Budgeting – Money Matters

A Covid -19 Accommodation Hardship Fund is now available for all eligible University of Northampton Students.

The University of Northampton has received money from the Office for Students (OfS) to help support students who are struggling with the costs of their student accommodation, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The University of Northampton Financial Guidance Team have therefore set up a new Accommodation Hardship Fund.

The Office for Students (OfS) Accommodation Hardship Fund can offer support to students who are renting student accommodation (both University Halls of Residence or Private Sector accommodation) and who are facing financial hardship because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

To be eligible to apply for this fund, you must meet the following criteria:

You must be enrolled on a University of Northampton Higher Education course. The Fund will be available to all Home, EU and International Students who are enrolled on a full-time or part-time, Undergraduate or Postgraduate course or studying with a University of Northampton Sub-Contract partner.

You must be able to demonstrate that you have student accommodation costs to pay. The Fund is aimed at those who cannot live at home and are currently living in University of Northampton Halls of Residence or Private Sector student accommodation OR those who are currently living at home but are still paying rent for student accommodation.

You must be able to demonstrate that you are in financial hardship. This could be a loss of an income stream which you rely on, such as a loss of employment or reduced working hours/furlough, you have been advised to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or have incurred additional costs due to Covid-19 and have access to limited funds. You will need to provide copies of your bank statements to demonstrate your access to limited funds.

You cannot apply for this fund if you have applied for and are eligible to receive a rent rebate on your rental contract with the University of Northampton Halls of Residence. All applications will be checked with the Accommodation Team.

You cannot apply for this fund if you are living in your own home (mortgage or renting) and are therefore not paying additional rent for student accommodation.

Please be aware that the OfS Accommodation Hardship Fund is limited and applications will be processed in date order by the Financial Guidance Team. Awards are restricted to one per student; up to a maximum award of £500.

To apply for the OfS Accommodation Hardship Fund you must complete the online application form which you can find on the Student Hub:

Ofs Accomodation hardship fund application

For further information about this fund and other funds offered by the Financial Guidance Team, please visit the Finances pages!

To allow the team to process your application as quickly as possible, please ensure you have provided all your supporting documents. This includes a copy of your tenancy agreement as well as a copy of bank statements for ALL the accounts held by you as well as any other supporting evidence that can help your application.

Many students are failing to submit all their bank statements, which means we need to ask for further information and results in a delay with your assessment. Please help us to help you, by providing all your information when you submit your application.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday 17 March 2021. All application forms and any supporting evidence must be received by this date and will not be accepted after this date.

The team have already received a large number of applications. Funds are limited, so please be aware that funds could be fully allocated before the deadline date is reached.

If you would like to find out more about this fund or other support offered by the University, please visit the University of Northampton Finances page:

Moved back home for the January term? What does it mean for me?

Like the majority of University Students in the UK, you will be spending your first term of 2021 at the University of Northampton working from home. That is unless you’re on an allied health professional course. With so many students now moving back home the Student Loans Company (SLC) have released new guidance.

Throughout this blog post we’ve broken down the information in an easy way to help you understand it quickly. (This information is for those who receive their loan from Student Finance England) The full information in regards to it can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-students-who-have-moved-back-home-in-the-january-term

No matter where you live during your period of study your Tuition Fee loan is exactly the same. However your Maintenance Loan is dependent on where you live during term times. They are the following:

A screen shot of the 2020 to 2021 academic year Maintenance Loan table. Living at home - up to £7,747. Living away from home, outside London up to £9,203. Living away from home, in London - up to £12,010. — A screen shot of the 2020 to 2021 academic year M;aintenance Loan table.

For individuals studying at the University of Northampton, you only need to worry about Living at home or Living away from home, outside of London. The approve image shows the maximum amount of loan an individual can get. Maintenance Loans are means tested dependent on household income.

Take a look at this really useful article by Save The Student which explains Maintenance Loans and how they work: https://www.savethestudent.org/student-finance/maintenance-loans.html

Under normal situations, if you were to move back home during term time you would be reassessed and your loan amount would be reduced to the ‘Living at home’ rate. Currently, the UK Government has made the decision for those students who are still having to pay accommodation costs – both in on and off campus/private accommodation will not be reassessed. This is to provide students who are still paying rent the financial support that they need during these extraordinary circumstances.

Do you need to tell the SLC if you have moved back home?

You only need to do this if you have moved back home properly. By that we mean that you are no longer having to payout for accommodation costs such as rent. If you are still having to pay for accommodation costs, please do NOT update your SLC account as they will re-asses you to the ‘Living at Home’ rate of loan for this January.

However, if you have moved home properly make sure to update you account to reflect your new living situation. This will allow your rate of loan to reflect your living situation and will amend the amount that you will potentially pay back.

To update your information about you living accommodation and to make any changes, visit you SLC online account here.

If you are undecided about your accommodation in the future and plan on moving away from home in the third term, due to the uncertainty of how Covid-19 will affect face to face and remote teaching and learning, the Government advice and guidance will be updated accordingly. As soon an we know anything else, we will update this blog accordingly.

Can you get any extra funding costs to cover the costs of moving back home and studying at home?

For many people working from their ‘home’ home is not as effective as whilst working at University. For many people they have experienced some new costs and unplanned expenditure. For many students who have had their income reduced due to being furloughed or because of their loss of employment this can be an extremely challenging time.

However, you cannot get any extra funding from the SLC to cover the costs of ‘living at home’ For those receiving the Maintenance Loan for living at home, should be able to cover the costs associated with living at home. For those of receiving the ‘living away from home’ rate of Maintenance Loan will continue to do so to cover costs such as accommodation.

The University of Northampton, has received money from the Office for Students (OfS) and is able to provide a Covid Hardship Fund which all students are eligible for provided they meet the requirement criteria. The Covid Hardship Fund, can be used for students to purchase equipment that they may need to work effectively from ‘home’ home or to cover short fallings brought in by the Covid-19 pandemic.

To find out more about the Covid-19 Hardship fund, take a look at our recent blog post here.

Money matters covid-19 hardship blog

If you’re still to apply for Student Finance this year, what should you put on your application for living arrangements for this term?

If you are going to be at home for the majority of this January term – with the current uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, this could be extremely likely. Yet, you’re still having to pay accommodation costs for you accommodation away from home such as rent. You should still put ‘living away from home’ for this term on your application. If you won’t have these costs, then put ‘living at home’.

If you still have accommodation costs, even through you’ve moved back home and don’t want the higher rate of loan?

You must inform the SLC in regards to any changes to your contact address by logging into you account. If you do not want to continue receiving the higher Maintenance Loan of ‘living away from home’, you’ll need to update the extra step when updating your contact address to tell us about your change of living arrangements fo the majority of this January term.

Once that change has been made, they will re-asses your student finance and reduce your entitlement for the January term. If you have already received the higher rate as your January Maintenance Loan payment, the SLC will recover the ‘overpayment’ from future payments.

If you receive your student finance from Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland?

The current information about the ‘living away from home’ loan rate mentioned throughout this blog, focusses on those receiving funding fro Student Finance England. However, the rules are pretty much the same, if you are still having to pay for accommodation costs whilst living at home due to Covid-19 restrictions, you will still be entitled to the ‘living away from home’ Maintenance Loan.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions or concerns about your student finance, feel free to contact the University of Northampton Financial Guidance Team by either emailing money@northampton.ac.uk or visiting the Financial Guidance page of the Student Hub.

money@northamptoN.ac.uk

Financial Guidance

The SLC has a team of expert advisers available on their social media channels, so if there is anything you need to contact them about you can submit your questions via either Facebook and Twitter.

A Covid-19 Hardship Fund is now available for all eligible University of Northampton Students.

Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the entirety of the world. The financial implications of such have been felt by many, but especially by University Students. With many students struggling with the loss of part time work, being placed on a reduced income because of furlough and the increased expenditures that often come with being at home.

The University of Northampton have received additional funds from the Office for Students (OfS) to support students through this extremely difficult and uncertain time. The OfS Covid-19 Hardship Fund, is available to all students studying at the University of Northampton, to support those who are facing financial hardship as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The OfS Covid-19 Hardship Fund can offer short term support only, with its intended purpose to be a contribution towards essential costs for those who have had a reduction in earnings or have lost their income, or those who have additional costs due to the result of the current pandemic. The Financial Guidance team will not consider requests for support towards the cost of fines issued by the University or the Police as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Fund will be available to all University of Northampton Home, EU and International students who are enrolled on a full-time or part-time, Undergraduate or Postgraduate course or studying with a University of Northampton Sub-Contract partner. Please be aware that the OfS Covid-19 Hardship Fund is limited and applications will be processed in date order by the Financial Guidance Team.

The awards available will be capped as follows:

‘Home’/UK students without dependents: £300
‘Home’/UK students with dependents: £500
EU students who are eligible to receive the Tuition Fee Loan support only/International Students: £500

To apply for the OfS Covid-19 Hardship fund, please complete the application which can be found on the Student Hub:

Covid-19 hardship fund application

The deadline for all applications is Wednesday 17^th March 2021. The Financial Guidance Team will not be able to accept any applications submitted after this date. Please be aware that funds are limited and may be fully allocated before this deadline date.

The Financial Guidance team have created a Frequently Asked Questions document, which can be found here:

covid-19 faqs

Coronavirus and student finance – FAQs

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed everyday life dramatically – it’s a very confusing and anxious time for many, and although the primary focus is health, there is likely to be an impact on money too.

However, we have compiled some Frequently Asked Questions which can help if you have any queries about finances during this time.

Top 10 money-saving tips from students, and the best of the rest

At our recent Money Week event, we asked students for their top money-saving tips in exchange for one of our useful (and attractive) branded lunch-bags – here are the most popular tips* grouped by topic, and a few of our favourites too:

Money Week 2020

Coming soon – ‘Spend healthy – live healthy: sustainable money’

Every year, the Financial Guidance team hosts National Student Money Week (NSMW) to highlight the financial support and guidance available at the University of Northampton. This year’s theme is ‘Spend healthy – live healthy: sustainable money’, and we will focus on how to make changes to be a happier, healthier, and more sustainable spender.

Our Money Week runs from 10 – 14 February – we’ll be available on the ground floor of the Learning Hub on Tuesday 11 February and Thursday 13 February from 10am – 3pm with competitions, freebies, information, etc, and more.

How to make a salad in a jar

As part of our Money Week event (10 – 14 February 2020), we’re giving away 12oz (340g) glass jars for our competition to win a fitness tracker – simply create a ‘Meal in a Jar’, send us a photo with your recipe through either Facebook or Instagram (further Terms and Conditions apply).

If you’d like some inspiration, you’ve come to the right place – here is our guide to making a simple, quick and easy ‘salad in a jar’, packed with layers of colour and flavour.

Sustainable spending – how to go green and save money

Photo by **Markus Spiske temporausch.com** from **Pexels**

The climate is changing, but you can make a difference – by deciding to live more sustainably. Sustainable living doesn’t have to be expensive: it’s about only buying what you need, reusing what you have, and avoiding waste where you can – all of which can help you do your bit to save the planet and your pennies too!

Getting the most out of your bank account – part two

University may be the first time you’ve needed to manage your money – and getting into good habits with your bank account can help.

We have produced a two-part guide to getting the most out of your bank account: part one – which looks at choosing a student bank account, checking your balance regularly, and limiting transfers – can be found here; part two – understanding overdrafts, checking unnecessary spending, having two bank accounts, and where to find further support – is below.

Getting the most out of your bank account – part one

University may be the first time you’ve needed to manage your own money – and getting into good habits with your bank account can help. Although we can’t tell you who to bank with or guarantee that your balance will always be in credit, we can advise you on how to take simple steps to make the most of your account – and your money – with our two-part guide.