HELOA & Student Finance Seminar 9 November 2017

Study Abroad and Placements

Session Contents

• Tuition Fees & Placement Year Funding

• Travel Grants

• Study Abroad Guidance – Spreadsheet

• Practitioner Resources

Insert slide header Study Abroad Workshop

Tuition Fees Sandwich and Placement Years

Policy for students starting their courses on or after 1st September 2012 and maintained at 2017/18 rates for 2018/19: • Maximum fees and loans for Erasmus study or work placement years and non-

Erasmus overseas years of study of £1,385*

• Maximum Tuition Fee Loan £920* for specifically designated courses at private HE providers

• Maximum fees and loans for Sandwich work placement years £1,850**

• Maximum Tuition Fee Loan £1,230** for designated courses at private HEPs

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15% or **20% of maximum fee cap with OFFA Access Agreement achieving TEF award i

Supplementary Support Placement Year Funding

AY 17/18 funding for 2012 and 2016 cohort SFE students at HEPs with Access Agreements and TEF award, with less than 10 weeks attendance at home HEP:

ERASMUS Study or Work Placement Overseas Study Sandwich Course

Work Placement

HEP Location

HEP Type Public Private Public Private Public Private

England £1,385 N/A £1,385 £920 £1,850 £1,230 Wales £1,385 N/A £1,385 £900 £1,850 £1,200 Scotland £1,385* N/A £4,625 £3,000 £4,625 £3,000

N. Ireland Erasmus Waiver N/A £4,625 £3,000 £4,625 £3,000

*Erasmus fee waiver still applies for 2012 cohort students at a Scottish HEP so fee will be £0

i

Insert slide header Placement Years – Tuition Fee Overview

The funding a student will receive depends on their placement type and when/where the placement takes place:

There are three types of placement students can be assessed under;

• Type A Unpaid work placement anywhere, other than those covered in Type B • Type B Unpaid work placement in a hospital, health or Local Authority, prison or

probation sector • Type C Paid work placement in the UK/Overseas

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Placement Type A

Maintenance Loan

Means Tested

Dep Grants

Travel Grant

Evidence Required

Full Year Unpaid Reduced Rate (RRML) N N N N

Part Year Unpaid 10 weeks or more

at HEP Standard Rate Y Y N N

Part Year Unpaid Under 10 weeks

at HEP

Reduced Rate (RRML) N N N N

AY 17/18 funding for 2012 and 2016 cohort SFE students

Insert slide header Placement Years – Type A Placements

Placement Type B

Maintenance Loan

Means Tested

Dep Grants

Travel Grant

Evidence Required

Full Year Unpaid Standard Rate Y Y N* To confirm placement

Part Year Unpaid 10 weeks or more

at HEP Standard Rate Y Y N* N

Part Year Unpaid Under 10 weeks

at HEP Standard Rate Y Y N* To confirm

placement

*Unless the placement is research in an overseas institution i

Insert slide header Placement Years – Type B Placements

AY 17/18 funding for 2012 and 2016 cohort SFE students

Placement Locations Qualifying as Type B: • A Local Authority carrying out it's duties relating to health, welfare or caring for children and young people or a voluntary organisation (including charities) providing facilities or

carrying out similar activities

• A Local Authority acting in the exercise of public health functions within the UK • Unpaid research in a UK or overseas institution

• An unpaid placement in the Houses of Parliament

Unpaid placements not listed above will normally be classed as Type A i

Insert slide header Placement Years – Type B Placements

Placement Locations Qualifying as Type B: • A hospital, Public Health Service Laboratory or Clinical Commission group within the UK

• A Special Health Authority, the National Health Service Commission Board, the National

Institute for Health and Social Care Information Centre or Local Health Board

• Special Health Board or Health and Social Services Board within the UK • The prison or probation sector or after care services within the UK

Insert slide header Placement Years – Type B Placements

Unpaid placements not listed above will normally be classed as Type A i

Placement Type C

Maintenance Loan

Means Tested

Dep Grants

Travel Grant

Evidence Required

Full Year Paid Reduced Rate (RRML) N N N N

Part Year Unpaid 10 weeks or more at

HEP Standard Rate Y Y N N

Part Year Paid Under 10 weeks at

HEP

Reduced Rate (RRML) N N N N

Insert slide header Placement Years – Type C Placements

AY 17/18 funding for 2012 and 2016 cohort SFE students

Supplementary Support Travel Grants

Students may be eligible for the Travel Grant if they’re studying a full-time higher-education course and receiving student finance that depends on their household income: Students must also be: • Attending an overseas university or college (including students on the Erasmus+ scheme) for at least 50% of any academic term (This period of study can be compulsory or optional)

• Attending a hospital or other premises in the UK as an integral part of their medical or dental course (Not if eligible for means-tested Department of Health bursaries/awards*)

*This doesn’t cover any attendance involving residential study i

Insert slide header Travel Grant – Overview

Travel Grant can be claimed for up to three return journeys between the UK and the overseas institution during a full academic year abroad and also;

• Necessary travel costs associated with clinical training where attendance at a hospital or other premises is necessary

• The cost of a child fares between the UK and the overseas institution if it’s necessary for a lone parent who’s also a student to take them abroad

• Mandatory Medical Insurance, Visas and Medical Expenses for the purpose of studying abroad • Mileage if they have to travel by car

Insert slide header Travel Grant – Qualifying Travel

The first £303 of any eligible travel costs per academic year are to be met by the student:

• There is a threshold of £39,796 and if household income is above this a contribution will be deducted from any Travel Grant payable at a rate of £1 for each additional £9.27 • Up to a Maximum contribution of £6,210 • Any costs above £303 are reimbursed pound for pound

• UK mileage paid at a rate of 24p for the 17/18 Academic Year

• The cost of mandatory visas, medical tests and medical insurance are also not subject to the £303 disregard

Insert slide header Travel Grant – Rates and Costs

Students can apply for the Travel Grant at any time during the academic year, but will only get the full amount of Travel Grant if they send us all the evidence we ask for to support travel expense claims*: • They should provide photocopies as proof of payment made, this could be an e-receipt for payment of flights

• Receipts in a foreign language may need to be translated at a student’s own cost How do students get paid? • Funding will be paid on an ad hoc basis so students won’t have to wait until their next

instalment of student finance to get the Travel Grant

*There’s no limit on how many Travel Grant forms students can submit i

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DfE have clarified Reg. 52 of the 2011 Student Support Regulations which refers to reasonable expenditure a student is obliged to incur within or outside the United Kingdom for the purpose of attending their course: • SFE will only pay for return travel if the student is returning home to the United Kingdom • The cost of return travel is not a consideration and only return trips to the United Kingdom

from study abroad will be reimbursed • Therefore students can't claim for return travel to anywhere else except the UK, even if

travelling to a different country costs less

• Travel costs will only be reimbursed for travel between the students place of residence within the UK to their study place abroad

Insert slide header Travel Grant – Reasonable Expenditure

If students need an overnight stay as part of their travel this can be accepted if evidence can be provided to show it's a necessary part of their travel: • Acceptable evidence can be flight itineraries showing travel dates or costs and evidence of payment • Accommodation costs from an overnight stay wouldn’t be reimbursed If a student chooses to, or has to return from a different airport to the one in the country where they study: • As long as they return to the UK, SFE might, in some cases, reimburse the return travel

costs and this will be looked at on a case by case basis

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Study Abroad Team Guidance SFE & SFW

Full Year Student* Maximum Loan

(100%)

Non-Income Assessed

(% of Max Loan)

Income Assessed (% of Max Loan)

Parental Home £7,097 £3,124 44% £3,973 56%

Elsewhere £8,430 £3,928 46.6% £4,502 53.4%

London £11,002 £5,479 49.8% £5,523 50.2%

Overseas £9,654 £4,667 48.3% £4,987 51.7%

*Lower amounts available for final year students

2016 cohort F/T students, not eligible for benefits or aged over 60

Insert slide header Maintenance Support – AY 2017/18 Rates

The purpose of the SFE Study Abroad Team is to raise manual payments where a student requires payments outside of the normal system method (three instalments paid on the first day of each term) because they are either studying abroad or on a placement abroad: As long as a student has applied correctly and on time they will have their applications processed without the HEP confirmation • If a student is abroad in their 1st term they will receive payment earlier than those studying

in the UK

• The student will receive their first instalment 25 working days before they start date of their course (as defined on the Course Management Service (CMS)

• The 2nd & 3rd instalments will be paid in accordance with the starts dates on CMS

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If an early payment is beneficial then the Study Abroad Team offer 3 types of manual payments:

A) First instalment paid early (earlier than the 25 working days payment date) B) Full entitlement paid in two instalments (paying the student in a 50/50 split) C) Full entitlement paid in one instalment

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A) First Instalment Early Universities can request the first instalment of a student’s entitlement be brought forward if the student is required to travel abroad to commence their course more than 25 working days prior to the course start date as set on the course database • There are no restrictions on which students can request this as long as they will be abroad

in their first term at least B) Full Entitlement in Two Instalments In certain countries (usually but not limited to USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand) the university year runs across two semesters rather than the standard three terms in the UK

• In these instances a student can request that their entitlement be paid across two instalments rather than the standard three

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If there is a request for two instalments, the student will receive two equal payments of 50%: • The first payment will be made manually approximately one week before the date they

would ordinarily be paid by the system (unless an early payment has been requested)

• The student will then receive the remaining 50% of their entitlement, on or around the standard second term start date (as set on CMS)

• This type of manual payment is not usually available for students studying in Europe as, for the most part, countries within Europe follow a similar pattern to the UK in regards to terms and term dates

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C) Full Entitlement in One Instalment In some countries (usually China, Japan & Russia) the student may be required to show they have the money to support themselves financially for the year prior to gaining access into the country: • In these instances we can pay the full student entitlement for the year on their first instalment date (unless requested otherwise) • A student MUST also be abroad for the full academic year to request this payment

• Alternatively if a student is studying (or on a placement) in China, Japan or Russia and does not require their entitlement paid upfront in one instalment and would rather not be paid in three instalments we would consider a request for payment in two instalments if required

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D) Alternative Requests Any other requests that do not fall into the three standard categories will be reviewed on a case by case basis and it will be down to our discretion as to whether we can process any other manual payments: Note: Any requests must be because of a student studying abroad • Any accounts that are sent to the Study Abroad Team that do not require a manual

payment will be worked as standard

• The details sent via spreadsheet will be stored for other departments to access if required e.g. Travel Grants

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Insert slide header SFW Study Abroad HEP Spreadsheet

Study Abroad Team SFW Focus and Process

The SFW process for study abroad is broadly the same as that for SFE: • HEPs can submit information for students studying abroad on the SLC (SFE)

spreadsheet or via email

• The spreadsheet will be checked and worked to ensure that students are receiving the correct rate of ML for each term (Abroad/Elsewhere/Parental), and

• Any requests for early payment or payment in 1 or 2 instalments are actioned where

applicable

• Information/queries regarding study abroad and travel grants should be submitted to;

SFW_Resolve_Team@slc.co.uk

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SFW process Travel Grants providing a continuous service and all queries can be sent to SFW_Resolve_Team@slc.co.uk: • Students who apply for Travel Grant will need to provide confirmation from the HEP

that they are studying abroad

• If they apply prior to us receiving the above-mentioned spreadsheet, or they do not appear on the sheet (for whatever reason), we will request the following;

• A CAB (Course Abroad) Form, completed (and stamped) by the HEP along with,

• The SAEX (Study Abroad Expenses) form, and

• Relevant receipts and tickets

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All students who are studying abroad within an academic year will have their application processed without HEP confirmation providing they apply correctly: • If the student applies on time for their support, and is abroad in their first term at least,

they will automatically receive their 1st instalment 25 working days before the start date of their course as stated on the HEP course database

• Even if a student is abroad in their second and third terms they will still be paid according to the term dates set on the course database

• When a student requests a payment that falls into one of the relevant categories it will be reviewed by Study Abroad team

Insert slide header SFW Study Abroad and Travel Grant

In order for SFW to raise a manual payment for a student we MUST have confirmation and evidence of the student’s abroad study or placement, which can include; • A letter from the HEP confirming where the student is studying or on placement the dates they will be attending (including breaks) • A Course Abroad Form (CAB Form) stamped or signed by the HEP confirming where the

student is studying or on placement and dates they will be attending (including breaks)

• An email sent to the SFW Resolve inbox from the student’s HEP confirming where the student is studying or on placement and dates they will be attending (including breaks)

• A completed Study Abroad template spreadsheet sent to the study abroad inbox

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Study Abroad and Placements SFE Resources

Selecting ‘SUPPORTING MATERIALS’ from the home page directs you to the new resource finder, allowing access to individual items or bundles – a range of resources covering a topic: Search resources by;

• Academic Year

• Intended Audience

• Subject

• Resource Type

Insert slide header www.practitioners.slc.co.uk

Insert slide header SLC Knowledgebase

Access Knowledgebase via the HEP Services Information section on the HEP Services website or internet search SLC Knowledgebase i

Use Knowledgebase to search for and find information on many areas of student finance process and policy

Funding Information Partners Team fundinginformationpartners@slc.co.uk www.practitioners.slc.co.uk