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Student Support and Benefits Handbook 2021/22

Chapter 4: Undergraduate student support: Northern Ireland

This chapter covers:

1. Full-time undergraduates (here)

2. Part-time undergraduates (here)

3. How income affects student support (here)

4. Discretionary support funds (here)

There are different systems of undergraduate student support in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. See Chapter 2 for details of the system in England, Chapter 3 for Wales, and CPAG’s Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook for details of the system in Scotland.

Students living in Northern Ireland who wish to study in England, Wales or Scotland receive the same package of support as though they were studying in Northern Ireland.

 

Basic facts

– Undergraduate students can apply for a mixture of grants and loans, depending on their personal circumstances.

– The type of financial support available depends on several factors, including when the course starts, its length, the discipline, whether the course is full time or part time, and any previous study undertaken.

– Separate provision is available for social work, healthcare and initial teacher training students.

– Discretionary funds are available for those in financial difficulty, but funding is not guaranteed.

 

Arrangements during the coronavirus pandemic

For 2020/21, the Department for the Econmy has announced several temporary adjustments to student support arrangements in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The main features can be summarised as follows.

- If students would normally have studied in person but all or part of their course was moved online due to the pandemic, they continued to be eligible for funding as if they were studying in person.

- If students would normally have been required to be ordinarily resident while studying in Northern Ireland to qualify for support but were unable to be in Northern Ireland or were temporarily studying remotely because of the pandemic, students continued to be funded as if they were resident in Northern Ireland

- As under the usual rules, students’ maintenance costs were assessed based on where they live in a given academic quarter but could be adjusted as circumstances changed. In pre-COVID years, such changes were relatively unusual but were more common as a result of coronavirus. For example, if a student lived in the parental home for one quarter and then away from home for two quarters, her/his maintenance support was based on this pattern of residence. If a student changed residence during a quarter, maintenance was calculated in reference to her/his place of residence for the majority of that quarter. Students should have informed Student Finance NI of changes.

It is not yet clear what special rules may be in place in 2021/22. Contact Student Finance NI or an adviser in your students’ union, university or college if you need further guidance.

1. Full-time undergraduates

Student awards for Northern Irish-domiciled students studying in Northern Ireland, Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland are administered by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland) (DfENI). Applications for support are processed by the Education Authority, under the ‘brand’ of Student Finance NI. You should apply via the Student Finance NI website, or to the Education Authority regional office that covers the area in which you normally live, rather than where you intend to study. A list of offices is at studentfinanceni.co.uk.

Who is eligible for support

In order to receive financial support, you must be ‘personally eligible’ by meeting residence conditions (see below) and be studying an eligible course (see here).

Residence conditions

To be eligible for support from Student Finance NI, you must meet the residence conditions.1Sch 1 E(SS)(NI) Regs These are the same as for England (see here), except that, where appropriate, you must be normally resident in Northern Ireland on the first day of the first academic year. Also, in Northern Ireland, students from overseas with certain forms of leave to remain can receive support, unlike in England. Ask an adviser for information.

Following the result of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union (EU), the DfENI has stated that students from other EU countries who started their courses in 2020/21 or earlier academic years, and who have been assessed as eligible for funding, will continue to receive it as normal until they complete the course. EU students starting courses in 2021/22 or later have much more limited access to funding, though exceptions apply including Irish nationals. Again, the rules are essentially the same as in England. See here or check the Student Finance NI website.

 

1     Sch 1 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Course eligibility

To be eligible for support, broadly the course must be full time (as defined by the education provider) and be:1Reg 5 and Sch 2 E(SS)(NI) Regs

•a first degree;
•a higher education diploma;
•a BTEC Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND);
•a course of initial teacher training;
•a course for the further training of teachers, or youth or community workers;
•a course to prepare for certain professional examinations of a standard higher than A level, or HNC/HND where a first degree is not required for entry;
•a course not higher than a first degree, but higher than those described in the above bullet point.

Note: some courses, particularly in art and design, can require the student to undertake a foundation year or course. This is different to a foundation degree. It is normally a course of one academic year in length which precedes the main higher education degree course.

Support for foundation courses is often limited as they do not usually come within the definition of ‘higher education’. You may be eligible for support as a further education student (see Chapter 1). Contact an adviser in your students’ union or institution for further guidance.

 

1     Reg 5 and Sch 2 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Previous study

If you have previously attended a higher education course, the amount of support you can receive may be affected by the rules on previous study.1Regs 14 and 15 E(SS)(NI) Regs

If you hold an honours degree and are studying for a new qualification, unless you are covered by one of the exceptions (see below), you can only apply for a supplementary grant for travel costs, a grant for any dependants and a grant for disability-related costs.2Regs 20, 57, 59 and 63 E(SS)(NI) Regs

There are some exceptions.

•Students who hold an honours degree and who are undertaking a PGCE or social work course receive full funding.
•Students undertaking a further undergraduate course in certain professional subjects, such as medicine or veterinary science, can receive a loan for their living costs,3Reg 63(2) E(SS)(NI) Regs although not a loan for tuition fees or a maintenance or special support grant.

If you do not already hold an honours degree, in general the maximum number of years of tuition fee loan and maintenance or special support grant funding you can receive is equivalent to the ordinary length of your course plus one year, less any years of study previously undertaken.4Reg 23 E(SS)(NI) Regs If you have studied part of a year, you are treated as if you have undertaken a full year of study. Loans for living costs are unaffected.

If you are transferring courses, or undertaking an ’end-on’ course (topping up from one qualification to another), these previous study rules affect you. You may be able to secure additional years of ’full’ funding if you were unable to complete a previous year or course for ’compelling personal reasons’ such as illness or caring responsibilities.5Reg 20(10) E(SS)(NI) Regs You must provide evidence of this to Student Finance NI.

Further information on previous study is available from your students’ union or institution.

 

1     Regs 14 and 15 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

2     Regs 20, 57, 59 and 63 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

3     Reg 63(2) E(SS)(NI) Regs »

4     Reg 23 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

5     Reg 20(10) E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Loan for tuition fees

Eligible Northern Irish-domiciled students studying in Northern Ireland pay variable fees of up to £4,530 in the 2021/22 academic year. You are eligible for a loan to cover these.1Regs 20-25 E(SS)(NI) Regs

If you started your course on 1 September 2012 or later and study in England, Scotland or Wales, you are charged up to £9,250 in the 2021/22 academic year (or up to £11,100 per year on accelerated degree courses in England). You are eligible for a loan to cover these fees.2Reg 25(1) E(SS)(NI) Regs

If you started your course in the Republic of Ireland on or after 1 September 2013, you are charged a student contribution of €3,000 in 2021/22. You can apply for a student contribution loan to cover the cost. The terms and conditions of student contribution loans are identical to those for tuition fee loans for students studying in the UK (see here).3Reg 25A E(SS)(NI) Regs You can also apply for a maintenance grant or loan for your living costs (see here and here).

The maximum fee loan or student contribution loan available matches the fee or contribution you are charged. Neither loan is means tested on your household income. However, the loan is added to your total student loan debt (including any loans taken out for living costs – see here) and you must start repayments once you have graduated, or otherwise left the course, and are earning at least £19,895 a year.

If you wish to pay all or part of the fee upfront yourself, you can do so. Your institution will expect some indication of how you intend to pay your fees when you register.

Help with tuition fees for part-time courses is also available (see here).

 

1     Regs 20-25 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

2     Reg 25(1) E(SS)(NI) Regs »

3     Reg 25A E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Maintenance grant

The maintenance grant is a non-repayable, means-tested allowance of up to £3,475. The maximum amount is payable to students with a household income of £19,203 or less a year, and a partial amount is paid on a sliding scale up to a household income of £41,065.1Reg 58 E(SS)(NI) Regs

If you can apply for means-tested benefits, the maintenance grant is treated as income when working out your (or your partner’s) entitlement, so you should apply for the special support grant instead (see here).

Part of the maintenance grant substitutes part of the student loan for living costs (see here). This means that if you receive any maintenance grant, the amount of loan for living costs you can receive is reduced, up to a maximum of £1,887.2Reg 66 E(SS)(NI) Regs The formula for this can be complex, so get advice if you are uncertain whether it has been applied correctly.

If you get a full maintenance grant of £3,475, the maximum amount of student loan for living costs is reduced by £1,887. If you get a maintenance grant of more than £1,318 but less than £3,475, your loan is reduced by an amount equal to £1,887 less £1 for every £17.25 that your household income exceeds £19,203. If your grant is £1,318 or less, the loan is reduced by the amount of maintenance grant paid.

See here for how your household income is calculated and here for how it affects your student support.

The way the grant affects a loan is slightly different for teacher training students. Check with Student Finance NI, or your students’ union or university advice service.

Examples

Laura is a single, independent student studying in Belfast. She starts her course in October 2021. Her household income is £2,000. She receives the maximum grant of £3,475 and can take out a student loan of up to £2,953 (the maximum rate of £4,840 less £1,887).

Anna is 18 and lives with her parents in Armagh. She starts her course in Belfast in October 2021. Her household income is £21,500, which means she receives a maintenance grant of £2,921.

Her household income is £2,297 above the lower limit of £19,203. This £2,297 is divided by 17.25 to give £133. This is subtracted from the maximum loan deduction of £1,887 to give £1,754.

Anna’s maximum loan entitlement is therefore £3,750 – £1,754 = £1,996.

Iain is 19 and starts his course in Coleraine in October 2021. He receives a maintenance grant of £800. The maximum amount of loan he can receive is reduced by £800.

 

1     Reg 58 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

2     Reg 66 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Special support grant

The special support grant is available to full-time students entitled to claim means-tested benefits who are regarded as particularly vulnerable.1Regs 59 and 60 E(SS)(NI) Regs

Most full-time students are not entitled to means-tested benefits. However, you may be entitled if, for example, you are a lone parent, or you and your partner are both full-time students and have one or more children, or you receive disability living allowance or personal independence payment, or you are deaf. See Chapters 10, 12, 13, 14 and 18 for details of which students can claim means-tested benefits.

If you get a means-tested benefit, you should claim the special support grant instead of the maintenance grant. Like the maintenance grant, the special support grant is a non-repayable, means-tested allowance of up to £3,475. The maximum amount is payable to students with a household income of £19,203 or less a year. A partial amount is paid on a sliding scale up to a household income of £41,065.

Unlike the maintenance grant, however, the special support grant does not substitute any part of the student loan and it is not taken into account as income when calculating your entitlement to means-tested benefits.

 

1     Regs 59 and 60 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Loan for living costs

Students can apply for a means-tested student loan to help cover their living costs and other expenses.

A quarter of the loan is means tested on your household income.

Maximum amount of loan 2021/221Reg 68 E(SS)(NI) Regs

 

	Full year	Final year
London	£6,780	£6,170
Elsewhere	£4,840	£4,480
Parental home	£3,750	£3,390
Overseas rate	£5,770	£5,015

 

 

You may be entitled to an additional amount of loan for any extra weeks of attendance over the standard 30 weeks and three days. Your institution can clarify whether your course has additional weeks.

The table below shows the amount paid for each week your course exceeds the standard length. If your course year lasts 45 weeks or more, you are paid for a full 52 weeks of attendance.

 

Amount of extra weeks allowance 2021/22

 

 

	Weekly amount
London	£108
Elsewhere	£84
Parental home	£55
Overseas rate	£117

 

 

If you get a maintenance grant, up to £1,887 of the loan may be substituted for the maintenance grant paid. See here for details. If you receive a special support grant, no part of your loan is substituted.

The loan is repayable at the end of your studies. The amount of money you pay back each month depends on your earnings. Once you earn above £19,895 a year, repayments begin at the rate of 9 per cent of all income above this threshold. For example, if you earn £20,390 a year, you pay back 9 per cent of £1,000 – ie, £90 a year or £7.50 a month.

 

1     Reg 68 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Supplementary grants

The childcare grant, parents’ learning allowance, adult dependants’ grant and disabled students’ allowance are all available to Northern Irish undergraduates on the same basis as for students in England (see here).1Regs 41-56 E(SS)(NI) Regs

Except for the disabled students’ allowance, all these grants are means tested. Note: the amount of the supplementary grants, including the disabled students’ allowance, is lower for students from Northern Ireland than for students from England and Wales, regardless of where in the UK you study.

 

Maximum amounts of supplementary grants 2021/22
Parents’ learning allowance	£1,538 a year
Childcare grant (one child)	£148.75 a week
Childcare grant (two or more children)	£255 a week
Adult dependants’ grant	£2,695 a year
Disabled students’ allowance (non-medical personal help)	£20,938 a year
Disabled students’ allowance (equipment)	£5,266 for the duration of the course
Disabled students’ allowance (general allowance)	£1,759 a year

 

Medical and dental students on placement and students who must travel abroad may be entitled to help with the cost of travel. This is awarded on the same basis as in England (see here).

 

1     Regs 41-56 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Erasmus and other study or work placements

Funding rules can be different if you are studying abroad or are on a work placement (sometimes known as a ‘sandwich year’). Fees may be reduced, but in some circumstances student support for living costs may also be limited.

Students on Erasmus study exchanges or work placements can claim support for living costs as usual, and they may qualify for an additional Erasmus grant. See the Erasmus+website for more details (erasmusplus.org.uk). Although students in England, Scotland and Wales will no longer be able to participate in Erasmus following following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, Northern Irish students are expected to be able to continue due to arrangements with the government in the Republic of Ireland. Exact details are not yet available, but check with your university or college.

A new scheme for international study, the Turing Scheme, has been launched by the UK Government to replace the Erasmus scheme in the UK. This will be available from the 2021/22 academic year. Northern Irish universities and colleges are able to participate, although participation will not be compulsory. The support you can receive for a Turing placement will vary by institution. Contact your university or college to ask if they are participating and what their arrangements are.

The funding rules for study abroad and sandwich years can be complex. Ask Student Finance NI or your university or students’ union advice centre for more information.

2. Part-time undergraduates

Support for part-time students is different from that available for full-time students, although the course and personal eligibility requirements are the same (see here).1Regs 122-24 E(SS)(NI) Regs

 

1     Regs 122-24 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Grant for tuition fees

Part-time undergraduate students (including students from the European Union (EU) – see here) may be eligible for an income-assessed grant for tuition fees.1Reg 126 E(SS)(NI) Regs The maximum amount of grant for which you are eligible depends on the intensity of study for each academic year of the course and your household income (see below). You must be studying at at least 50 per cent intensity of an equivalent full-time course to receive a fee grant.

Maximum grant for part-time fees 2021/22

 

Course intensity	Maximum grant available
Less than 60%	£820
60–74%	£985
75% or more	£1,230

 

Fee grants can be topped up with a tuition fee loan (see below) if the fee charged by the institution is higher than the grant received.

 

1     Reg 126 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Loan for tuition fees

From the 2017/18 academic year, loans for tuition fees are available for part-time study, including for students who started their course in previous academic years. A loan for tuition fees can be combined with a tuition fee grant (see above), if you are eligible for one.

Eligible Northern Irish-domiciled and non-UK EU students can access a non-means-tested loan for part-time study in the UK of up to £3,397.50 a year in 2021/22, provided they are studying at at least 25 per cent intensity of a full-time course.1Reg 127A E(SS)(NI) Regs If your course fee is lower than this amount, you can take out a loan up to the value of the fees charged, less any fee grant received. If the fees charged are higher than your fee loan (and fee grant, if applicable) and your support does not cover the total cost of the course, you must pay the difference. You can receive fee loans for up to 16 years of study in total.2Reg 126(5A) E(SS)(NI) Regs

Repayment arrangements are the same as for full-time students (see here), except that repayments start after four years of a part-time course, provided your income is above the repayment threshold, even if you have not yet completed the course.

 

1     Reg 127A E(SS)(NI) Regs »

2     Reg 126(5A) E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Grant for course costs

A grant of up to £265 is available to students from low-income backgrounds to help with the costs of books, equipment and travel.1Reg 126(1)(b) E(SS)(NI) Regs You must be studying at at least 50 per cent intensity of an equivalent full-time course. This grant is not available to EU students.

 

1     Reg 126(1)(b) E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Disabled students’ allowance

If you are studying at an intensity of at least 25 per cent of an equivalent full-time course and have a disability, you can apply for a disabled students’ allowance. The amount that can be awarded for non-medical help and other general expenditure is, however, reduced according to the workload of a part-time course.

Maximum amount of disabled students’ allowance 2021/221Reg 130 E(SS)(NI) Regs

 

Non-medical personal helper(s)	£15,703 per academic year
Major items of specialist equipment	£5,266 for the duration of the course
Other expenditure	Up to £1,319 per academic year
Extra travel expenditure resulting from disability	Full reimbursement

 

1     Reg 130 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

3. How income affects student support

Full-time students

Much of the support you receive is based on your household income. The way your household income is assessed is the same as that in England (see here).

Once your household income is assessed, it first reduces any maintenance grant or special support grant you are due to receive.

In 2021/22, the following applies.1Regs 58(5) and 60(5) E(SS)(NI) Regs

•If your household income is £19,203 or less, you receive the maximum maintenance or special support grant.
•If your household income is between £19,204 and £41,065, you receive a reduced amount of the applicable grant (the minimum amount is £50).
◦For every £4.55 of household income between £19,204 and £29,019, £1 is deducted from the grant.
◦For every £9.50 of household income above £29,019, £1 is deducted from the grant until the maximum household income of £41,065 is reached.
•No grant is payable if your household income is £41,066 or more.

Income above £41,540 reduces other support at a rate of £1 for every £9.50 of income above that figure.2Sch 5 para 9 E(SS)(NI) Regs Any supplementary grants for dependants are reduced first, then the 25 per cent of the student loan that is means tested and, finally, any grant for travel costs.3Regs 88 and 90 E(SS)(NI) Regs

 

1     Regs 58(5) and 60(5) E(SS)(NI) Regs »

2     Sch 5 para 9 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

3     Regs 88 and 90 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

Part-time students

Loans for tuition fees and the disabled students’ allowance are not means tested. Other support depends on your household income.

In 2021/22, the following applies.

•If your income is below £16,843, you are eligible for the maximum grant for fees and course costs.
•If your income is between £16,843 and £24,420, you receive some help with fees and course costs.
•If your income is between £25,421 and £28,067, you receive some help with course costs, but not with fees. The exact amount you receive depends on your income.
•If your income is £28,067, you receive a course grant of £50. If your income is above this amount, you receive no support.

Only your and your partner’s income is taken into account when assessing your household income. Your parents’ income is ignored, regardless of your age.1Reg 127 E(SS)(NI) Regs

If you are married or in a civil partnership, or are aged 25 or over and living with a partner (including a same-sex partner), or have dependent children, the following amounts are deducted from your income:2Reg 128 E(SS)(NI) Regs

•£2,000 for your partner;
•£2,000 for your eldest child;
•£1,000 for every other child.

 

1     Reg 127 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

2     Reg 128 E(SS)(NI) Regs »

4. Discretionary support funds

Higher education institutions are allocated money to provide hardship funds for ’home’ (see here) undergraduate and postgraduate students in financial difficulty. In Northern Ireland these are known as ’support funds’. Repayable loans and non-repayable grants can be issued, although support is not guaranteed. Additional hardship funds may be available – check with your institution or students’ union.

Non-repayable grants may be available on a needs-assessed basis if you are experiencing financial difficulty serious enough to mean you may have to leave your course. The funds can help with living and study costs such as childcare, rent, books and utility bills, or with large one-off and exceptional costs, such as major housing repairs and emergency situations, such as fire or bereavement.

Priority is usually given to students with children, mature students, students from low-income families, disabled students, final-year students and those who have left care. However, all students who meet the personal and course requirements for undergraduate student support can apply, including healthcare students. You must, however, have applied for your full entitlement of a student loan, if you are eligible for one.

The funds cannot be used to meet the costs of tuition fees or to make up for non-receipt of a parental contribution to a grant or loan.

Grants are not normally more than £3,500, although institutions have some discretion in exceptional circumstances. Individual institutions have different application processes and different pressures on the funds, and no student, regardless of circumstances, is guaranteed a payment of any sum. However, there is an appeals process if you want to challenge a decision.