Undergraduate funding 2012

Financial support

• Whilst universities can charge up to £9,000 a year for courses, they will need to meet strict criteria to make sure that students from all income groups can access those courses
• You don't need to pay upfront, so if you don't have £9,000, don't let it put you off. The tuition fee is paid by a Tuition Fee Loan through Student Finance
• Everyone will also be eligible for a Living Cost Loan on top of their Tuition Fee Loan (assuming you haven't been to university before), but exactly how much you can borrow will depend on your household income
• Students with a household income of less than £42,600 will also be eligible for a Maintenance Grant of up to £3,250pa
• In addition to these loans and the grant, you may be eligible for support through a UCF award. This could be a UCF Fixed Award and/or a National Scholarship Programme Award

Fixed Awards & the National Scholarship Programme - Summary

We will be offering a range of awards, which we hope will encourage applications from students who might not have previously considered university study. Some are Fixed Awards, whilst others will be National Scholarship Programme Awards (NSP) which will be offered through an application process.

In order to be considered for the awards below you'll need to have been ‘income assessed' by Student Finance. As such, we would advise you to apply for your finance as soon as possible.

Fixed Awards

Students from the below groups will automatically qualify for a bursary of £1,000:

• Students who were in care at age 16 (annual award)
• Students registered as disabled, other than dyslexia (award for first year only)
• Students from ‘low participation neighbourhoods' (annual award). These are specific postcode areas which historically have had a low university participation rate. See our online funding calculator below

National Scholarship Programme - Eligibility

Introduction. The National Scholarship Programme is a scheme being introduced to help people from low income households who are starting university in September 2012. The government has set national eligibility criteria based on household income, and in addition, each University will be targeting specific student groups. Therefore, meeting the national eligibility criteria does not always mean you are entitled to a scholarship.

Am I eligible for the National Scholarship Programme at Falmouth? In order to establish who is eligible for a Scholarship we will check through a range of criteria:

Stage 1:  Cornish address. You applied to a full-time, undergraduate course at University College Falmouth, in advance of the 15^th January 2012 deadline.  This is your first degree. You have a Cornish home address (as per your original UCAS application).

Stage 2: Financial factors.  In early June Student Finance England will provide us with the additional information we need to allocate awards.  To be considered for a Scholarship, you will need to:

• Have had your ‘income assessment' completed by Student Finance England by no later than 31^st May 2012. This will need to show that you have a household income of under £25,000pa.
• Be classed as a UK resident.
• Be confirmed as having course fees of £9,000pa for 2012/13 (some applicants who have previously been to university will be on lower fees and therefore won't be eligible for a Scholarship).

As long as you give ‘consent to share information' when you make your finance application, all of these assessment details will come through to us automatically.  You do not need to forward any documentation to us.

Stage 3: The Panels decision. Final allocation of Scholarships will depend upon a number of factors, but priority will be given to: Care Leavers, Mature Students and those who have recently attended a UCF Compact School (including Helston, Falmouth and Penryn schools). In part, this is due to the fact that we are only able to make 47 awards in total.  

National Scholarship Programme - FAQs

How many Scholarships are available?  In all, we will be offering 47 awards in 2012.

How much is a Scholarship worth?  A University College Falmouth award is worth £6,000 spread over the 3 years of your course.  You will be offered a choice of how to receive this support, but it will include a fixed £1,000 monetary award.

Do I have to repay the National Scholarship?  The scholarship is non-repayable award, rather than a loan.  If you leave the course early however, we will review your eligibility for the Scholarship and future payments will cease.

What do I need to do next?  You don't need to apply to the National Scholarship Programme directly; instead, your priority needs to be applying to Student Finance England.  Remember, you need to ensure that you get ‘income assessed' if you want to be considered for a Scholarship.  This assessment needs to be completed by the 31^st May 2012.

When will I know if I am entitled to the National Scholarship?  In June, once we have looked through the assessment results from Student Finance England, we will write to all students who still remain eligible.  We will again write once the UCF Panel have met in June and final decisions have been made.  All letters will be sent to your home address.

What if my assessment is delayed due to an error by Student Finance England?  We will consider written appeals from applicants whose finance applications have been delayed by Student Finance England.  You will need to demonstrate that you submitted your completed application promptly (before March 31^st) and include a detailed explanation of the problems experienced by Student Finance.

2012 funding calculator

Our funding calculator will give you an indication of the level of support you might be eligible for from University College Falmouth. This is in addition to your loans and grant (where applicable). In order to be considered, you must be:

• A UK student commencing your studies in 2012
• On a full-time undergraduate degree
• Haven't studied for a degree in the past

Visit 2012 funding calculator

UCF Bursaries & Awards  

Advice on applying for scholarships and bursaries

Alternative sources of funding include charities, foundations and trusts. There are numerous scholarships and bursaries on offer, typically worth up to £500. Using the resources listed at the end of this guide; investigate these sources of funding to see if any are appropriate to you. The following suggestions may help you succeed in securing financial help from a charity, foundation or trust:

• Check the criteria. Make sure you meet the criteria of the charitable trust or funding body to which you are applying. Most trusts have specific rules about what they will and won't fund and you need to be sure that you are eligible before spending time on an application. You will usually receive guidance notes with the application form.
• Check the format. Check that you are using the correct application format. Some trusts have a specific application form while some require a letter. Treat each application separately and make sure that you tailor your application each time; don't just use one statement to send to different sources of funding.
• Stand out. Make sure that you explain your particular circumstances, if you are likely to be competing with other students who are short of money. For example, you may have family responsibilities that make it harder to provide your own funding.
• Budget. If the application form asks you to provide a budget, eg for a study trip, include a comprehensive set of costs to show that you have properly considered and planned the proposed trip.
• Be realistic. Charitable trusts and funding bodies are likely to assist you with bursaries of hundreds, rather than thousands of pounds, so consider the amount you ask for.
• Be patient. Many charitable trusts only meet a few times a year, so plan to apply well before you need the money.
• Say thanks. If you do receive any funding, remember to write to say thanks, and give a brief record of how you spent the money and how it helped with your study. 

UCF Cornwall Commuter Award

Courses Specific? No. All courses, all levels.

Other Criteria? For students commuting from outside the immediate Falmouth area, from elsewhere in Cornwall, using public transport.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is to reward those students who choose to commute to university by public transport, from outside of the immediate Falmouth area, but from within Cornwall.

Eligibility

You may apply if you are commuting to either the Woodlane or Tremough Campuses by public transport, using either a termly or a 3-month pass. Students living in the immediate Falmouth area (Zone A) will not need to access the fund as the cheapest means of travel is the 60p student rate on the buses. However students living outside this area (Zones B and C) will be able to apply. The scheme is open to all students on all courses, who have a term-time address outside Zone A. Our Green Travel Guide includes full details on the travel zones.

Awards

Students will receive an award worth 15% of the cost of their travel pass, payable by cheque.

How to apply

Students need to see Will Wears, Bursary Adviser, presenting both their student ID card and their termly/3-month travel pass. Students will be able to make three claims per academic year.

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions Office, Woodlane Campus

Tel: 01326 213744
Email: bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk
Intranet: intranet.falmouth.ac.uk (available from inside the UCF network)

Framework Knitters Bursaries & Awards

Courses Specific? Fashion/Performance Sportswear Design

Other Criteria? Students must be working in a field relevant to the knitting/knitwear industry. Only open to students entering their final year.

Purpose

In 1985 the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters initiated a Bursaries/Awards scheme to encourage students in further and higher education to take an interest in the knitting/knitwear industries. The scheme was funded by Liverymen and the associated knitting/knitwear industries.

In addition to its own Bursaries/Awards, the Company also administers those donated by others for similar purposes. These have included the International Wood Secretariat, Benson Turner Ltd, INSTEP, Willey & Pearson Ltd, Rouse Awards, the Howard Russell Ellis Award and the Matthew Simons Award.

Eligibility

Students who are about to enter their final year of study; post-graduate students; and those registered for a research degree. Students of Design, Management, Marketing, Science and Technology relevant to the knitting/knitwear industries are given equal consideration.

Already hold a degree level qualification (ELQ)? You will be able to apply for this bursary but it is very competitive, so you need to be prepared for the fact that you may not receive an award.

Awards

Either £2,000 or £750. In addition, effort is given to ensure that, wherever possible, each award winner is allocated a mentor who visits them during the period when the project/topic is being developed and offers advice, technical and commercial, and reports back to the Committee. After two or three years, winners are offered the Freedom of the Livery and in due course, where appropriate, are supported for the Freedom of the City of London and membership of the Livery.

How to apply

All final year BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Performance Sportswear Design students will be emailed with competition details over the summer. Other students who feel they might be eligible can obtain a copy of the competition details from the Bursary Adviser, at the address below.

Applicants will be asked to complete the application form (including a statement supporting your proposed project) and submit it with a copy of their CV. Applications will then be shortlisted before we submit a maximum of two candidates. The Frameworks Committee group will then consider applications from all institutions before inviting selected candidates to interview.

All application forms should be signed and returned to:

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions Office, Woodlane Campus
University College Falmouth, Falmouth TR11 4RH

Tel: 01326 213744
Email: bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk

When submitting your application, please ensure you have included all the requested information.

Closing date for applications: September each year

Ferdynand Zweig Memorial Scholarship

Courses Specific? No

Other Criteria? To be used to support travel/study abroad

Purpose

This scholarship enables current degree or postgraduate students to explore the past and current artistic/cultural achievements of other nations. The Scholarship can be used to support travel and/or study with a practical and/or theoretical purpose. Staff of University College Falmouth will occasionally be considered for an award, to pursue a research interest related to the purpose of the Zweig Scholarship.

Please note: these scholarships are not intended to fund a specific course requirement such as placements, study trips or a dissertation.

Eligibility

Currently enrolled students at University College Falmouth, for whom an award is made annually. Or staff of University College Falmouth, from whom applications will occasionally be accepted.

Criteria

Submission of a detailed proposal outlining objectives, travelling itinerary, anticipated costs and predicted outcomes. (It is expected that the outcomes would be presented in a variety of written or visual forms). Student applications must be supported, and confirmed in writing, by their course leader. Staff applications must be supported, and confirmed in writing by their Director of Subject Area. It is a condition of the scholarship that successful candidates are required to donate some record or memento of their journey to the Zweig Archive in the University College Library.

Maximum award

The total amount for Student and Staff Scholarships combined will not normally exceed £5,000 in any one year. The maximum amount that will normally be awarded for the Staff Scholarship is £1,250.

Number of bursaries

One award of around £5,000, which the judging panel may decide to award wholly to one applicant, or split among several applicants.

Contact

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions Office, Woodlane Campus.
Tel: 01326 213744
Email: bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk

Judging panel

A Zweig family representative, the Deputy Rector (or nominee) and the three Directors of School (or nominees).

Application dates

Application forms will be forwarded to all students & staff around February each year (using College email addresses). Closing date is likely to be mid March each year.

Result date

The winners will be notified towards the end of May and announced at the Awards Ceremonies at the end of June. 

Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust

Courses Specific? No

Other Criteria? Only open to direct relations of: commercial travellers, chemists or grocers

Purpose

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust offers a limited number of bursaries to enable undergraduates to follow a full-time first degree course, in any subject, at a higher or further education institution in the UK. The conditions of eligibility are tightly restricted due to the Trust's origin, history and intentions.

Eligibility

Any full-time first degree course at a higher or further education institution in the UK, being either a body recognised by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for the award of a degree or a body providing courses in preparation for a degree to be granted by a recognised body.

Applicants should be normally resident in the United Kingdom and be the son or daughter, spouse, widow or widower of a commercial traveller, chemist, or grocer, according to the definition below. The parent/spouse should have been engaged in this occupation in the UK for at least five years in the recent past. A parent or spouse who is unemployed (or deceased) but who fell within one of these three categories when their employment ceased (or died) is also included. No bursaries will be awarded to individuals outside these three categories of parental employment.

Already hold a degree level qualification (ELQ)? You may be able to apply for this bursary but it is very competitive, so you need to be prepared for the fact that you may not receive an award.

Commercial travellers: The representative, agent or principal of any firm of manufacturers or other company or wholesale dealers selling to industry or commerce, but not direct to the public, who has travelled for five consecutive years for at least six months in each of those years, for the purpose of securing orders and/or promoting business.

Chemists: A member of the royal Pharmaceutical Society engaged in selling or dispensing medicines direct to the public.

Grocers: A person engaged or employed in the retail sale of groceries and related provisions (not considered the distinctive wares of some other class of tradesman), excluding persons owning or employed by a business having more than 50 employees.

Criteria

Funds are intended for those in financial hardship, e.g. required funds for maintenance, tuition and examination fees, travel costs, study materials, accommodation or childcare costs etc. Applicants must provide justification for these reasons for applying.

Maximum award

The maximum value of any bursary is £3000 per annum, but the sum awarded will be adjusted according to individual circumstances, need and the funds available. Bursaries will generally be awarded for the balance or whole duration of an undergraduate course, but not backdated prior to the granting of the award. The continuation of a bursary is dependent upon the student continuing his/her full-time registration, satisfactory academic performance, and there being no material change in the recipient's financial circumstances.

Number of bursaries

Determined by the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust.

Contact

Application forms can be downloaded from the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust:

Web: http://www.leverhulme-trade.org.uk/ug-forms.html
Tel: 0207 822 5227 (general enquiries)
Email: bthomas@leverhulme.ac.uk (Mrs Beryl Thomas)

Judging panel

Determined by the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust.

Closing date

Students must ensure they submit their applications to their institution in good time, as countersigned applications must reach the Trust by 1 October or 1 March each year.

Result date

Institutions will be notified of the result of applications after a decision is made. All bursary funds will be paid to the student's institution and not the bursary holder.

The John Brabourne Awards

Courses Specific? No, but applicants must be looking to pursue a career in Television or Film

Other Criteria? Will vary. See individual awards

Purpose

The John Brabourne Awards is a major new initiative of the UK film and television industry, created by the industry's own trade charity, the CTBF. This new scheme has been designed to help passionate students to gain access to their desired profession. John Brabourne was one of Britain's most prolific producers with an illustrious career spanning four decades and 27 films. He also produced many television greats and was Director for Thames Television for six years. Throughout his career John Brabourne consistently championed the need to support young people who want to enter into the film and television industry. The CTBF is proud to continue the charitable work of John Brabourne and help young talented students to open the door to a career in film and television. The John Brabourne Awards are a stepping stone for young people driven to further their experiences and careers in all aspects of film and television. In particular the awards seek to help those disadvantaged in some way, either through lack of funds or set-backs due to illness or accident.

Eligibility

The awards are open to anyone who is actively pursuing a career in the UK film and television industry. So if this is you, it is a scheme that looks to reward you as a young person who has demonstrated determination and motivation in targeting your chosen career. The scheme also looks to help those whose careers have suffered set-backs due to unforeseen circumstances.

Criteria

Applications will be judged on both need and merit and you will need to support this by two references from either educational or professional establishments. You must also give a clear plan for the use of the award, including examples of your work and explain how winning will help you to further your career.

Value of awards

Sponsored awards provided by renowned companies like Channel 4, Kodak, Endemol and ITV to name but a few, open the door for you through cash sums and/or training, work experience, equipment or materials of a value of £1,000 to £5,000, which can help launch your career. Cash sums also funded by the CTBF and can assist with travel, rent, bills or childcare if needed.

Contact

Visit: www.ctbf.co.uk/johnbrabourneawards to download the PDF application form.

Post your application to:

Eunice Bornasty, Head of Welfare and Secretary of the Brabourne Committee,
The Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund,
22 Golden Square, London W1F 9AD
Tel: 0207 437 6567
Email: e.bornasty@ctbf.co.uk

Judging panel

You'll be judged by a committee of industry figures and business professionals, chaired by Lord Attenborough.

Closing date

Closing dates will vary, dependent upon award. Check the above website for specific details (many have a closing date of 31 July).

City of London Bursary Fund (Cornwall & Isles of Scilly)

Courses Specific? No

Other Criteria? Limited to residents of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, who are looking to begin a course and are under 25 years of age.

What is the City of London Bursary Fund?

The bursary fund aims to help young people (under 25 years of age) who have demonstrated the desire and capability to accomplish great things in Higher Education but who are in danger of being held back by personal or family hardship, or disability. The bursary this year is up to a maximum of £1,000 and the beneficiaries must be studying at a Cornish College/University and must be from Cornwall. This is a fund under the umbrella of The Lord Lieutenant's Fund for Youth administered by the Cornwall Community Foundation.

The Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) manages and distributes funding on behalf of individuals, companies, voluntary / self-help groups, charitable trusts and statutory agencies to meet needs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Further details on the CCF can be found at: http://www.cornwallfoundation.com/

Main criteria

• You must be from Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly
• You wish to study (or be currently studying) on a undergraduate degree in Cornwall at any of the following Colleges/Universities: Falmouth, Truro, Cornwall or Exeter at Tremough
• You are under 25 years of age
• You possess a particular talent or skill that you wish to study in Higher Education
• You are unable to achieve your aims or ambitions without help
• Your studies would bring benefit to your community and/or give you personal fulfilment
• You would act as a role model for young people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
• Applications must be for individuals
• You must have approached your College/University for a bursary and either have a shortfall or been rejected before applying to the City of London Bursary Fund

Completing the application form - a step-by-step guide

1. Your details: Please enter your full contact details.
2. Your circumstances: Please complete this section. To be eligible for a grant, you must fit the
above criteria
3. What do you want to do? Please describe your talent or skill, and what you need to do to
achieve your ambitions. How will your studies meet the criteria? When do you need the
money?
4. What is stopping you achieving your ambition? Please include anything about your home
circumstances or your finances. Are there any special circumstances or anything else you
would like us to take into account?
5. Why are you approaching the City of London Bursary Fund? How will money from the Bursary
Fund help you? Please tell us what other sources of funding you have explored - what was
the outcome?
6. How much money do you need? The maximum grant is £1,000. Please list the costs involved
in achieving your aims. Grants may be considered for higher education course fees and
related expenses such as books, travel and equipment.
7. What money have you already raised? Please give details of the income you already have
raised.
8. Referee details. Please give details of the person who is supporting your application. This
should be someone who knows you and what you are trying to achieve, such as a lecturer. 

The application process

To request an application form, please contact:

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions Office, Woodlane Campus
University College Falmouth, Falmouth TR11 4RH

Tel: 01326 213744
Email: bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk

When submitting your application, please ensure you have included all the requested information.

• Closing date for applications (all forms to go to UCF Bursary Adviser, at above address): 1st October. No extensions can be given beyond this date.
• Closing date for UCF to submit selected candidates to the CCF: Mid October
• CCF Judging Panel meet: 30th October
• Winners announced: hopefully, by the end of November

What happens next?

Once we have received your application we will assess it, and may contact you for further information. We will then shortlist the strongest 2/3 applications before forwarding them to the CCF. Their Grants Panel will then meet in October, to make the final decision and you may be asked to attend an interview with the panel to discuss your application.

After this, you will receive the result of your application and, if successful, a letter enclosing an Agreement for signature and return.

The small print

• You must not disclose any confidential information relating to the City of London Bursary Fund except information that is already public, or information that cannot reasonably be considered to be confidential.
• The grant must be taken up within six months of being awarded.
• We ask you to complete an End of Grant Report (on a standard form which we will supply) within six weeks of your project or activity ending. 

The Wilhelmina Barns-Graham - Travel to Italy Award

Courses Specific? Fine Art

Other Criteria? Must be in final year of course, and can only be used to fund a trip to Italy

About Wilhelmina Barns-Graham

(Born: St. Andrews 1912 - Died: St Andrews 2004) After attending Edinburgh College of Art Wilhelmina Barns-Graham went to St. Ives in 1940, quickly becoming part of the group which included Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. She was a founder member of the Penwith Society. She travelled regularly in Europe over the next 20 years and with the exception of a short teaching term at Leeds School of Art and three years in London she divided her time between her home in St Ives and the house by St Andrews that she had inherited in 1960. In 1992, she received an Honorary Doctorate from the St Andrews University; she also received Honorary Doctorates from Plymouth (2000), Exeter (2001) and Heriot Watt (Edinburgh. 2003) universities. In 1999 she was elected an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) and the Royal Scottish Watercolourists (RSW). She was awarded CBE in 2001, the same year that saw the publication of the first major monograph of her life and work ‘W.Barns-Graham: a studio life' (Lynne Green; Lund Humphries). As part of the St Ives Group she was in all the major survey exhibitions including the significant 1985 St Ives 1939 - 64, at the Tate Gallery, Millbank, London. Her paintings are in public collections throughout the UK including Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Arts Council of Great Britain, British Museum, the Tate Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Leeds and Manchester City Art Galleries. (Copy from Art First)

The Scholarship

The Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Charitable Trust has granted University College Falmouth a ‘Travel to Italy Award' of £1,500 for Fine Art students who are in the final year of their course. The key criteria for the award are:

• You must be a Fine Art student, in your final year of study at University College Falmouth.
• The competition is open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, on either the full-time or part-time routes.
• The award can only be used to fund an extra curricular, but subject-related trip to Italy, to be taken within 6 months of the award being made.
• The successful candidate will be required to provide a statement, of up to two sheets of A4, reviewing the trip and its outcomes, and explaining how the money was spent.

How to apply

All eligible students will be emailed directly in April/May when the competition opens. If you need a paper copy of the application form, please contact:

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions Office, Woodlane Campus
University College Falmouth, Falmouth TR11 4RH

Tel: 01326 213744
Email: bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk

The completed application form (including a personal statement detailing the plans for your trip, what it will involve and how it will benefit your development as an artist) needs to be returned to the above address. Deadline to be confirmed.

International Travel - Design for Sport Award

Courses Specific? BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design, BA(Hons) Fashion Design

Other Criteria? Level 2 students only. Special consideration will be given to those students from low income families and/or from Cornwall.

Purpose

The Design for Sport Award is designed to help 2nd year students on the above courses, fund a trip to specified events in either New York or Munich.

Eligibility

You must be in your 2nd year of either BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design or BA(Hons) Fashion Design and be available to attend one of the above two events.

Award

One award of £500, to be used to contribute towards the cost of attending one of the above two events.

How will the competition be judged?

The judging panel will consider a number of elements when selecting a winner. Primarily, the decision will be based upon your personal statement, but at the request of the sponsor, special consideration will be given to those from low income families and/or those with a Cornish home address.

How to apply

Students will be sent a copy of the application form in advance of the competition opening. Please return a signed copy of this, by the date shown, to the address below:

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions Office, Woodlane Campus
University College Falmouth, Falmouth TR11 4RH

Tel: 01326 213744
Email: bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk

Judging panel

Course leaders

Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Services (ELCAS)

Courses Specific? No

Other Criteria? For former members of HM Armed Forces who are registered with the ELCAS scheme. University College Falmouth is a registered HEI with ELCAS.

Purpose

The MoD's Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELC) is an initiative to promote lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. The ELC scheme provides financial support in the form of a single up-front payment in each of a maximum of three separate financial years. You are reminded that ELC funding is only available for pursuit of higher level learning i.e. for courses that result in a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (England and Wales), a Level 6 or above on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) or, if pursued overseas, an approved international equivalent qualification.

As such you must ensure that you are able to demonstrate the level of the course to your Education Staff when asking them to authorise your claim

How to apply

There are several stages to the ELC process. Full information is set out in full on the ELCAS website: http://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/

Essentially:

• First you must register to become a Scheme Member and accrue a sufficient amount of service before you can submit a claim
• Then you must select a relevant course ensuring that it meets the higher level learning criteria (level 3 or above) and an Approved ELC Provider
• Thirdly, you must complete and submit an ELC claim, approved by an authorised Education Staff
• Finally you must send your completed Course Evaluation Form to ELCAS. Please note that further claims cannot be processed until evaluation forms are received for all previous courses (even those still underway)

The Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) provide the administrative support for the ELC Scheme. Education Staff are responsible for approval of both ELC Application and Claims. All completed forms should therefore be submitted to Education Staff who will send the forms to:

ELCAS
Security House
Alexandra Way
Ashchurch
Tewkesbury
Gloucestershire
GL20 8NB

It's also worth checking the Current Issues page on the ELCAS website, as it's updated regularly and contains information on claiming for higher level funding. 

Repayment of loans

• Eligible students will not have to pay up front for their tuition. The cost of tuition will be paid by a loan which students will only start to repay once they have left their course and are earning over £21,000
• If you never earn over £21,000 you will never repay the loan. But don't get too excited - UCF graduates are popular with employers and many of them go on to have excellent careers, so you will most likely find yourself repaying that loan sooner rather than later!
• The £21,000 threshold will increase in line with earnings from 2016 onwards
• If you still owe money 30 years after graduation, the remaining debt is wiped
• On the plus side, you will be £540 a year better off than a student on the same salary who has to repay a loan on £3,000 fees. If this seems confusing, it's because they start repayments when they hit a salary of over £15,000
• In the long term, you may end up paying much more than current students, partly because the debt is bigger and partly because the interest rate is higher. This means you will be better off in the short term but you will still be repaying your loan when colleagues a year older than you have long since finished repaying theirs
• Whether you come to UCF and pay £9,000 or go somewhere cheaper and pay £6,000, the monthly repayments are the same because the repayments are based on your salary not on your debt. The only difference is that the more you borrow, the longer you take to repay
• Don't worry about whether having a student loan will affect your credit rating - it won't - so it won't affect your ability to get a mortgage, credit card or any other kind of loan. As the student loan is effectively taxed at source, you won't be able to default on payments either
• Interest on your loan will be charged at inflation plus 3% while you are studying, and up until the April after you leave university

Part-time students

From 2012, loans for tuition will be extended to eligible part-time first degree students who complete a minimum of 25% of the full-time course load per year. Part-time students are not eligible for maintenance loans or grants.

For 2011 deferred entry students

Students who have deferred entry from 2011 to 2012 will come under the new arrangements in place from September 2012.

Useful contacts

If you have any queries regarding course fees, please contact our Finance Office on 01326 213778 or email: student.fees@falmouth.ac.uk.

You can also read the fees announcement by our Rector, Professor Anne Carlisle: Media release: Fees announcement 

The menu on the right includes all the information you need on student fees, bursaries and financial support for 2011 and 2012 entry.