The Access to Learning Fund is money given by the Government to Higher Education Institutions.  It provides discretionary financial help for students who may not otherwise be able to enter, or continue with, their higher education course.

The fund is particularly aimed at students who need help to meet extra costs that cannot be met from other sources of support.  The fund can also be used to help with unexpected financial hardship.

Students who are considering leaving higher education because of financial pressures are encouraged to apply and may also refer to the section on Budgeting which offers a guide to coping on student income.

Students who receive an award from the Access to Learning Fund will not normally be expected to repay it.

 Can I apply to the Access to Learning Fund?

Full-time undergraduate eligibility is the same as for the student maintenance loan (NOT the fees loan).  Therefore if you are entitled to the student maintenance loan you are also entitled to apply to the Access to Learning Fund, providing you have taken the maximum maintenance loan available to you. If you are not entitled to this loan because your course does not qualify (part-time and postgraduate courses for example) you must meet certain eligibility criteria relating to both your personal circumstances and the course you are studying.  Further information on eligibility:

Personal Eligibility
Course Eligibility
Temporary Course Withdrawal
Postgraduates – Important Information
Part-time Undergraduates – Important Information

 Personal Eligibility

To be eligible for help from the Access to Learning Fund you must normally be able to satisfy three requirements relating to your residence and immigration status at the beginning of your course. (The course start date is the first day of the academic year, not the actual date you enrol – this is 1^st September for most students although if your course starts between 1^st January and 31^st August this will be different).

On that date you must:

• Have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands for at least three years before that date (other than wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education), and
• Be ordinarily resident in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and
• Be settled in the United Kingdom under the terms of the Immigration Act 1971 (in other words ordinarily resident in the UK without being subject to any restriction on the period for which you may stay)

Certain students may still be eligible even if they do not satisfy the residence criteria above, for example:

• EU nationals who had lived in the UK for 3 years or more before the first day of the first academic year of their course
• Refugees, their spouses/civil partners, children or stepchildren
• Persons who have been informed by the Home Office that although they do not qualify as a refugee, they have been granted exceptional leave to enter or remain (ELE/ELR) in the UK, or Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave, their spouses/civil partners, children or stepchildren and who have lived in the UK for 3 years or more before the first day of the first academic year of their course
• EEA and Swiss migrant workers, their spouses/civil partners and children and stepchildren

For further information/clarification please Contact a Student Finance Adviser. 

 Course Eligibility

You must be a registered undergraduate or postgraduate student following a course of higher education.  This may be full-time or part-time*, distance learning , a sandwich course or writing up (postgraduates).

*Part-time = 50% or more of a full-time equivalent course – usually at least 60 credits per academic year (N.B. if you are studying in higher education for the first time and your course is less than 50% of a full-time equivalent course you may still be eligible for some funding - see   Part-Time Funding. 

 Temporary Course Withdrawal

If you meet the personal eligibility criteria but are unable to attend your course – due to health or caring reasons for example, or because you are repeating a period of study 'without residence' – you can apply to the fund providing you intend to return to your studies and you do not permanently withdraw from your course.

 Postgraduates – Important Information

The Access to Learning Fund is governed by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) who issue guidance on how the fund should be allocated.  The following excerpts from this guidance relate specifically to postgraduate students:

“For self-funding postgraduate students, administrators should confirm that the student has made realistic provision at the start of the course to fund both their tuition fees and living costs. Where students have clearly not done so, a payment from the Fund may not be appropriate.”

“The Fund cannot be used to meet the cost of tuition fees for any postgraduate students. “

“The Fund should not be expected to provide help with core living costs.”

DIUS also guide institutions to include a minimum assumed income in any calculations for postgraduate students.  This is called the National Postgraduate Income (NPI).

NPI is set by DIUS as follows for students attending universities outside London:

Therefore all postgraduate students applying for assistance will have their expenditure assessed against these minimum income levels even though actual income maybe lower.  (See Income: Postgraduates for further information).  This often results in students being ineligible for support from the Access to Learning Fund unless their circumstances are exceptional, for example they have high costs relating to childcare or disability.  On occasion an award will also be considered where appropriate provision was in place at the start of their course but the student has experienced a significant change in circumstances part way through resulting in serious financial difficulty (go to Exceptional Costs for more guidance on this).

When and how do I Apply?

Applications can be submitted throughout the academic year.   Any award will be subject to availability of funding – the University receives a limited amount of money and every effort is made to ensure that it remains available throughout the year but this cannot be guaranteed.

You are therefore encouraged to plan your budget carefully at the beginning of the year so that, wherever possible, difficulties can be anticipated enabling you to submit an early application.

Applications are normally assessed for the whole academic year regardless of what time of year you apply.  Therefore, even if you don’t anticipate difficulties will arise until April, for example, you can still apply during October.

As funding is assessed on an annual basis you will need to apply again each academic year if your difficulties continue.

You can Contact the Student Welfare Service to request an application form or drop in and pick one up.   You can also download the Application Form and Guidance Notes. 

N.B. Please read the guidelines for completing the form carefully and ensure you provide all relevant evidence.  Incomplete applications may be returned to you with an explanatory letter which will delay your application.

When will I know the outcome of my application?

Applications to the Access to Learning Fund are referred to a committee (known as the ‘Sub Committee Meeting’) which normally meets on Mondays to consider awards.  Fully completed applications, containing all relevant evidence, submitted by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered at the following Monday’s meeting.

Exceptionally, the meeting may be moved or cancelled (during holiday closure periods for example).

In most cases a decision will be made by the committee and you will be notified of the outcome by post within one week of the meeting.  Occasionally, however, your application will be referred to a higher level committee (known as the ‘Main Committee Meeting’) before a final decision is made.  This might be because your circumstances are particularly complex or you require extensive support.

This meeting is chaired by a Pro-Vice Chancellor and meets once a month during term time.  If your application is referred to this meeting, the sub committee will consider making you an ‘interim payment’ if waiting until the next main meeting for a decision is likely to cause hardship.

In all cases you will be contacted within one week of the sub committee meeting advising either your full award and how/when this will be paid, or the amount of an interim award.

If you are in immediate hardship and it is evident that you will qualify for some support but you have provided insufficient evidence to determine the full amount, an interim award may be made pending the provision of the outstanding evidence.  Your letter will explain what evidence is still required.

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What can I get help with?

This will depend on the course you are studying (e.g. whether full- or part-time, under- or postgraduate) and your individual needs as determined from your application form.  Successful applicants may receive help towards the following:

• Travel
• Childcare
• Accommodation
• General living costs
• Books/stationery etc
• Fieldwork:  Full-time undergraduate students undertaking compulsory  fieldwork may also be entitled to a  Fieldwork Bursary.  These bursaries are paid from the Access to  Learning Fund and therefore the personal and course eligibility is the same as for general Access to Learning Fund applications. 
• Part-time undergraduate fees
• Fees:  the Access to Learning Fund cannot be used to help with fees for any full-time students.  If you are in financial hardship as a result of having to pay your own fees please Contact a Student Finance Adviser.

Since 1^st September 2006 most full-time home (UK & EU) undergraduate students who have a tuition fee liability are entitled to apply for a student loan to meet that liability and would therefore normally be expected to have taken this loan before they will be considered to be in hardship.

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How do you assess my situation?

The sub committee will consider what income you have available to you and what essential expenditure you need to meet from it.  If this assessment shows that your income is less than your expenditure we will, subject to availability of funds, award you help towards your additional financial needs.  BUT see important information relating to postgraduate and part-time students.

N.B. if you have a partner who is living with you their net income and essential expenditure will also be taken into account in full.

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How do you calculate income and expenditure?

In most cases your application will be assessed following a standard calculation imposed by the Government’s regulations for the administration of the fund.  This calculation makes certain assumptions about your income and expenditure to ensure all students are treated fairly and consistently.  In exceptional circumstances your situation will be assessed individually.  The Government Guidelines can be read in their entirety on their website. 

The following offers a brief overview of the main aspects of the assessment process.

Income: Undergraduates

Income: Postgraduates

Expenditure: All Students

Exceptional Costs/Change in Circumstances

If you would like more information about your assessment – especially if you are struggling because of debt repayments or exceptional costs – you are encouraged to Contact Us to discuss your personal situation in more detail.  You may make an appointment to talk to a Student Finance Adviser or you can request advice either by telephone or email if that is more practical for you.

Income - Undergraduates

Student Loan: students who are entitled to the student loan for living costs must have taken the full amount available to them before their application will be considered.  72% for 2009 entrants onwards, of this loan is available to most full-time home (UK) undergraduate students regardless of income background.  The remaining 28% is dependent on household income (usually parents or partner).  Some students choose not to be assessed for this extra 28% and where this is the case you must provide an explanation for this decision or return to Student Finance England to request a full assessment.  For further advice please Contact a Student Finance Adviser.

Additional income: Most students are assumed to be able to supplement their student funding from other sources, such as interest free bank overdraft facilities, part-time earnings, family support etc.  For some this will also be from the Government Grants and University Bursaries payable to students from lower income household.  It will be assumed, for the purposes of the Access to Learning Fund calculation that you have extra income available to you of up to £1694* per academic year.

*Students with disabilities, long-term illness or caring responsibilities will have this amount reduced or removed.

OtherIncome: Most other income will be taken into account in full (e.g. Tax Credits, benefits, partner’s earnings etc.).  Also, if it is clear that you are eligible for funding from elsewhere but have not applied (e.g. Child Tax Credits for students with children) you will be advised to do so and the amount you should receive will, in most cases, be included in your assessment in full. 

Income – Postgraduate Students

It is assumed that full-time postgraduate students will have arranged sufficient funding to meet your full course fees and living costs before the start of your course.  In most cases, therefore, you will only qualify for help from the Access to Learning Fund if you have additional needs (e.g. costs related to childcare or a disability), or you suffer an exceptional and unforeseen change in circumstances after you have started your course.  The Government regulations impose an assumed income for full-time postgraduates of £161 per week (£129 for students with children or who are unable to work due to a disability).

The fund is not intended to meet the core living costs of part-time postgraduate students and it will therefore be assumed that you have made realistic provision at the start of your course to fund both tuition fees and living costs. Where you have not done so, a payment from the fund may not be considered appropriate.

Assessment of income for part-time postgraduate students will take into account actual earnings, in recognition of the fact that part-time students have different funding arrangements and course requirements to their full-time postgraduate counterparts and that it is assumed that part-time students’ income is consistent throughout the year.

You will only be eligible to apply if your part-time course will take no more than twice the time required to complete a full-time course.

Expenditure

Living costs: Your living costs will be set at assumed levels based on the state benefits you would be entitled to if you were unemployed.  This amount varies according to age and family circumstances.  An 18-year-old single student with no dependents, for example, is expected to be able to meet their core living costs (not accommodation) from £69per week; the figure for a lone parent with two children is £215.

Housing costs: Housing costs are fixed for most students based on average rent for student accommodation (not including bills) for the area.  For most students this is £55* per week although it can be higher for students with families or existing mortgages.

*Increasingly students are finding it necessary to subscribe to the internet.  Costs for this have been taken into account when determining the rent allowance and are therefore already included in this fixed figure for most students.

Other expenditure: Certain other expenditure may be taken into account where it is considered to be essential.  This can include costs relating to a disability but not met by the Disabled Students’ Allowance (see www.direct.gov.uk), childcare, children’s school meals, field trips (see separate section on Field Work Bursaries), regular prescriptions etc.

N.B. Car running costs are not normally considered essential and will therefore not be included in your assessment unless you have compulsory placements as part of your course (e.g. Medicine, Social Work) or family commitments.  If you have a partner who requires a car for essential journeys their costs may also be considered essential.

Exceptional costs

You may experience difficulties at some point during your course as a result of unforeseen circumstances.  Although not an exhaustive list, examples include:

• Essential household equipment repairs/replacement
• Family illness
• Being the victim of crime*
• Bereavement
• Birth of a baby
• Temporary course withdrawal
• Relationship breakdown

In these circumstances you may be considered for a non-standard award.  You should apply to the fund in the normal way but make sure you give as much information as possible and provide relevant evidence in support of your application (e.g. medical note, crime reference number, invoices/bills).

*It is very important that you take out appropriate insurance against theft.  There are some insurance companies that specialise in insuring students. Alternatively you may be able to add your belongings to your parents’ household insurance.  See Endsleigh Insurance,  SIS Direct or use a search engine to find suitable companies.

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Evaluation

The Access to Learning Fund procedures are reviewed and updated annually, partly in response to legislative changes and partly following feedback from students.

When you are notified of the outcome of your application you will also be emailed a questionnaire asking you to comment on the process and quality of the service.  The responses we receive from you will be fully analysed at the end of the academic year to help inform the procedures for the following year.

Your feedback is valuable – please try to find the time to complete the questionnaire.

The questionnaire is anonymous.

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What if I'm unhappy with the outcome of my application?

If your application was unsuccessful or you are dissatisfied with the amount of your award you are encouraged to make an appointment with one of the Student Finance Advisers in the first instance or, if you prefer, the Head of Student Welfare Service.  You can make an appointment by Contacting Us.   If you are unable to come to the office for an appointment we will discuss your concerns over the telephone or respond to you by email.

If you are still unhappy, or wish to make a complaint outside the Student Welfare Service, please address your concerns in writing to:

Pro-Vice Chancellor
Hardship Funds Committee
Fielding Johnson Building
University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester
LE1 7RH.

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What other help is available?

Some grant-making organisations – trusts and charities – may consider offering some financial help to students who are in difficulty.  This is most likely if you fall into a priority group such as having a disability, being a lone parent, suffering unexpected trauma such as serious illness or bereavement.  Directories listing all such organisations are available at reference libraries such as Leicester’s main reference library in Bishop Street in the city centre.

The Student Finance Advisers will also try to ‘match’ you to suitable organisations and can advise on how to apply.  Click on Charities for more information.

The Student Finance Advisers can also advise on a range of other financial matters such as the statutory student support system, maximising income, benefits and budgeting.  Information on all these areas can also be found at the following links:

Benefits

Budgeting

Care leavers (UK only)

Charities

Council tax

Funding your studies

Leaving university

Further Information

Part-time work: you may find it necessary to supplement your income by taking on some paid work.  It is important that you balance the number of hours you need to concentrate on your studies with the amount of paid work you take on so that your studies don’t suffer.  The University regulations state that students should work no more than 15 hours per week during term time.

If you are looking for part-time work you can contact the Workbank which is a student employment service who will try and help you to find a suitable job.

It’s also worth approaching some of the larger retailers, bars etc. direct – particularly approaching Christmas time when they are often looking for extra staff.

Taking on some part-time work not only benefits you financially but will also enhance your CV, no matter what the job is you will develop some skills. For further advice on job searching, work experience and assistance with your CV, contact the Careers’ Service.

If, you do not need extra money but want the experience offered by part-time work you may wish to consider voluntary work.  For more information about volunteering, get in touch with Contact, the Student Volunteering organisation: at contact@le.ac.uk. or telephone:
0116 223 1141/252 5229

Useful websites 

All students:

Student Welfare

Student funding (loans etc)

Uniaid student funding calculator

Money saving tips and advice

The Workbank for local job opportunities for students

Undergraduates (and PGCE):

Funding:

England

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Postgraduates:

Prospects offers postgraduate course, careers and funding advice/information

Student Welfare Service postgraduate funding information 

PGCE students:

Teacher Development Agency

Students with disabilities/specific learning difficulties:

The University's AccessAbility Centre advises and supports students