FAQ's for Student Finance England

You can find extensive advice on the Government website. For Birmingham City University-specific guidance, please contact our Fees and Funding Team via funding@bcu.ac.uk

Typically, student finance is granted for the first higher education qualification. Exceptions may apply in certain circumstances and for specific courses. Further information can be found on the Government's website:  https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies

New students must apply before your course start date as you will be asked to provide your student support number during enrolment. This number is provided by Student Finance England.  Continuing students are required to submit their applications for the upcoming academic year by their course's start date. Late applications may result in delayed payments.

Maintenance Loan: This loan is intended to help cover living expenses while attending university or college. The amount you receive depends on various factors such as household income, where you live and study, and whether you're living at home or away from home during your studies. Unlike a grant, a maintenance loan must be repaid with interest once you've completed your studies, and your income exceeds a certain. Here is the link about the threshold:

Should you decide to withdraw from your course, you are generally still responsible for repaying their maintenance loans to the Student Loans Company (SLC). However, the specific repayment requirements can vary based on factors such as the timing of the withdrawal and whether the student returns any loan funds they haven't used.

It's important for students to understand the terms and conditions of their loans and to communicate with the appropriate authorities if they are considering leaving their course to ensure they are aware of any financial obligations and repayment arrangements.

Tuition Fee Loan: This loan covers the cost of your tuition fees for the duration of your course. The amount you can borrow typically covers the full cost of tuition fees charged by your university or college. Like the maintenance loan, the tuition fee loan must also be repaid, but repayments are based on your income once you've finished your course and are earning above a certain threshold.

Please contact our Funding team for assistance via funding@bcu.ac.uk

Yes, you must reapply for each academic year, including any repeat years. Yes, you need to apply to Student Finance England for each year of your course, including any repeat years.

To secure enrolment, it's essential to apply for funding prior to the course start date. Failure to do so may result in the University issuing an invoice as a self-funded student. 

Various factors can cause delays, such as late applications, missing evidence, incomplete declarations, or absent National Insurance Numbers.

Ensure you've completed all necessary steps, including application, approval letter reception, official course registration, and accurate personal details. If issues persist, contact us via funding@bcu.ac.uk

Ensure your student finance arrangements are in place. Notify Student Finance England of any changes to course, university, or college.

Attendance means actively taking part in your course's learning activities throughout the academic year. This includes your scheduled classes and other educational opportunities. However, it doesn't include things like freshers' events or social gatherings before classes officially start.

We request attendance confirmation for students at three different points during the academic year, aligning with the term dates provided when registering courses.

Confirmation should occur once a student begins attending classes and becomes liable for tuition fees. For part-time undergraduate and postgraduate Northern Irish students, this means attending for at least two weeks during the first term.

Payment instalments are released accordingly, with tuition fees paid in three stages: 25%, 25%, and 50% post-attendance confirmation.

At the start of each academic year, both undergraduate and postgraduate students need a registration confirmation at the beginning of each academic year. Registration Notification to SLC is carried out daily for newly enrolled students within 30 days of the course start date. This confirmation is crucial because it triggers the release of your maintenance loan, as well as any contribution to cost loans you're entitled too. The Fees and Funding team ensure loan application approval and full enrolment for timely confirmation.

Promptly inform Student Loans Company to adjust the loan amount accordingly.

Please contact our Funding team via funding@bcu.ac.uk for necessary adjustments with Student Loans Company.

Yes, postgraduate loan recipients can opt for three equal instalments aligned with loan disbursements. Please see our Tuition Fee Policy for further information: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/student-contract

Successful applicants will be directly notified by The Student Loans Company once all requirements are completed. Tuition fees are paid directly to the University in instalments.

Please contact BCU Collections Team for assistance. They can be contacted collections@bcu.ac.uk and please quote your student ID number in the e-mail subject header.