This document is also available in pdf format (780k)
This information sheet explains the fee and living costs arrangements for new students who normally live in Scotland and who are planning to study full-time elsewhere in the UK.
Tuition Fees
From September 2006 universities and colleges in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will have different arrangements for charging fees than Scotland.
Wales have introduced a flat fee, whereas in England and Northern Ireland the fees are variable, so you may pay less than the maximum shown in the table below:
Where in the UK | 2006-07 |
|---|
Wales | £1,200 |
|---|
England | £3,000 |
|---|
Northern Ireland | £3,000 |
|---|
Full-time new Scottish students studying in England, Wales or Northern Ireland:
- you can apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland ( SAAS) for a loan to cover the costs of fees at institutions in the rest of the UK
- your loan of up to £3,000 a year, is not means tested and is available regardless of income
- you repay your loan only after you finish your course and start earning over £15,000 per year.
Living Costs
Eligible students studying in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are entitled to a student loan which is income assessed. This means that the amount of loan will depend on your own 'unearned' income and your parents or husband, wife or civil partner's income.
Student Loan 2006-07
Students living | Minimum loan | Maximum loan - for dependant students with household income less than £22,560 | Maximum loan - forindependent students withhousehold income lessthan £19,183 |
|---|
Elsewhere | £850 | £4,300 | £4,300 |
|---|
London | £850 | £5,305 | £5,305 |
|---|
An additional loan of up to £560 is available to young students from families with an income below £20,225.
Part of the loan may be replaced by
A non-repayable income assessed bursary. New students will get a bursary of up to £2,000 per year if your household income is £17,940 or less and there are smaller bursary amounts for those with incomes up to £31,775.
The table below shows the approximate amounts for various income groups for 2006-07 based on the living outside London rate.
Annual parental income | Bursary | Loan | Total amount |
|---|
£15,000 | £2,000 | £2,860 | £4,860 |
|---|
£20,000 | £1,705 | £2,656 | £4,361 |
|---|
£30,000 | £277 | £3,151 | £3,428 |
|---|
£40,000 | £0 | £2,317 | £2,317 |
|---|
£55,000 | £0 | £850 | £850 |
|---|
To get an estimate of how much loan and bursary you can get use the calculator on the SAAS website at http://www.saas.gov.uk/services/enquiries/suppCalc.jsp
In addition, Scottish students are also eligible to apply for the new bursaries being offered by universities and colleges in England and Northern Ireland.
The minimum amount of bursary support is £300, however, all institutions charging £3,000 per year in fees are offering more than the minimum requirement. A typical bursary for a student on full state support is around £1,000 per year. The range of bursaries on offer is from £300 to £3,000.
For more information on these bursaries contact your chosen institution, or view their Access Agreement at: http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/student_finance/ 2006_onwards/bursaries_2006_.cfm
Allied Health Professions ( AHPs)
If you are a Scottish domiciled student taking a degree course in one of the Allied Health Professions in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the support available to you depends on whether you have secured a Department of Health bursary. For the Health bursary and tuition fees, you must apply to the appropriate funding body. These are shown below. You must apply to SAAS for the other living costs support, non-income assessed student loan and supplementary grants.
England NHS Student Grants Unit
22 Plymouth Road
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 7JS | Wales Education Purchasing Unit
National Assembly for Wales
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
| Northern Ireland The Education and Library Board for the area your institution
is in |
Student Loan and Health Department Bursary for 2006-07
Students living | Bursary | Loan | Total amount |
|---|
Elsewhere | £2,280 | £2,105 | £4,385 |
|---|
London | £2,810 | £2,605 | £5,415 |
|---|
Scottish students who do not secure a place with a Department of Health bursary on a course in England and Wales will be entitled to the standard support arrangements for students studying outside Scotland.
Travel Expenses
You can apply for help with the cost of daily travel to your college or university. If you are living away from home, you may claim three return journeys each session to and from your term-time residence, in addition to term-time travel to and from your institution. There is a maximum amount payable to eligible students.
Supplementary Grants
Some students will be entitled to extra help through non-repayable supplementary grants. All these are income assessed except Disabled Students' Allowance.
- Dependants' Grant of up to £2,455 if you have responsibility for a dependent adult.
- Lone Parent's Grant of £1,210 if you are a lone parent student; and
- Lone Parent's Childcare Grant of up to £1,130 if you need extra help with your formal childcare costs.
- Students Leaving Care - this grant of £100 helps students who were previously in care with accommodation costs in the long vacation.
- Disabled Students' Allowance - if you have a disability or learning difficulty you may claim for certain expenses which arise because you are on a course.
Hardship Funds
If you get into financial difficulties while studying, or you find yourself facing extra costs in completing your course, or need financial help with childcare, then you may be able to get help from your university or college. These funds are known as Access to Learning Funds at institutions in England, Financial Contingency Funds in Wales and Support Funds in Northern Ireland. Your institution is responsible for deciding who gets help and how much.
You must apply for your fees, loan, supplementary grants and bursary through SAAS. If you have any questions about your eligibility or about payment of fees, bursaries and supplementary grants, please contact SAAS on 0845 111 1711 or e-mail saas.geu@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Repaying your Loan
You start repaying your student loan in the April after you have completed or left your course. The amount you repay is linked to your income. You do not have to repay anything if your income is £15,000 or less.
Over the £15,000 threshold level your repayments will rise and fall in line with your income. Examples of repayment are detailed below.
Your annual gross income | Income over £15,000 | Annual repayments | Monthly repayments | Weekly repayments |
|---|
£15,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
|---|
£17,000 | £2,000 | £180 | £15.00 | £3.46 |
|---|
£20,000 | £5,000 | £450 | £37.50 | £8.65 |
|---|
£22,000 | £7,000 | £630 | £52.50 | £12.12 |
|---|
£25,000 | £10,000 | £900 | £75.00 | £17.31 |
|---|
How to Repay Your Loan?
The Student Loan Company ( SLC) works with HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC) to collect repayments. They will be deducted at source by your employer and shown on your pay statement. Repayments will be collected from self-employed people through HMRC self-assessment system. SLC will make alternative arrangements to collect repayments direct from borrowers who are outside the UK tax system.
Student loans do not attract the same rates of interest that you would be charged if you were to take out a loan from a bank or building society. Interest on the amount of student loan owed will be linked to inflation - in line with the Retail Price Index ( RPI) - so the value of the loan when you pay it back will be the same in real terms as when you borrowed it.