Coming to Brighton through Clearing? Here’s your funding ‘to do’ list

If you are thinking about applying to Brighton through Clearing or you have already accepted an offer, 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 rain.

Here are the answers to our frequently asked Clearing questions:

Is it too late to apply for Student Funding?

No, but you must act quickly. Standard assessments take approximately 6 weeks to process but may take longer this year. There are longer delays for more complex applications, for instance if you have children. Term starts on Monday 27th September for most undergraduate courses so the clock is ticking. If you are planning to pay your tuition fees yourself (or through a sponsor or 3rd party) you will need to contact our Income Team  to make a formal arrangement to pay.

How to 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 studying Nursing, Midwifery or another 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  SAY NO!  The Training Grant is not a bursary.

Students from EU with pre-settled status (PSS)

You will be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan only. You must download an application form EU21N because you cannot apply online.

If you are living and working in the UK as a Migrant Worker you may be eligible for the same funding as a student with settled status.  Student Finance will generally request a Contract of Employment and/or confirmation from your employer’s HR department that the contract accurately represents the hours and terms on which you work, your P60 if applicable and your last 3 months payslips.

Any problems, please don’t hesitate contact us in the Student Advice Service here at Brighton as we can help you with this.

Students from EU with settled status (SS)

You will be eligible to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan. You will be able to apply 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.

Students who have already applied for funding but need to change 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 before the start of the course. To do this you need your email address or customer reference number, password and secret answer. You can reset your password easily if you have forgotten it – it is always worthwhile changing your password to something safe, but memorable.

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

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

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.

What else might you be eligible for?

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. For those students with dependants there can be extra help from Student Finance which comes in the form of ‘supplementary grants’. Anything not called a loan does not need to be repaid.

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit and/or PIP, please contact us in the Student Advice Service as there may be changes to your benefit entitlement once you become a student.

£5K Training Grant for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

The Training Grant for nursing and healthcare students is a £5K non-repayable grant. There are further grants 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.

What 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 is the Maintenance Loan paid?

Once your application has been approved, your National Insurance number verified and you have completed enrolment, we tell Student Finance that you are here once your course has started. This takes 3-4 working days from the first day of term, so you do need to wait a few days to get the first payment of Maintenance Loan paid into your chosen account.

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

Thereafter, further instalments are paid at the start of term 2 and 3.

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

What happens if funding is delayed?

Things usually run smoothly, but it is always 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. 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 us in the Student Advice Service and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question, so do ask us.

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

Check out our pages for help and information about coming to uni through Clearing – you’ll find lots of useful advice.

See you in September!

Student Advice Service