Student Grants Explained
What is a 'Student Grant'?
A student grant is money that the government will give you as a student to pay for living costs whilst you're studying such as rent, food, and so on. It's not something you usually have to pay back, but the amount you get is normally dependent on how much your family income is; so how much your parents earn, or how much you or your partner earn.
What is a 'Maintenance Special Support Grant'?
In the English undergraduate system there are two types of main grant that you can receive. One, which the majority of students will receive, is called the maintenance grant, and simply it is an amount of money that the government will give you, up to 2,765 pounds in the 2007/8 academic year for new students, that you will get to pay for your living costs, and the amount you get is dependent on your family income. The special support grant's a similar grant that's given to students who can claim means-tested benefits. Most students can't claim means-tested benefits, but lone parents, some disabled students and some others can claim means-tested benifits. And basically, the special support grant is more or less identical to the maintenance grant except that it isn't taken into account when making a benefits claim so that it doesn't reduce the amount of money that you get from benefits.
Is funding different in different parts of the UK?
Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland all have different systems of student support for higher education students, and although some similarities exist, a lot of them will be different, in terms of how much money you can receive and what you'll get for going to other parts of the UK. So, the best thing for most students to do is to have a look at the website for the appropriate awarding body for that part of the UK and see what is available there.
Who is eligible for a grant?
Grants have certain eligibility criteria, which you'll need to meet in order to be able to receive a grant. One of them is residency, so it will depend on your residency status within the UK and how long you've been living here; if you've lived abroad at all in the recent past or not. It's a very complicated area. So, the best thing to do if you're uncertain is to go to the website which is called Ukcosa, which deal with international students and are very good at looking at residency conditions and whether or not these affect you in you're eligibility for a grant. It will also be effective if you've previously studied for higher education. If, you've received funding before this may affect the funding that you can get again. And again, it's a complicated area so you should check out with the local education authorithy or another appropriate awarding body to see what eligibility you have. But, that's the two main types of eligibility and also obviously, you need to be doing a course that will attract that sort of grant. So again, that's something to check with the awarding body.
What are the different types of grant available?
There are lots of different types of grants available and it will partly depend on where you're studying, where you live and what sort of course you're doing as to what sort of grant you will get. The best thing to do, again, is to look at the funding bodies' websites for a list of those grants. In an English undergraduate system there are two main types of grants, which are the Maintenance grant and the Special Support grant. They operate on a similar basis but the Special Support grant goes to students who have means tested benefit eligibility, which is mainly low pittance, students with disabilities and some others. Again, the thing to do is to check out those websites and you can see what's available.
Do I have to pay a grant back?
You don't have to pay a grant back as it is money that the government gives to you to help you with your studies. However, you will have to repay a student loan.
Can I receive a grant and apply for a student loan?
You can recieve both a grand and a student loan. You normally apply for these on the same form and the person that looks at your form decides what you are entitled to and will send you a letter back saying; "This is what you're eligible for in terms of a grant and in terms of a loan." It is then up to you if you want to take out the loan or not.
Who pays student grants?
Money that you receive in student grants will usually come from the student loan's company or from another funding body depending on where you're studying in the U.K. It will be put directly into your bank in monthly installments.
How is a grant paid?
A grant is normally payed directly into your bank account in few-month installments over the year.
How much can I receive?
This depends on where you're studying and what type of course you're doing. The maximum amount for English undergraduates wanting maintenance grants, for example, is £2,765.
