New website for students and their families

A website to help give advice to students and their families on the financial support available to them has been launched.

The site, www.studentfinanceni.co.uk external link, will also have the facility for students to apply for their financial support on-line and will give advice on new variable tuition fees and student support arrangements, which come into effect in September 2006.

It was formally launched by Angela Smith, Employment and Learning Minister, who highlighted the importance of increasing awareness of and access to, the new student finance arrangements: “The website launched today will provide greater opportunity for students to make informed choices about where they study, the costs they are likely to incur and the amount of student support available.

“This reflects my commitment that potential students should not be deterred from applying to higher education because they don’t understand how the new arrangements in relation to fees, loans, grants and bursaries will affect them.”

The launch took place at a meeting of key stakeholders including student representatives, universities and colleges, the Education and Library Boards, other government departments and the Student Loans Company.

The Minister took the opportunity to highlight the role of all of these organisations, thanking them for their contribution and encouraging them to continue to work together to ensure students and those who advise them, are fully informed of the upcoming changes.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. Undergraduate students starting full time courses on or after 1 September 2006 at higher education institutions in Northern Ireland, with an Access Agreement approved by the Department, can be charged variable fees of up to £3,000.
  2. Students will not have to pay these fees up-front or during their higher education courses.  Instead they will be able to defer payment of their fees by taking out a fee loan, which they will start repaying after they leave higher education and are earning more than £15,000 a year.
  3. From September 2006, new full-time students from lower income households will be eligible for a new income assessed non-repayable maintenance grant of up to £3,200.  Students with household incomes of £17,500 or less will receive the full £3,200 maintenance grant and those from households with an annual income between £17,501 and £37,425 will receive a partial grant.
  4. New maximum maintenance loan rates will apply from September 2006. For students living at home the maximum loan rate will be £3,415.  For students living away from home, outside London, the rate will be £4,405.   Students living away from home, in London, will be entitled to a maximum of £6,170.
  5. Photograph caption L-R: John Caldwell, The National Union of Students UK and the Union of Students in Ireland, (NUS-USI); Ralph Seymour-Jackson, Student Loans Company and the Minister for Employment and Learning, Angela Smith at the launch of the Student Finance Website, www.studentfinanceni.co.uk, which informs students and their families of student support arrangements and allows students to apply on line for loans.
  6. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.