Student finance can be confusing but we have all you need to know about Undergraduate funding for courses at The University of Northampton in 2022-23.
This post contains a lot of information, so please bookmark this page for use during the application process.
Am I eligible for funding?
There are several factors that determine your eligibility to receive funding for an undergraduate course: residency, previous study in higher education, age, household income, to name a few.
Residency
You’re likely to be eligible for full funding if you are a UK national or Irish Citizen or have ‘settled status’ and are enrolling on your first undergraduate course. To be classified as a ‘Home’/UK student, you must meet all the following requirements:
- Be ordinarily resident in the UK, and
- Have been living in the UK for three years or more before the start of your course, and
- Have no restrictions on your stay in the UK
EU nationals may meet ‘Home’/UK residency status if you:
- Have been ordinarily resident within the UK, and
- Have been living in the UK for five years or more before the start of your course, and there are no restrictions on your stay in the UK
EU nationals may be eligible to apply for partial funding (Tuition Fee loan only) if you have:
- Been living in the UK for less than 5 years at the beginning of your course (but for 3 years or more in the EU)
However, you would need to self-fund living costs. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/eu-students
EU students may be eligible to be assessed for funding as an EEA Migrant Worker, or dependent of an EEA Migrant worker if you are:
- Working and expect to continue doing so whilst studying, or
- Financially dependent upon someone who is working
Previous Study
Previous study can affect your entitlement to funding. You may not be eligible for funding if:
- You already hold a degree qualification
- You have previously been enrolled on a higher education course — even if you did not gain a qualification
Age
There is no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans.
However, if you are over the age of 60 when you enrol then you may only be able to access a limited amount of Maintenance Loan funding.
Household Income
Household income is included within Student Finance’s Maintenance Loan and Grant assessments. The amount of money the household earns impacts on the amount of loan you will receive.
Student Funding is likely to affect benefit entitlement. So, if you receive means-tested DWP benefits then you should contact your benefits provider and/ or the Citizens Advice Bureau to make sure you understand your benefit entitlement before enrolling.
Further information about Student Finance eligibility can be found on the UK Government website: www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies
The Student Finance funding outlined in this blog may be available to students who usually live in England.
Further information about funding for students who usually live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland is available here: www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance
Tuition fees
The University of Northampton’s tuition fees for undergraduate courses are charged for each year of study. The University’s Tuition Fees for 2022-23 are available to view on our website: www.northampton.ac.uk/undergraduate/undergraduate-tuition-fees/
Tuition Fee Loan
Student Finance England offer an annual Tuition Fee Loan for the full cost of university tuition fees. It is not based on household income, and you must reapply for this loan each academic year of your studies. It is paid directly to the University on your behalf and is not expected to be repaid until you leave University.
Eligibility criteria apply – for further details see Am I Eligible for Funding.
Maintenance Loan
Alongside the Tuition Fee Loan, Student Finance England funding also includes a Maintenance Loan. Maintenance Loans are intended to cover student living costs, like rent, food, and travel whilst studying.
The Maintenance Loan is paid directly to you in three termly instalments each academic year. The amount of Maintenance Loan you receive will depend upon where you are studying, your household income, and the intensity of your studies (for example if you choose to study part time it may be paid to you on a pro rata basis).
If you are living in our Halls of residence, in a shared house in Northampton, or if you are a mature student living in your own house, the maximum loan you can apply for in 2022-23 is £9,706 , and the minimum is £4,524 (this is known as the ‘Elsewhere’ rate of loan). For students who are living in their parents’ home and travelling to university, the maximum loan is £8,171, and the minimum is £3,597.
| Household Income | Maintenance Loan Paid in 3 instalments across the year | |
| Students living at home with their parents | Students living outside of London away from their parents | |
| £25,000 and under | £8,171 | £9,706 |
| £30,000 | £7,484 | £9,012 |
| £35,000 | £6,796 | £8,318 |
| £40,000 | £6,108 | £7,623 |
| £45,000 | £5,420 | £6,929 |
| £50,000 | £4,733 | £6,234 |
| £55,000 | £4,045 | £5,540 |
| £58,253 | £3,597 (Non-means tested Loan NMT) | £5,088 |
| £60,000 | £3,597 (NMT) | £4,845 |
| £62,311 and over | £3,597 (NMT) | £4,524 (NMT) |
Table showing amount of maintenance loan based on household income
Students will receive the maximum amount of loan if their household income is assessed as being £25,000 per year or less (based on 2020-21 tax year).
- If you are under the age of 25 and you have not been supporting yourself financially for 3 years or more before coming to university, you will usually be assessed based on your parents’ household income.
- If you are over 25 and live with a partner, their income will be included within the assessment.
- Student Finance will also take into consideration other dependent children in the household when calculating household income.
- If your household income has increased or decreased by 15% or more since 2020-21 tax year, you can request to be assessed based on your current year income. If you receive the minimum amount of Maintenance Loan but your household income is below £62,311 (if you are due to live in Halls/ shared house/ own home) or £58,253 (if you are due to continue to live at your parents’ house while studying), this may mean that you have not been fully financially-assessed for your funding.
Further information is available here: www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance
Use the Student Finance Calculator for an approximation of your Student Finance entitlement: www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator
Loan Repayment
You will not usually be expected to repay Tuition Fee Loans and/or Maintenance Loans until the April after you have finished or left your course, and you have an income of £27,295 or more per year (not including that of your parents or partner).
You will be required to pay 9% of any earnings over £27,295 or more. If your income falls below £27,295, you will not be expected to make any repayments until your income rises to £27,295. However, you will still accrue interest on your outstanding loans.
Any outstanding balance will be written off after 30 years after the date you were due to start making repayments (unless you have defaulted on any payments).
Please note that the income repayment figure is changing to £25,000 per year and loans will be written off after 40 years for students enrolling on course from 1st September 2023.
For further information about loan repayment (including terms and conditions), please see www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan.
Additional grants
If you have dependent children, adults who financially depend upon you, and/or a disability, you may be eligible to receive some of the additional non-repayable support from Student Finance.
Parents’ Learning Allowance*: up to £1,863 per year additional support for full-time students with dependent children www.gov.uk/parents-learning-allowance
Childcare Loan*: may cover up to 85% of actual childcare costs (up to £183.75 per week for one child, and £315.03 per week for two children or more) for full-time students with a low income who do not receive childcare support from other sources (e.g. Working Tax Credits) www.gov.uk/childcare-grant
Adult Dependents Grant*: up to £3,263 per year additional support for full-time students who live with adults who are financially dependent upon them www.gov.uk/adult-dependants-grant
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA): this may be available to full-time and part-time students who have a disability, long-term health condition (physical and/ or mental health), or specific learning difficulty (e.g. dyslexia, etc). The DSA is not means-tested, but is based upon your assessed needs at university, which may include equipment, software, non-medical helpers, etc. www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas
Please contact the University of Northampton ASSIST team for information about DSA and additional support available for students with disabilities or specific study needs at the University of Northampton: Assist@northampton.ac.uk
*assessment based on household income assessment
Healthcare course funding
If you are enrolling on a Nursing, Midwifery, or Allied Healthcare Professional (AHP) course such as Occupational Therapy or Podiatry, you can apply for additional funding from the NHS Learning Support Fund on top of funding from Student Finance:
- A Training Grant of £5,000 per year
- Additional annual payments for students enrolled on specific disciplines (such as Mental Health Nursing, Learning Disability Nursing, and Podiatry)
- An additional £2,000 for students with child dependents
- Support towards placement travel and/or placement accommodation costs
- Exceptional Support Fund for students experiencing financial hardship.
For further details, please see the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund-lsf
How to apply
If you are enrolling on a full-time course in 2022-23, you can apply now for funding www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance
You will need your passport (if you have one) as proof of identity and residency, as well as your National Insurance Number (NINO), bank account details, and details about the course you’d like to study.
Parents or partners who are providing financial information as part of the household income assessment will need to complete part of the application as ‘sponsors’. Sponsors will need their NINO, details about household income for 2020-21 tax year, and information about other child dependents in the household.
You must agree to terms and conditions by re-entering your password as part of your application otherwise to receive your funding.
It can take up to 8 weeks to be fully assessed by Student Finance. Once your assessment is complete; you will receive an Entitlement Letter in the post and to download from your Student Finance account.
If you decide to study a different course at a different university, you can simply update your application details with your new course information via your online account.
Please remember, you won’t receive any funding until after you have enrolled on your course. After enrolment, you must allow 3–5 working days for your first instalment of Student Finance to be paid to you. We would recommend bringing some money with you for your first week of study to cover your expenses until you receive your Student Finance.
University funding
The University have a selection of bursaries and scholarships to help with study costs. Further details are available on our website www.northampton.ac.uk/student-life/bursaries-scholarships-and-awards/
In addition, the Financial Guidance team administer the Financial Assistance Fund (for ‘Home’/UK students and EU students) for students with a shortfall in their funding. Further information about additional funding offered by the Financial Guidance Team can be found here: www.northampton.ac.uk/student-life/fees-and-funding/
Budgeting and money management
Whether going to university is the first time you have had to do your own grocery shopping, or you’re swapping your salary for a student loan, you should consider how you will manage your money prior to starting your studies.
Creating a budget is one of the best ways to manage your finances — our Money Matters blog has a Budgeting Learning Module which takes you through how to create a budget and provides money saving tips: Budgeting – (northampton.ac.uk)
Student bank accounts often offer interest-free overdrafts which can help you to manage money in difficult situations. It’s worth remembering that an overdraft isn’t free money, and you will have to pay it back!
Further information about student bank accounts and overdraft guidance can be found on the Money Saving Expert and Save the Student websites. www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-bank-account/ https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-banking/student-bank-accounts.html
Part-time work is an excellent way to boost your bank balance as well as improving your CV while you study. Unitemps specialise in student-friendly work, as well as offering internships and graduate jobs: www.unitemps.com/Northampton-homepage
Contact info
For further information about Student Finance funding please visit www.gov.uk/studentfinance or phone 0300 100 0607.
To apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, please visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/learning-support-fund
If you have any questions, please contact the Financial Guidance team by email money@northampton.ac.uk