Coming to Brighton through Clearing? Here are your finance FAQs

Welcome to the University of Brighton Money Matters blog

If you are thinking about applying to Brighton through Clearing and you are eligible to apply for student finance through Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Student Awards Agency Scotland, you do have some things to cross off your ‘to do’ list before you can finally get out there and enjoy the summer.

Here are the answers to our frequently asked Clearing questions:

IS IT TOO LATE TO APPLY FOR STUDENT FUNDING?

No, but you need to act quickly as standard assessments take approximately 6 weeks to process but may take even longer this year. There are longer delays for more complex applications, for instance if you have children. Term starts on Monday 28th September so the clock is ticking. If you are planning to pay your tuition fees yourself (or through a sponsor or 3rd party) you need to make a formal arrangement to pay.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR STUDENT FUNDING?

If you are a UK student, the safest, quickest and easiest way to apply is online through the main Student Finance portal – make sure you apply to the correct country you normally live in, not the country you’ll be studying in. There are links to Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

If you are from the EU, please check Student Finance England for EU students. You must download an application form because you cannot apply online. If you are from the EU but you have been living in the UK for longer than 5 years or you are in the UK as a migrant worker, please contact the Student Advice Service here at Brighton as you may be eligible for the same funding as a UK student.

If you are studying nursing, midwifery or other allied health profession including paramedic science, you can claim additional money from the NHS. When you apply for your Student Finance loans, you will be asked whether you are eligible for an NHS bursary – PLEASE SAY NO!  The new training grant is not a bursary.

 I’VE ALREADY APPLIED FOR FUNDING BUT I NEED TO CHANGE MY COURSE/UNI DETAILS

If you are a UK student and you have already applied for funding, but for a different uni, you need to tell Student Finance. You can change your application very easily through your Student Finance online account. To do this you need your email address or customer reference number, password and secret answer (you may not remember these now, but you will in 3 years time!) You can reset your password if you have forgotten it.

Once you log in, choose the ‘change your application’ option and change your course and uni details. The UCAS code for Brighton is B72.

This can take at least 6 weeks to process, but keep checking your online account every 2 weeks to make sure the change of university has been registered.

If you are an EU student and you need to change your application, you must download and complete an EUCO1 form and send it in the post.

Again, this can take  6 weeks to process so keep checking your online account.

FIND OUT WHAT ELSE YOU’RE ENTITLED TO

Once you have been assessed for student finance there may be additional things you are entitled to depending on your personal and/or financial circumstances. Have a look at our University of Brighton Bursaries information and extra help from student finance which comes in the form of ‘supplementary grants’. Anything not called a loan does not need to be repaid.

£5000 TRAINING GRANT FOR NURSES AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

The new Training Grant for nursing and healthcare students is a £5000 non-repayable grant and there is more grant available if you are a parent, or if you are studying a shortage subject within the healthcare professions.  To apply for this, you must first have applied for and been accepted as eligible for the Tuition Fee loan and Maintenance loan from Student Finance.  Once you have your acceptance to these confirmed, you can apply for the extra grant through the NHS Learning Support Fund.  You can also use this route to claim back some extra travel costs associated with your healthcare placements while you are a student.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT STUDENT BANK ACCOUNTS?

Many banks will let you open a student bank account before you actually start university, which is great as this can help you if you need to find some money to pay for accommodation or other upfront costs before you get here. We signpost students to Money Saving Expert and Save the Student for the most up to date impartial information about student bank accounts.

WHEN DO I GET MY FUNDING?

This is the million dollar question and we can’t give you a definitive answer I’m afraid.

If your application has been approved, your National Insurance number verified and you have enrolled online and in person (at the start of term), you should just have to wait 3-4 working days to get the first payment of Maintenance Loan. This is because we have to tell Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland that you are here before the payments can be released to you. The instalments of Maintenance Loan will be paid to you directly into your chosen bank account.  Information on enrolment will be available soon, so keep an eye on the starting at uni pages of our website.

The Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to the university. This is also paid in 3 instalments, but later in the academic term.

I THINK MY FUNDING MIGHT BE LATE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Things usually run smoothly, but it is best to be prepared for a slight delay once you get to uni. You don’t want to miss out on fun activities and getting involved at the start of term. You should keep checking your online student finance account for any instructions – these will be listed on your home page or within correspondence listed under the tab called ‘Letters and emails’.

If you have got any questions about your funding entitlement or the application and assessment process, please contact the Student Advice Service. We are ready and waiting to answer your questions..

If you are switching your application to the University of Brighton and don’t change the name of the uni in your Student Finance application, then your student funding could be significantly delayed – so make sure you change this information as soon as possible.

To look at our general information for  new students, we have a dedicated New Student area

We have a dedicated section for you to look at for more advice about coming to uni through Clearing.

We look forward to meeting you in September 🙂

The Student Advice Service