Access to Learning Funds

What is ALF?

ALF is a discretionary fund to provide financial assistance for students, in order to help them access and remain in higher education. Students who need extra financial help to meet costs that are not met from other sources of support, or students who have particular financial emergencies and as a result of these circumstances are at risk of leaving higher education, should consider applying. ALF exists to help any eligible student, who has a particular financial need, but we cannot guarantee that there will be sufficient funds to meet every application we receive, or all the costs a student might apply for. The Government issues guidelines that we are obliged to follow and certain groups of students are given priority.

ALF should not be expected to help with core living costs. Postgraduate students are expected to have made adequate provision for both their tuition fees and living costs prior to the start of their course. Where students have clearly not done so, it may not be appropriate to make an award from ALF.

You can apply for help at any time throughout the academic year; however we would only expect to see one application per year. A second application would only be considered if there was a significant change in circumstances. Most help awarded from the fund is non-repayable.

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Who can apply to ALF?

ALF is only available to UK home students and EU students who have been resident in the UK continuously for three years prior to the start of their course. Overseas and EU postgraduate students, who do not meet the residency requirement, are not eligible to apply to ALF.

Both full time students and part time students are eligible to apply. Part time students need to be studying at least 50% of a full time equivalent course. The only exceptions to this rule are disabled students whose disability prevents them from studying at least 50% of a full time course, who may apply if they are studying at least 25% of a full time course.

In addition, if you have temporarily suspended due to health or caring reasons, you may also apply to ALF.

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Closing date for 2011/12 applications

The closing date for 2011/12 applications is 5pm on Monday 25 June 2012.

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Priority Groups

ALF exists to assist any eligible student who has a particular financial need, but we cannot guarantee that we can help every applicant or meet all the costs a student might apply for. The Government issues guidelines that we are obliged to follow, and there are certain groups of students that are given priorities.

For full and part time postgraduate students the priority groups are:

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Short-term loans

You can apply for an interim loan from ALF (up to a maximum of £200), if your funding has been delayed at the start of term. You will need to provide your credit/debit card details or leave a post dated cheque so that the loan can be repaid when your funding arrives. Please request an alternative form if you wish to apply for a short-term loan only.

Please note that if you have an outstanding short-term loan with this office at the time of application, and your application is successful, the loan will be converted to a grant in the first instance, unless you request otherwise in writing.

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How your application for ALF will be assessed

All ALF applications are means tested to establish whether a student has a shortfall between their income and reasonable expenditure.  Postgraduate ALF assessments will cover a full calendar year from 1 October until the end of the following September.

ALF is intended as a safety net for students in financial difficulty or unforeseen/emergency situations rather than being their main source of support.

Income

The income for a postgraduate student can be from a variety of sources, e.g. grants, scholarships, part-time work, savings, bank loans or additional parent/spouse support where applicable.

The student’s net income, and any partner/spouse’s net income, over and above the 'NPI/realistic provision' will be counted in full. Where applicable, a partner’s essential expenditure will be included in full to balance this. This includes, where appropriate, income from tax credits and social security benefits. State pensions are disregarded but occupational pensions and savings above the 'NPI/realistic provision' are included.

Expenditure

Expenditure levels for general living costs such as food and utility bills, known as Composite Living Costs (CLC), will be set according to figures used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The amount is set depending on your circumstances – usually in the range of £69 per week (for a single student) to £255 per week (for a student with partner and 2 children under 16).

CLCs include the following:

Food, utilities, mobile phone bills*, TV licence, clothes, home contents insurance, entertainments, clubs and societies.
* For certain students, e.g. student parents, mobile phones are considered as a necessity and are therefore added as an additional cost rather than included as part of the CLC.

Other reasonable expenditure will be added to the CLC to calculate the total expenditure of the student (and partner where applicable). Where students have met or exceeded the 'NPI/realistic provision' but their application shows that they still have a shortfall in their income they will be awarded a non-repayable grant.

'Notional Postgraduate Income/realistic provision'

Full time and part time postgraduate students are expected to have made reasonable provision at the start of the programme to fund both their tuition fees and living costs for each year of their studies.

We use a combined 'Notional Postgraduate Income (NPI)/Realistic provision' figure to be indicative that the student has made reasonable provision at the start of the course.

The starting point in determining the level of realistic provision the applicant should have put in place, is the NPI set by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). This is currently £161 per week for single students without any dependants, or £129 per week for students with dependants who are financially reliant upon the student, or students who are unable to work due to a disability.

Depending upon your circumstances, an additional realistic provision figure may be added to the NPI amount, to determine the overall reasonable provision that the student would be expected to have put in place. The 'additional realistic provision figure' has been calculated based on the set government figures for the composite living costs for having a partner and/or children in the household.

Therefore in some circumstances a lower NPI/realistic provision figure may be used (e.g. single student living rent free in parental home) or a higher NPI/realistic provision figure may be used (e.g. student with a working partner and three children).

The table below indicates the 'NPI/realistic provision' amount which will be used in the assessment.

In addition to which, you will need to have made provision for your tuition fees.

Applicant's household

NPI

Additional realistic provision

Total NPI/realistic provision (assuming 52 week period)

Single student

£8,372

n/a

£8,372 plus your tuition fees

 

 

 

 

‘Single’ student with working partner

£8,372

£2,080

£10,452 plus your tuition fees

‘Single’ student with working partner and 1 child

£8,372

£6,344

£14,716 plus your tuition fees

‘Single’ student with working partner and 2 children

£8,372

£9,672

£18,044 plus your tuition fees

‘Single’ student with working partner and 3 children

£8,372

£13,000

£21,372 plus your tuition fees

 

 

 

 

‘Single’ student with non working partner

£6,708

£2,080

£8,788 plus your tuition fees

‘Single’ student with non working partner and 1 child

£6,708

£6,344

£13,052 plus your tuition fees

‘Single’ student with non working partner and 2 children

£6,708

£9,672

£16,380 plus your tuition fees

‘Single’ student with non working partner and 3 children

£6,708

£13,000

£19,708 plus your tuition fees

 

 

 

 

Single parent with 1 child

£6,708

£4,264

£10,972 plus your tuition fees

Single parent with 2 children

£6,708

£7,592

£14,300 plus your tuition fees

Single parent with 3 children

£6,708

£10,920

£17,628 plus your tuition fees

 

 

 

 

Single student living in parental home and not paying rent

£4,172

n/a

£4,172 plus your tuition fees

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Timetable for making a decision

As long as you have completed the form correctly and provided photocopies of the appropriate documentary evidence, an assessment and decision should be made within 4 weeks of submission. You should also receive a payment in this time.

If you are requesting a short-term emergency loan only, please speak to a Student Funding Advisor in the first instance. Applications should be processed and paid within 24 hours.

However, please bear in mind that at certain times of the year, the office is incredibly busy and your application may take longer than stated above. You can help by planning ahead, filling in your application form legibly and accurately and providing us with all the information we request.

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How to appeal

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may appeal in writing, in the first instance, to:

Jon Lightfoot
Student Funding Officer
Student Funding Office
Senate House, Ground Floor
Tyndall Avenue
Clifton
BRISTOL BS8 1TH

Any appeal must be made within two weeks from the date of the original decision.

If you are still not satisfied with the decision you will be able to submit a second appeal. This would be considered by the Student Funding Manager and the Welfare Advisor in the Students Union.

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Additional financial support for Postgraduate Study

There is little in the way of financial support for postgraduate students, and students must secure the majority of their funding before commencing their studies.

For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning, or telephone 0800 585 505.

If you have applied for a Professional and Career Development Loan, all authorisation of forms must be signed by the Student Funding Office, Ground Floor, Senate House. They must not be given to Departments, Faculties or Course Directors. The signing of the second form (i.e. the one asking the University to confirm your start date) will not be signed until you have actually registered and started your studies.

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Useful Contacts:

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