If I have my own savings, will I have to declare them?
If you want to apply for the means-tested elements of support, you’ll have to estimate your gross taxable income for the year to come. This income includes all money you earn or receive that you pay tax on, except for any part-time or holiday jobs you do during your course. There are a few other sources they won’t worry about either – the forms make it pretty clear and, if you’re still not sure, ask. If you have savings and investments and don’t expect to earn more than your personal allowance in the tax year (currently £5,035 which doesn’t include any loans, grants or bursaries), arrange for your interest to be paid without tax being deducted. Then you won’t have to claim it back.

What courses don’t get any financial help? Basically everyone gets one chance to take a degree or equivalent qualification, but only one. That means that students don’t normally get Government funding for any of the following, although there’s often another source you can try:

• Postgraduate courses, including NVQ Level 5: Unless they’re training to be teachers (PGCEs or similar), postgrads either have to pay for themselves or get funding from the British Council, one of the research councils, their employer or some other organisation.
• Any nursing or midwifery course: Instead, students get a non-income-assessed NHS bursary or a special award for health services.
• Further education courses like A Levels, AS Levels, Scottish Highers, NVQs, GNVQs, most BTEC courses, City & Guilds and so on. Funding for these is a whole different system – talk to the LEA.
• Access or conversion courses which prepare students to take a higher education course.

What if I don’t live in the UK?
Then it depends where you do live. If you normally live in any EU country other than the UK, you should be able to get help with your tuition fees, but won’t get help with your living expenses. It’s down to individual circumstances, though. (See www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/fees_student_support.php for more details.)

There may also be some help available from the authorities in your home country, though Push can’t promise anything.

And what if I don’t live in the EU?
In this case, you’re an international student (aka ‘overseas student’) and you’re going to have to fund your course costs all by yourself or apply in your own country for whatever educational funding may be available. What’s more, you’re going to have to pay the full cost of your course (starting from around £4,000 a year), not just the £3,000 ish contribution.

What if I drop out and want to get back in?
Sometimes students avoid flunking altogether by repeating a year or dropping out of one university and starting again somewhere else.

Most LEAs won’t support you financially for a repeated year, especially not if they reckon it’s your fault. Reasons for it being considered ‘your fault’ might include not liking the university you chose, hitting the financial rocks or getting drunk and missing all your lectures. They might be more lenient if you’re sick (and no, not drink induced sick.) The policy on all this varies from one LEA to another, however, so if it looks like you may have to flunk, first check out how they’ll react and, if it’s likely to be a no-no, try to hang in there.

If you do want to repeat a year, you’ll probably have to pay tuition fees for the time you’re repeating and it may be not just the £3,145 contribution, but the whole whack (the same as an international student). You might well get an extra year’s student loan though – for all the good that’ll do you.

The message is: choose your university carefully in the first place and don’t screw up when you get there by either not budgeting your money or by being a complete dosser. So long as you do that, no one can blame you and you’ll avoid the worst of the financial rough justice for flunking.

Still confused?
Fair enough.

Read the DfES booklet ‘Guide to Financial Support for Higher Education Students’. It’s available online (www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk) or call their information line on 0800 731 9133 for a copy. It’s free.

Unfortunately, it’ll make even less sense than this.

So try completing as much of the application forms as you can, asking for help as you go along whenever you need to.

For general questions about finance and applying, call the Student Loans Company’s Customer Support Office on 08456 077577. For more detailed questions about your entitlement to help, try the DfES helpline on (01325) 392822. Or just ring your LEA.

Alternatively, you can send instant messages to an advisor online at www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk. Not unlike chatting to your mates on MSN messenger, but probably without as many emoticons.

So long as you get the money, no one complains and you don’t lie on the forms, it doesn’t matter if the detail is clear as .

There’s a veritable library of suggested reading and recommended websites near the back of the book.

• Student loans and grants
• Grants and loans for living costs
• A quick guide to student funding
• Alright, how do I apply then?

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