as start of yearcosts, special occasions, family birthdays etc.• If you need to borrow money, use only interestfree overdraft facilities.• Get a student bank account if you have notalready got one. Keep your bank statements,and check through them as they arrive.• Try to shop in large supermarkets or localmarkets rather than more expensiveconvenience stores.• Join NUS and take advantage of the discountsavailable to students.• Try to be economical with utility services, suchas heating, electricity and mobile phones toavoid running up large bills.• Apply for a Student Oyster photocard fromStudent Administration, CB05 in QueensBuilding or online at www.tfl.gov.uk.This entitles you to a discount whenyou use London Transport.Queen Mary, University of London 07

Notes08 Queen Mary, University of London

This guide has been produced by the Publicationsand Web Office for the Bursaries, Grantsand Scholarships Office – Pub4672For further information contact:Bursaries, Grants and Scholarships OfficeRoom CB2, Queens BuildingQueen Mary, University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSTel: +44 (0)20 7882 5079Fax: +44 (0)20 7882 7810email: bursaries@qmul.ac.ukwww.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/bursaries