undergraduate funding 2014

CONTENTS

Usefulterms 1Tuitionfees 2–3Livingcosts 4–5Scholarships 6ApplyingforOxfordandUKgovernmentsupport 7–8Usefulwebsitesandcontactdetails 9Keypointstoremember 10

This guide contains important information about the costs involved in

studying at Oxford and the support that is available. To ensure that

funding is in place for the start of your course, apply as soon as

possible and don’t wait until you have finished your exams.

Throughout this guide, we might use certain terms that you have not

yet come across. Please refer to the useful terms on page 1 if you

are unsure what something means.

All the information in this guide is also available on our website

www.ox.ac.uk/funding, along with our Any Questions?

tool should you have any queries.

Student Financial Support Team

University of Oxford

congratulations on obtaining an offer

from the University of Oxford!

TheinformationcontainedinthisguideisonlyforstudentsstartingatOxfordin2014.Ifyouareplanningtocommenceyourstudiesafterthisdate,youwillneedtocheckthelatestarrangementswhichwillbeavailablefrom www.ox.ac.uk/funding oncetheyareknown.

Second edition

1

undergraduate funding 2014

EEA (EuropeanEconomicArea)Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and EU countries.ELQ (EquivalentorLowerQualification) Students who have previously studied at undergraduate level and obtained a qualification.EU (EuropeanUnion) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.FEE STATUS Determines whether a student should pay tuition fees at the Home, EU, ELQ, Islands or Overseas rate.FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT / MEANS TESTING The process of calculating household income used by the regional funding agencies. HOUSEHOLD INCOME This is the gross household income of the student and any adults who live in the same house.MAINTENANCE GRANT Non-repayable financial support used to pay for living costs. The level available is dependent on household income.MAINTENANCE LOAN Repayable financial support used to pay for living costs. The level available is dependent on household income.OXFORD BURSARIES An Oxford funded scheme, which provides additional non-repayable financial support to students from lower income households.OXFORD TUITION FEE REDUCTIONS An Oxford funded scheme, which provides tuition fee reductions to students from lower income households.REGIONAL FUNDING AGENCIES The organisations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales that process applications for student support.TUITION FEE LOAN Repayable financial support used to pay for tuition fees.

USEFUL TERMS

PREVIOUS studyHomeandEUstudentswhohavealreadycompletedapreviousundergraduateprogrammeofstudywillbeclassedasanEquivalentorLowerQualification(ELQ)student,andwillnotbeeligibleforanyUKgovernmentorOxfordfinancialsupport.Ifyoudidnotcompleteyourcourse,youmightnotreceivefundingforthefulllengthofyourstudiesatOxford.www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/information/elq

TUITION FEES

The level of tuition fee you will be charged and the support available is determined by your fee status. This is based upon where you usually live, your nationality and, in certain cases, the level of any previous study.

The table below gives a summary of the eligibility requirements for each fee status:

Whereyouusuallylive Yourpassportorvisastatus Yourfeestatus

UKUK national and resident in the UK for at least three years prior to course start. Residence must not have been for the main purpose of receiving full time education.

Home

Rest of EUEU national and resident in the EEA, Switzerland or Overseas Territories for at least three years prior to course start. Residence must not have been for the main purpose of receiving full time education.

EU

Channel Islands or Isle of Man UK national Islands

Outside the EU National from outside the EU Overseas

If you are unsure of your fee status, you can contact fees.clerk@admin.ox.ac.uk to request an assessment from the university. If you wish to receive financial support from the UK government, your fee status will also be automatically assessed by your regional funding agency.

EVIDENCE OF FUNDING

You may be required to provide information about how you will be funding your course to have your place at Oxford confirmed. Your college will contact you if this is required.

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HOME and EU studentsIf you are a Home or EU student, the tuition fee for 2014 will be dependent upon your household income. Tuition fee reductions are available from Oxford for students from the lowest income households, reducing the level of any UK government tuition fee loan taken out.

Householdincome Annualtuitionfeepayablebystudent

£16,000orless £6,000

£16,001–£20,000 £7,000

£20,001–£25,000 £8,000

£25,001+ £9,000

If you do not wish to access a tuition fee loan, you will need to pay the full amount of your fee to your college at the start of each academic year.

ALL OTHER studentsIf you do not have Home or EU fee status, you should be aware that you will not be eligible for any tuition fee support from Oxford or the UK government. You may also be charged a different level of tuition fee and be liable for an additional college fee.

Feestatus Annualtuitionfeepayablebystudent

Annualcollegefeepayablebystudent

ELQ £9,000 £0

Islands £9,000 £6,725

Overseas Between £14,415 and £21,220 £6,725

MEDICAL studentsHome and EU students on the six year medicine course have different tuition fee arrangements in years five and six, as their fees are covered by the NHS. Visit www.ox.ac.uk/funding for more information. Medical students with Islands or Overseas fee status should note that the tuition fees for the clinical years of their course will be considerably higher.

TUITION FEES

TUITION FEE LOANAllHomeandEUstudentscanaccessaloanfromtheUKgovernmentforthefullamountoftheirtuitionfeeanddonotneedtopayanythingupfront.

Please note that there may be a small incremental rise in fees each year

WELSH studentsStudents from Wales are expected to receive a tuition fee grant from the Welsh Assembly reducing their fee to approximately £3,500 regardless of household income.

See pages 7 and 8 for information about applying for tuition fee support

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LIVING COSTS

Living costs will vary significantly dependent on your lifestyle, but in 2014 these are estimated to be between £945 and £1,332 per month. This range is based on a single student with no dependants living in college accommodation (including utility bills). Undergraduates usually need to be in Oxford for around 26 weeks of the year (with three terms of eight weeks each). You may wish to budget over a nine-month period to make sure you have sufficient funds throughout the academic year.

Monthlylivingcosts Totallivingcostsfor9months

Lowerrange Upperrange Lowerrange Upperrange

Food £255 £286 £2,291 £2,570

Accommodation(includingutilities) £464 £596 £4,176 £5,364

Personalitems £115 £234 £1,031 £2,102

Socialactivities £58 £103 £518 £923

Studycosts £34 £71 £302 £635

Other £19 £42 £189 £394

Total £945 £1,332 £8,507 £11,986

ADDITIONAL COSTS

You may need to make additional provision for costs such as a student visa, international travel to and from Oxford, and fieldwork. If you have dependants, you will also need to consider separate costs related to your family.

SUPPORT from OXFORDOxford provides non-repayable bursaries for Home and EU students from lower income households. In addition to helping with living costs, these bursaries enable students to make the most of the many opportunities Oxford has to offer. Students in their first year receive an increased amount to help with the costs of starting university.

Householdincome AnnualOxfordbursary AdditionalOxfordbursaryinyearone

£16,000orless £3,300 £1,000

£16,001–£20,000 £3,000

£500

£20,001–£25,000 £2,500

£25,001–£30,000 £2,000

£30,001–£35,000 £1,500

£35,001–£40,000 £1,000

£40,001–£42,620 £500

£42,621+ £0 £0

ELQ, Islands and Overseas students should note that they are not eligible for living costs support from Oxford.

See pages 7 and 8 for information about applying for living costs support

WELSH and NORTHERN IRISH studentsConfirmed figures for Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to be published soon and will be added to www.ox.ac.uk/funding as soon as they are available.

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LIVING COSTS

SUPPORT fromthe UK GOVERNMENTAll Home students are eligible to apply for funding from the UK government towards their living costs although the amounts will vary by UK region. A basic level of maintenance loan is available to all Home students irrespective of household income. Students can also access a higher level of maintenance loan and non-repayable maintenance grants based on their household income.

Whereyouusuallylive Maintenancegrant Maintenanceloan

EnglandMaximum grant of £3,387. Means tested up to household income of £42,620.

Basic loan of £3,610 for all students. Means tested up to household income of £62,133.

WalesMaximum grant of approximately £5,100.Means tested up to household income of around £50,000.

Basic loan of approximately £3,800 for all students. Means tested up to household income of around £57,000.

ScotlandMaximum grant of £1,750. Means tested up to household income of £34,000.

Basic loan of £4,500 for all students. Means tested up to household income of £34,000.

NorthernIrelandMaximum grant of approximately £3,400.Means tested up to household income of around £41,000.

Basic loan of approximately £3,600 for all students. Means tested up to household income of around £53,000.

EU, ELQ, Islands and Overseas students should note that they are not eligible for living costs support from the UK government.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT fromtheUK GOVERNMENTIf you are a Home student and have additional costs because of a disability or dependants, you could be eligible to receive extra assistance.

Fund Eligibility Assessment Application

DisabledStudents’Allowances

Home students who require funding to meet course-related costs

Based upon need

Apply through regional funding agencyParents’Learning

Allowance

Home students with dependants

Based upon household income

ChildcareGrant

AdultDependants’Grant

Taxcredits Apply through www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits

MEDICAL studentsHome students on the six year medicine course have different funding arrangements in years five and six, as they are eligible to apply for living costs support from the NHS and the UK government. Visit www.ox.ac.uk/funding for more information.

See pages 7 and 8 for information about applying for living costs support

MORITZ-HEYMAN scholarshipsThese scholarships provide a higher level of funding for UK students from lower income backgrounds. Scholars also have the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities and internships during the summer holidays. There is no separate application process for these scholarships. From mid September 2014, 100 new students will be invited to become Moritz-Heyman Scholars. For information on the scheme and the eligibility criteria, visit www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/mh.

OTHER scholarshipsThere are a small number of centrally-administered scholarships available for undergraduates and these are summarised below. Information about each scholarship is available from www.ox.ac.uk/funding.

Scholarship Eligibility Award Applicationdeadline

HillFoundationScholarship

Russian nationals wishing to study for a second degree

Tuition fees, college fees and an annual grant towards living costs

Friday21February2014

NoonEducationalFoundationOxfordScholarship

Pakistani nationals resident in Pakistan

Varies depending on the scholar’s circumstances Friday21February2014

OxfordAustraliaScholarship

Australian nationals resident in Australia wishing to study for a second degree

Annual grant towards living costs Friday21February2014

OxfordCentreforIslamicStudiesScholarship

UK residents from Muslim communities

Tuition fees and an annual grant towards living costs Friday21February2014

PalgraveBrownScholarship

Students who have been resident or educated in certain Eastern European countries

Annual grant towards living costs Friday21February2014

PalgraveBrownUKScholarship

Students who have been resident or educated in Norfolk or Suffolk

Annual grant towards living costs Friday21February2014

ReachOxfordScholarship

Students from low-income countries

Tuition fees, college fees, annual grant towards living costs and one return air fare per year

Friday21February2014

LloydsScholarship UK residents from households with incomes of £25,000 or less

Additional bursary towards living costs and performance-related awards

July2014

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SCHOLARSHIPS

US and CANADIAN STUDENTS

Students from the US and Canada are able to apply for student loans to help with fees and living costs. Details can be found at www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/usloans.

FEES, FUNDING and SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHTheFees,FundingandScholarshipSearch(www.ox.ac.uk/fees andfunding/search)providesacomprehensivelistofawardsbeingofferedbythecolleges,departmentsandfaculties.

How do I ensure that my household income is assessed?If you want to be financially assessed, you and any adults you live with will need to complete a financial assessment as part of the application to your regional funding agency. During this process your household income is calculated. Although much of the process is automated you may need to provide additional information to support your assessment.

How is my household income calculated?The financial assessment will look at your household income for the last full tax year. For students starting their studies in 2014, this means that information from the 2012/13 tax year will be used. If this does not reflect your current financial situation, you might be able to undergo a current year assessment. You must first apply in the normal way based on the 2012/13 tax year. Please note that your household income must have dropped by at least 15% (5% in Northern Ireland) since the 2012/13 tax year.

How do I apply for Oxford support?There is no separate application process for Oxford tuition fee reductions and bursaries as these are based on the household income assessments carried out by the regional funding agencies. However when you apply for UK government funding you must ensure that you have given consent for the university to view your financial details. EU students should apply for a tuition fee loan in the first instance although you are not obliged to take this out. You will then be contacted by the Student Finance Services Non UK Team with further information about the means testing process.

What happens once my financial assessment is complete?Once your assessment has been completed, you will receive an entitlement letter from your regional funding agency summarising the support you will receive. You will also receive a declaration form which you will need to sign and return to the Student Loans Company.

When will I find out if I have been awarded a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction from Oxford?Students who are eligible for a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction will be notified from mid September 2014. Students must have their financial assessment completed by December 2014 in order to be considered for a fee reduction and May 2015 to be considered for a bursary.

If I wish to access a tuition fee loan, what level should I apply for?Even if you think your household income will qualify you for a tuition fee reduction, you should apply for the full tuition fee loan of £9,000. The university will inform the Student Loans Company directly if you are eligible for a tuition fee reduction and make the loan adjustment for you.

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APPLYING FOR OXFORD AND UK GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Applications for support from the UK government are processed by regional funding agencies and will open in early 2014. Anyone supporting your application, such as parents, will also need to set up their own online account to provide information for your assessment.

Region Regionalfundingagency Applyat:

England Student Finance England www.gov.uk/student-finance

Wales Student Finance Wales www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

Scotland Student Awards Agency for Scotland www.saas.gov.uk

NorthernIreland Student Finance NI www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

EuropeanUnion Student Finance Services Non UK Team www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance

FROM EARLY 2014Apply online through your regional

funding agency

Receive notification of entitlement from your regional

funding agency

EARLY OCTOBER 2014Tuition fee loan instalment paid

directly to Oxford

EARLY NOVEMBER 2014First bursary instalment paid directly

to student

Provide additional financial information as required for

means testing

FROM SEPTEMBER 2014Receive notification of any bursary and/or

fee reduction from Oxford

EARLY OCTOBER 2014First maintenance loan and/or grant instalment paid directly to student

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FUNDING APPLICATION PROCESS

REMEMBERto ensure anyone supporting your application also sets up an online account with your regional funding agency

REMEMBERthe deadline to be considered for an Oxford tuition fee reduction is December 2014

REMEMBERto give consent to share your financial details with Oxford if you are being means tested

REMEMBERto check with your regional funding agency that your bank details are correct

REMEMBERto sign and return the agreement for any tuition fee or maintenance loans as requested by your regional funding agency

CONTACT DETAILS

Should you have any additional questions on the information in this guide or on our website, you can use the following email addresses to get in touch with us:

Forquestionson Email

Applying for student finance student.funding@admin.ox.ac.uk

Oxford bursaries and tuition fee reductions oxfordopportunity@admin.ox.ac.uk

Fee status fees.clerk@admin.ox.ac.uk

US and Canadian loans us.loans@admin.ox.ac.uk

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USEFUL WEBSITES

There is a huge amount of information available on the internet about student funding. In addition to the university’s website www.ox.ac.uk/funding, you might find the following websites useful.

www.studentcalculator.org.ukA useful budgeting tool from Brightside,

which is a charity for students from England

www.nus.org.uk/en/advice/money-and-fundingAdvice on managing your finances from the

National Union of Students (NUS)

www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-guide

A guide to student loans in 2014 by Martin Lewis from the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance

www.ukcisa.org.ukInformation on fee status and advice

for international students

www.money4medstudents.orgDetailed information on the funding

available to medical students

www.ox.ac.uk/funding/islands_students

Information for students from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man

Produced by the University of Oxford Design Studio, Public Affairs Directorate, 2013Photographs Rob Judges, Greg Smolonski, Matt Stuart, James Whittaker, PA Photos.

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

If you want to receive support from the UK government you have to apply for it.

Apply online as soon as possible to ensure that the funding is in place for the start of your course.

If you only want to apply for the minimum level of support (tuition fee loan and basic maintenance loan), you don’t need to be means tested and won’t need to provide your household income.

If you want to be assessed for the maximum level of support (maintenance grant and increased maintenance loan), you must be means tested. This will also allow you to be assessed for tuition fee reductions and bursaries provided by Oxford.

If you don’t apply to be means tested by your regional funding agency, you will be automatically ineligible for bursaries and tuition fee reductions from Oxford.

Answer queries from your regional funding agency promptly if they require additional information regarding your application.

Ensure that you sign the loan agreement from your regional funding agency (unless you are a Scottish or EU student) and send it back when requested.

Keep a record of your application and any correspondence with your regional funding agency. This will be invaluable if you have any difficulties with your application.

Make sure that your contact details are kept up to date. All correspondence will be sent to the address you register with your regional funding agency including your bursary and tuition fee reduction notifications.