Ensure your studies are a sound financial investment. With Staffordshire University your prospects look good with our high graduate employability and you’ll get more for your money with the low cost of living.
Here we guide you through the cost of your studies and the financial support available to you.
Advice on finance
A great place to start is the GOV.UK website. You can find out all you need to know about fees, loans, bursaries and grants, if you qualify for student finance and how to apply for it.
If you've already had some experience of living independently, you'll have a good idea of your living costs. If you're not sure, visit the UCAS website for more information on how to plan your budget.
The Students' Union's resident Money Doctors are on hand to offer free, confidential and impartial advice on funding, budgeting and debt.
How much will it cost to go to university?
You'll need to consider:
- Tuition Fees
- Living costs (maintenance)
Our tuition fees
The annual fee for most of our full-time undergraduate courses is £9,250. Fees for our part-time undergraduate courses are charged pro-rata to the full-time fee depending on the number of modules you choose to study.
When will I have to pay the fees?
A tuition fee loan is available from the government to cover the cost of tuition fees, so you don't have to find the money to pay your tuition costs before or while you are studying*. You won't need to start repaying the loan until you are earning more than £25,000 a year. If your salary falls below £25,000, your payments will stop.
Tuition fee loans are also available to European Union students and part-time students studying at a course intensity of 25 per cent or more. However, if you already hold an honours degree, or another qualification at the same level, you will not qualify for this loan.
*Note: If you’ve previously received funding from Student Finance England, this may affect your eligibility for a loan. For further information and how this might affect your application, please click here.
Course intensity explained
‘Course intensity’ measures how much of your course you complete each year compared to an equivalent full-time course. This is calculated based on the number of credits you study each year. For example, if a full-time student was expected to study 120 credits per year and a part-time student was expected to study 30 credits per year then the ‘course intensity’ would be 25%.
Most courses are designed so that part-time students are expected to study at least 25% of the course that full-time students would study each year. However, if you have any questions, please speak to our enquiries team on enquiries@staffs.ac.uk.
Undergraduate student loans
Key facts
What are student loans?
Tuition fee loans are available to cover the cost of tuition fees and are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC).
Maintenance loans are available to help support with living costs such as food, accommodation and travel.
How much is the loan?
A tuition fee loan is up to £9,250** for students starting university in 2018/19. Paid direct to the University.
Maintenance loan – up to £8,700 for students starting university in 2018/19. Paid directly to you in three equal instalments. The first instalment is paid once your application for a maintenance loan has been approved by Student Finance and the University has confirmed your registration with Student Finance. The second and final instalments are paid at the beginning of your second and third term and should be in your account within 3-5 working days of the start of term.
If you’re late applying for your maintenance loan, this could affect when you receive your first payment as your registration can only be confirmed once your application for a maintenance loan has been approved by Student Finance.
Restrictions?
To be eligible, applicants must be under 60 before their course commences.
When should I apply for student finance?
The application window opens in February and although late applications will be processed it could cause issues with or delays to your funding and is not recommended.
You can make an application without having made a firm decision about where to study. You’ll be able to confirm details of the course and university at a later date without delaying your application.
Apply online as early as possible at:
To complete your application, you’ll need:
Top tips
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Apply early to make sure your student finance is ready for the start of your course. For 2019/20 entry the application window is due to open in February 2019. To check whether the application window is open for 2019/20 please see the GOV.UK website.
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Apply with your preferred choice of course and institution. If necessary, you can change details later.
What support is available to cover my living expenses?
In addition to the tuition fee loan, you can apply for a maintenance loan to help pay for your living costs (accommodation, food, travel, course materials etc.). It’s paid each year in three instalments, one in each term.
How much you can borrow depends on the year your course starts, where you live and study, your household income and whether you can claim welfare benefits.
Fast-track students who study throughout the summer months may also be entitled to an additional 'long course loan' to cover their additional weeks of study. This is dependent on household income.
See further information on what support is available and how to apply.
Information for part-time students
What funding is available if I am studying part-time?
Part-time students who have not studied at university level before are able to apply for a tuition loan. The maximum part-time tuition fee loan available for 2019/20 is £6,935.
Please note: if you’re repeating modules from a full-time course, you’ll be considered a full-time student for funding purposes and should, therefore, apply as a full-time student.
What additional financial support is available?
State benefits for part-time students
Your entitlement to state benefits is not affected when you are studying on a part-time course (NB: this does not apply if you are repeating part of a full-time course on a part-time basis). For more information, please contact a Students’ Union Adviser.
Find out more
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
DSA provides extra support for those students who incur extra course costs as a direct result of their disability. This support is not income assessed and you don’t have to repay it.
You can apply for DSA before you start your course. Your student finance provider can give you more details. If you are a part-time student and attending at least 50% of the full-time course, you can apply for a pro-rata DSA.
Read more about the DSA and how to apply.
Students with dependents
Students with dependents can apply for the following grants and allowances at the same time as applying for their tuition fee and maintenance loans:
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Adult Dependants Grant - up to £2,925 (income assessed but not repayable)
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Parents Learning Allowance - up to £1,669 for those with children (income assessed but not repayable)
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Childcare Grant - can assist with up to 85% of childcare costs up to a specified limit (income assessed but not repayable)
If not already receiving them, students with dependents can apply for Tax Credits through HM Revenue & Customs.
Care leavers
The Children Leaving Care Act 2000 and the ’Every Child Matters’ policy outline how local authorities have a responsibility to support care leavers up to the age of 21 and care leavers within education up to the age of 25.
Care leavers will be considered as independent students by the Student Loans Company and so should receive full funding without having to provide their parents income (please be sure to supply proof of your care leaving status).
The Students' Union can provide help and support with budgeting as well as locating further support agencies. There is also more support available to care leavers at Staffordshire University, and we will be in contact with care leavers before the start of the course to talk through help available.
Hardship Fund
We know that going to university is a huge financial commitment and sometime resources can be stretched, so to help we offer a Hardship Fund. The fund can assist students in the following ways:
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To support students who incur unexpected costs because of an unforeseen emergency that is beyond their control.
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To support students who have exhausted their available funds while they await their next maintenance loan instalment and/or seek employment.
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To support students whose maintenance loan/grant is delayed by providing short term delayed funding loans.
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To support students requiring dyslexia assessments by paying £100 towards the cost of a full assessment.
Students apply for each type of support by completing an application form in accordance with the relevant guidelines.
Read more about our Hardship Fund.
What support is available to help me find part-time work while I study?
Earn while you learn
Unitemps, is our specialist on-campus recruitment service and can help you find a job to fit around your studies. They’ll source interesting and varied opportunities on campus and in local businesses. Rates of pay are competitive, and work is flexible to suit you.
You can register with Unitemps from the moment you accept an offer to study with us – get ahead of the game and register before you arrive.
Visit Unitemps or telephone +44 (0) 1782 294995 for further information.
I already hold an honours degree and want to do another one, can I get another student loan?
You’ll be liable to pay the same level of tuition fees but will not qualify for a tuition fee or maintenance loan from Student Finance England. There is one exception to this:
Students who already have a degree and are planning to undertake a nursing, midwifery or allied health profession subject will still have access to student loans through the student loans system.
For more information and to find out what this means for you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.