Fees and funding for UK and EU studentsFees and funding

It is essential to plan your financial arrangements before making a decision about your studies. Although there are academic fees

and living costs to pay for, many students can offset their impact thanks to the financial support schemes offered both by Sussex and the UK Government, as well as by undertaking limited part-time work during their studies.

Academic feesAcademic fees for UK/EU full-time students, which are set by the UK Government, pay for your teaching costs (including both tuition and exams). The standard academic fee is £3,145 a year*. This applies to full-time ‘home’ students. See pages 166-167 for further information on fees.

It is important to bear in mind that academic fees don’t pay for your accommodation, meals and other living expenses. We estimate that, for the 2009/10 academic year, you should budget at least £7,263 for living costs. A more detailed cost breakdown is available on page 168.

Although your studies may therefore require a significant financial commitment, it is important to consider the benefits enjoyed by many graduates during their careers. A degree not only broadens your horizons but, according to a 2007 survey for Universities UK, also enables graduates to earn on average about 25 per cent more than young people who leave school after their A levels.

How you payYou can choose to pay academic fees up front to the University during your period of study, or apply each year to take out a loan from the Student Loans Company and defer payment until after you complete your studies. Which option you choose will depend on your preferences and circumstances.

If you defer fee payment (by taking out a fee loan from the Student Loans Company**), the UK Government will pay us on your behalf and will convert that amount into a non-means-tested fee loan you repay after you have left and are earning more than £15,000 a year. The interest rate for fee loans is well below commercial rates and is tied to inflation.

Sussex financial support schemesWe want to ensure that financial issues do not affect your decision about studying at Sussex. To help offset the impact of academic fees, we offer scholarship and bursary schemes*** aimed especially at helping those from less well-off backgrounds. At the time of going to press (January 2008) we expect to offer the following financial support schemes (final arrangements will be published at www.sussex.ac.uk/scholarships_and_bursaries):

• Sussex Bursary: we will provide a bursary of £1,000 a year to all students whose assessed family income is £25,000 or less.

• Chancellor’s Scholarship: if your family income is less than £28,500, you are eligible to apply for one of up to 200 Chancellor’s Scholarships, worth £1,000a year. The selection criteria for this scheme are designed to favour applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. Full details are given on our website.

• Other Sussex scholarships and awards: Sussex also offers a number of ‘high-flier’ scholarships in certain science subjects, based on academic promise and/or high entry grades. The amounts involved vary, but are typically £1,000 on entry. Details can be found on the relevant subject pages. We also offer scholarships funded by charitable donations or alumni – details are given on our website.

Can you get support from more than one Sussex scheme? Yes. If you meet the eligibility criteria and present yourself successfully within the competitive schemes above, you could secure awards totalling £2,000 a year or more.

To apply for student financial support (help for fees and living costs):

If you normally live in England: the Student Loans Company (through the Student Finance Service) will assess and pay your support. At the time of going to press (January 2008) further details were unavailable. We recommend checking www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk from summer 2008 for further information.If you normally live in Northern Ireland: your Education and Library Board (ELB) will assess your application. For further details visit www.studentfinanceni.co.uk from summer 2008.If you normally live in Scotland: the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will assess your application. For further details, visit www.student-support-saas.gov.uk from summer 2008.If you normally live in Wales: your Local Authority (LA) will assess your application. For further details, visit www.studentfinancewales.co.uk from summer 2008.If you are an EU national and normally live outside the UK but within the European Economic Area (the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, you can apply for a fee loan (but not generally any living costs support) from the Student Loans Company EU Customer Services Team.For further details, visitwww.studentfinancedirect.co.uk

* This is the fee for 2008/09. It

will not rise by more than the rate

of inflation for 2009/10. Please

note, however, that fees for UK/

EU students who have already

completed a first degree are under

review at the time of going to press

(January 2008) due to a change

in Government policy. Students in

this position may become subject

to higher-than-standard fees.

Clarification will be published on our

website during 2008. Visit

www.sussex.ac.uk/ugstudy

** Financial support arrangements

may vary depending on which

country you normally live in (see

table above for more information

about your financial support

authority)

*** The Sussex Bursary and

Chancellor’s Scholarship are

available to UK students only

UK

and

EU

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Assessing your family income Eligibility for the Sussex Bursary and Chancellor’s Scholarship schemes will be based on a Government assessment of your family income. There are ‘ready reckoner’ tools for estimating assessment of family income by financial support authorities**. We recommend that you checkwww.studentfinancedirect.co.uk

We will post our own guidance at www.sussex.ac.uk/scholarships_and_bursaries

Applying for Sussex support schemes You do not need to do anything to apply for the Sussex Bursary scheme; we will base payments purely on information about family income passed to us by the financial support authority during the autumn term. To apply for one of the other Sussex scholarship schemes, visit www.sussex.ac.uk/scholarships_and_bursaries

Other support from Sussex There is also a limited Access to Learning Fund for UK students experiencing acute financial difficulties, with priority given to mature students, students from low-income families, care leavers, those with dependants and/or disabilities and those in their final year.

Government support Grants for living costs UK students from lower-income backgrounds may be eligible for a non-repayable Government grant to help with living costs**. The amount of grant you receive depends on your family income. For example, i n 2008/09 students from England with a family income of £25,000 or less are eligible for a maintenance grant of £2,835 a year. Partial grants are also available for those with a family income of between £25,001 and £60,000. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Degrees in some subjects also attract additional Government financial support. Details can be found on the relevant subject pages.

Fee loans and loans for living costs UK and EU students (subject to certain residency requirements) can defer payment of tuition fees by taking out a non-means-tested fee loan from the UK Government. UK (but not most other EU) students can also take out loans for living costs. In 2008/09 the maximum loan for living costs for UK students living in England was £4,625** for those living away from home outside London. You can apply for a fee loan regardless of your age; however, there are age restrictions on the loan for living costs (eg UK students living in England must be under 60 at the start of the degree programme).

In general, all eligible students are entitled to 75 per cent of the maximum loan for living costs regardless of income. Whether you receive more is subject to means testing. The amount of loan you receive will be reduced if you are in receipt of a maintenance grant. This is because the grant is intended to help students from lower-income households with living costs and minimise their loan requirements.

You repay the loans in instalments after graduation, once your earnings reach £15,000 per year. As the interest rate is tied to inflation, your debt does not escalate uncontrollably. The Government has stated that any student loan balances (except for arrears) that are unpaid after 25 years will be written off; students living in England are eligible to take a ‘repayment holiday’ of up to five years. This will cover both loans for fees and loans for maintenance.

Part-time programmes: fees and support If you study on a part-time undergraduate degree programme, you may be eligible for a Fee and Course Grant. The amount of grant available depends upon your family income and additionally, for the Fee Grant, on how ‘intensive’ your degree programme is (ie how long it will take to complete compared to an equivalent full-time degree). For further details, visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Other support and allowances Students with dependent children may be able to claim Child Tax Credits. See www.direct.gov.uk/taxcredits for further details.

If you have a disability, dependants or have to travel as part of your degree programme (for example, to placements), you may be entitled to a range of additional grants. In addition, students who are ill or disabled, of pensionable age, or who have children and/or caring responsibilities may be entitled to welfare benefits. Contact your local Department for Work and Pensions, or Local Authority for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, or seek advice from the University of Sussex Students’ Union Advice Centre.

To find out more about what Government support is on offer, visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance or www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk

Part-time work Working for a few hours each week (we recommend no more than 15 hours) should not interfere with your studies and is quite normal for Sussex students. It helps to reduce your reliance on loans and can look good on your CV. Our Career Development and Employment Centre (see pages 24-25) can help you to find a job suited to your skills and interests.

Advice and informationIf you are looking for independent

financial information, the University

of Sussex Students’ Union provides

an advice service. Visit

www.ussu.info/advice

The information on this page is

intended as a general guide and was

correct at the time of going to press

(January 2008). Details are liable to

change, especially the rules governing

student loans. You should check the

details with relevant agencies.

UK

and EU students Fees and funding

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Fees and funding for international students (non-EU)Fees and funding

We understand that studying in the UK is a significant financial commitment for our international students. Find out how much

money you will need and how Sussex scholarships and part-time work opportunities may help make things easier for you.

Cost of livingBefore you arrive in the UK, you need to make sure you will have enough money to cover the cost of living for the duration of your course.

We estimate that, for the 2009/10 academic year, you should budget for at least £7,263 to cover your accommodation and other living expenses. To find out more about living expenses in the UK, read our cost breakdown on page 168.

Chancellor’s International ScholarshipsOur Chancellor’s International Scholarships support the best in global talent. We award up to 40 scholarships to new international (non-EU) fee-paying students each year.

Chancellor’s International Scholarships are:

• worth £2,500 each year, for the duration of your study

• awarded on academic merit

• available for all undergraduate degrees (except those in the Brighton and Sussex Medical School).

The closing date for applications is 1 May. To apply and to check the full eligibility criteria, visit www.sussex.ac.uk/scholarships_and _bursaries

Part-time workYou can earn extra cash and gain valuable work experience by working part-time. With a thriving tourist industry, Brighton is a goodplace to look for part-time work and students often apply for jobs in shops, hotels, bars, restaurants and offices, as well as on campus.

The UK has a minimum wage and, as a guide, this was £5.52 per hour for adults aged 22 and over and £4.60 per hour for those aged 18-21 on 1 October 2007.

If you are a non-EU student, you will normally be allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during vacations. However, we recommend you

Tuition fees for international students (non-EU) 2009/10

Medicine £22,550 pa*

Full-time

Standard lower programme fee rate £9,975 pa (variable fee) £10,500 pa (fixed fee)

Standard higher programme fee rate £12,750 pa (variable fee) £13,270 pa (fixed fee)Part-timeStudents classed as ‘overseas’ for fees purposes but taking programmes part-time will pay half the overseas fee rate.

Joint degreesFor joint degrees where the two subjects fall within different fee levels (for example Art History and Anthropology), fees will be charged at the higher rate. For degrees with a minor component, such as Psychology with American Studies, fees will be set according to the fee level of the major subject.

Year abroad/sandwich yearsStudents classed as ‘overseas’ for fees purposes but spending a year of their programme either abroad or as a sandwich placement will pay half the overseas fee rate for that year. Students, who spend less than a full academic year abroad, are liable to pay the sametuition fee as if they were studying at Sussex.

Foundation years International Foundation Year £9,975 (to be confirmed)

(based in the International Study Centre, University of Sussex)

Other on- and off-campus foundation years £9,975 (to be confirmed)

A full list of the programmes on offer in 2009/10 and the applicable fee band are on pages 174-175. Note that all fees increase on an annual basis and are liable to review and change without notice. For the most up-to-date fee information, visit www.sussex.ac.uk/ugstudy

* The fee quoted is for the academic year 2008/09, which is the latest figure available at the time of going to press (January 2008).

always put your studies first and avoid working more than 15 hours per week during term time. Part-time work may help pay for travel, entertainment or savings, but you should not rely on this money to pay for fees or basic living costs.

You can find part-time work by looking in local newspapers and asking in shops and restaurants. Our Career Development and Employment Centre also promotes over 3,000 temporary and part-time jobs each year. Find out more on pages 24-25.

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