On placement
On placement?
There are certain differences to your fees and funding if you are a full-time UK home undergraduate student who will be on a placement as part of a sandwich degree during the 2012 / 13 academic year. These differences will apply if your total attendance at University over the whole academic year will be less than ten weeks in total.
If you are planning a transfer that will involve starting a new course or changing your mode of study during the 2012 / 13 academic year, it is especially important that you seek advice as there will be major changes to the level of tuition fees and the funding package and you will need to know which set of regulations you will fall under for fees and funding purposes.
Tuition fees
Your 2012 / 13 placement year fees will normally be £700.
If your placement does not last the full academic year, the full fee of £3,465 will be payable.
Tuition fee loans are available as normal to cover these fees.
You can arrange to pay your fees direct to the University during your year if:
- You are not getting a tuition fee loan to cover all your fees.
- You do not want to take out a tuition fee loan at all.
Loans and grants for living costs
Government grants are not normally available to students during a full placement year. A reduced rate of loan is also payable as follows.
Loans available during full placement years
| Are you? | Full year | Final year |
|---|---|---|
| Living away from home | £2,324 | £1,811 |
| Living in parents' home | £1,744 | £1,324 |
You may be eligible to receive the same grants and loans during the years when you attend University, if you are doing an unpaid placement in the public or voluntary sector. Contact your national Student Finance Service to check if you will get full funding for any unpaid placement.
You will be eligible for the full range of grants and loans, if both of the following apply to you:
- Your placement does not last the full academic year.
- You are in attendance at the University for ten weeks or more.
NTU bursaries
One of the eligibility requirements for the NTU Bursary Scheme is that students must be paying the full home tuition fee (£3,465 in 2012 / 13). Students on a placement year as part of a sandwich course cannot be considered for an NTU Bursary, because they do not pay the full home tuition fee. See the NTU Bursary terms and conditions for full details.
Receiving your student loan
To apply for a tuition fee loan and / or a maintenance loan, you will need to make it clear to your National Student Finance Service that you are a placement student when you renew your funding.
The Student Loans Company will pay the first instalment of your maintenance loan up to 25 working days earlier than usual, in recognition of the fact that a placement year often starts earlier than an academic year.
If you have any queries about applying for support, you can contact your National Student Finance Services.
Access to Learning Fund
As a placement student, you will still be enrolled as a student and therefore able to apply for assistance from the University's Access to Learning Fund. Support is means-tested and based on a shortfall between income and expenditure. All earnings are counted in full, so it is unlikely that you will qualify for additional support if you have a reasonably well paid placement.
You may, however, have an unpaid placement, a low paid placement or have additional support needs (for example you may have children). This will be taken into account during the assessment but please be aware that the fund is limited and cannot provide the main source of funding for those on placement.
For information on how to apply, please contact the Student Financial Support Service on +44 (0)115 848 2494 or via email.
Further advice
Further advice for students on placement is available on our current students' page. In addition, you can contact the University's Student Financial Support Service on +44 (0)115 848 2494 or via email.
