Student Advice Service – Money Matters

News from the Student Advice Service at the University of Brighton

Applying for student finance – advice for new students

September may be a long time off and you might not yet know what you’re going to be doing, but if coming to university is still on the cards, you should start your funding application as soon as possible.

How do you apply for funding?

It is easy and safe to apply online for your funding.  You need to register your account and submit your application by 22nd May, to give Student Finance enough time to process your application so that you will receive your first payment of Maintenance Loan promptly after we have confirmed your enrolment. The application portal can be a bit intermittent at the moment, so please be patient and try applying at less busy times, such as in the evening.

When you create your account, you will be asked to enter a password and a secret answer to a limited choice of questions. Try to make these memorable but don’t worry too much as you can change your password at a later date,  but please don’t write them down or share them with anyone, not even close friends or family.

What about COVID-19?

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has raised many questions for prospective students and the Student Loans Company has responded by making reassuring announcements on how student loans will be impacted, if at all. Please take the time to read the latest information from Student Finance as it is possible your questions will  be answered.

You can also keep up to date with Student Finance through gov.uk and all the Student Finance social media including vlogs, facebook and twitter.

What about student bank accounts?

If you are a new student we advise you to open a student bank account so Student Finance can pay your Maintenance Loan into this. You should choose one suitable for you or see what other banks are offering.

You should do your own research but two of the best places to look are Save the Student and also MoneySavingExpert as both regularly review the different financial products available and you can compare one account with another.

Are your parents supporting your application? 

If your application is going to be based on your parents’ household income, they will need to ‘support your application’ by providing their income details for the financial year April 2018 – April 2019. They can do this online as you will be asked for their contact details, or they can print the PFF2 application for for 2020/2021 and apply on the paper form.

Are you applying as an independent student?

This means that you are not applying for your funding to based on your parents’ income. There could be different reasons for this and the Student Advisers here at Brighton can help with any of your questions, so please email us in the first instance: studentadvice@brighton.ac.uk.

Have you got any questions about funding?

Student Finance is open for business and processing applications normally, but it may take longer to get through on the phone lines, so if you have got any questions about your funding or the application process, please email us in the first instance as we can probably answer most of your questions or send you any forms or information you might need.

We know that the process can be quite confusing for parents as well, so if your parents have got any questions about the process, they can contact us at the usual email address. We can provide a call back if you’d rather talk to us, but we are unable to accept calls at this time due to remote working.

We are open for virtual business every weekday 8.30 – 5pm, but you can submit a question whenever you like and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Best wishes from all the team and look forward to meeting you soon

Student Advice Service

 

 

 

Helen Abrahams • May 12, 2020


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