Income and Student Finance

Contact Info

Income and Student Finance Office is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm

Telephone +44 (0)28 9097 2767
Fax :         +44 (0)28 9097 2856
Email : IncomeOffice@qub.ac.uk

FAQ

Got a question about ...

...Student Loans?
...Tuition Fees?  
...Institutional Bursaries? 
...Education & Library Board Bursaries?  
...Support Fund? 
...Clubs and Societies? 

Tuition Fees

How can I pay my tuition fees?

Tuition Fees can be paid in person at the Incomeand Student Finance Office by Cash/Cheque/Credit Card/Debit Card or by telephone +44 (0)28 9097 2767 using a Credit/Debit card.

I am being sponsored but I have received an invoice for my fees.  What do I do now?

Please forward your letter of sponsorship to Income and Student Finance Office, Student Guidance Centre.  An invoice will then be sent directly to your sponsor. Please note Sponsor Letters must be submitted no later than 31st January 2012. Failure to submit the letter will result in the debt reverting to the Student.

I am getting a fee loan to pay my fees but I have received a reminder letter saying my fees are due.  What do I do now?

Please contact the Income and Student Finance Office, Student Guidance Centre, immediately. 

Return to top

Queen's Institutional Bursaries

Please note Institutional Bursaries are only available to Full Time UK Students first registered Post September 2006

I think I am entitled to a bursary but I haven't got any notification yet.  What should I do?

You must complete an application for student support (PN1/PR1) and give consent to share information.  If this has already been completed you need to check with your Local Education & Library Board to check on the progess of your application.

How can I apply for an Institutional/Student Experience Bursary?   

You apply through your Local Education & Library Board.  You complete the financial assessment form (PN(1) or PR(1)).  Please ensure you give Queen's University Belfast access to your information by ticking Section 13. 

How does my Institutional Bursary get paid?

If you are entitled to an Institutional Bursary you will receive a letter from the Student Loans Company on Queen's University headed paper informing you of the amount of bursary you are to receive and also the payment dates.  Payment of Institutional Bursaries are made by the Student Loans Company.

I am entitled to a Student Experience Bursary.  Where do I get this?

If you are entitled to a Student Experience Bursary you will receive an e-mail confirming this and you will be able to spend this via your valid student card.  This can be used at the QFT or Queens Sport at the PEC. It can also be exchanged for Waterstones Gift vouchers.

How much do I get for my Student Experience Bursary?

Please click here for further information regarding Student Experience Bursaries

The course detailed on my bursary letter is incorrect.  What should I do?

If the information on your bursary letter from Student Loans Company is incorrect please contact the Finance Department as a matter of urgency.  Please  click here  for contact details.

Return to top

Education & Library Board (ELB) Bursaries

How do I apply for an ELB Bursary?

You complete a PR(1) form from Student Finance NI.  This form is used to assess your maintainence loan and bursary.  Your ELB will notify you if you are entitled to a bursary

How can I get my ELB Bursary?

ELB bursaries are paid directly into your bank account via the Student Loans Company, with the exception of Final Year Medical Students whose  bursaries can be collected from the Income and Student Finance Office, Student Guidance Centre.  You must have your student card to collect your bursary.

How can I contact my Local Education & Library Board?

Please   click here  and follow the link to the relevant Education & Library Board

Which ELB do I contact?

Education and Library Boards are split by local government boundaries.  Pleas e click   here to see which board is relevant to you

Return to top

Clubs & Societies

How can we register our club?

You need to get recognition from the Vice President Clubs & Societies Student’s Union.  The club must run for a full year without funding.  All finances must go through the Clubs & Societies representative in the Clubs and Societies office in the Students Union, Second floor.

Where does our club/society have to be registered?   

Clubs & Societies must be registered with Vice President, Clubs & Societies, Student’s Union.  

Is there a minimum number of members required to set up a club?

You must have at least six members

How do we apply for our Clubs & Societies grants?   

You apply for grants by completing the forms on Student’s Union Website  .  These forms are handed into the Vice President Clubs & Societies in the Student’s Union.

How do I know if our club/society is eligible for a grant?

All societies are eligible provided they are not political or religious.

How much are grants?

Grants vary according to how much was needed the previous year and how much income was generated by the Club/Society directly.

What can we spend this grant on? 

Furthering your education in the particular field or representing the University in sporting Competitions

Where do we get our grant from?   

Societies get their grants from Vice President Clubs & Societies Student’s Union, Clubs get their grants from Cathy Gallagher, Queens Sport, PEC

What is the difference between a club and a society? 

Clubs are sporting, Societies are academic

Do we need to open a bank account?

NO – THIS IS FORBIDDEN, all finances must be processed though the Finance Department, Clubs & Societies.

Return to top 

Student Support Fund

What is the Support Fund?

Money made available by the Department of Employment & Learning to provide financial help for students who get into financial difficulty during their course.

Who can apply?

All full-time and part-time (50% of equivalent full-time course) home undergraduates and postgraduate students can apply. Any eligible student who has a particular financial need can apply.  However, priority will be given to the following groups:  

  • Students with children (especially lone parents)
  • Mature students whose return to full-time study has resulted in financial hardship
  • Students who have entered higher education from care
  • Students with disabilities (especially where the Disabled Student Allowance is unable to meet particular costs)
  • Students incurring additional costs whilst caring for a disabled/ill relative
  • Students with financial responsibilities towards their own child/children in the custody of another person
  • Students incurring maternity costs
  • Students who have been burgled and lost essential personal items, such as clothes, books, etc, and can supply a police report
  • Students who wish to apply for funding towards the cost of diagnostic assessment. (Please contact Disability Services or Income & Student Finance for a separate application form.)

To be eligible for an award from the Support Fund, undergraduates must have taken out the maximum Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan to which they are entitled. 

Postgraduates must demonstrate that they have already organised sufficient funding for their course.  The Support Fund is a discretionary fund and can only be used as a top up to funding that has already been obtained.  It should not be viewed as a way to fund a course.

Students who are not eligible for Support Funds, for example, non UK students, can apply to the University’s Hardship Fund.  There is a small amount of money in the Hardship Fund so circumstances must be exceptional for a payment to be made.  The application process for the Hardship Fund is the same as that for the Support Fund and applications from students who are not eligible for the Support Fund are automatically referred to the Hardship Fund.

What happens if I provide insufficient information?                                                                     

Forms submitted without correct documentation or not completed fully will not be processed.  You will be notified by email about missing or incomplete documentation. It is essential that this documentation is provided as quickly as possible to ensure your application does not laps. It is the student’s responsibility to provide all the essential documentation.

Who decides if I will get an award and how much? 

Each application is assessed individually by the Support Fund Committee taking into account income and expenditure.   An award is made to a student based on their financial need.  Please note there is no automatic entitlement to an award for any student.  Awards are subject to money being available in the Fund.

How will I get my money?   

Students will be advised by email of the Committee's Decision.                                                                                                                 

Awards are paid by BACS directly into your bank account so it is vital that you give the correct details. 

Do I have to pay this back? 

Awards made by the Support Fund or Hardship fund do not have to be repaid.

What should I do if I am not happy with the decision?

Students have the right to request a review of any decision of the Committee.  Letters should be addressed to the Chairperson of the Support Fund Committee and returned to the Income & Student Finance Office.

EMERGENCY LOAN

The Support Fund also provides help for the students who have not received their loan at the beginning of term - in the form of an emergency loan.

Emergency Loan Forms can be obtained from: Connie Craig, Student Financial Adviser,  2nd Floor, Students’ Union, tel no 02890 971049, email connie.craig@qub.ac.uk

The emergency loan is an advance from the Income & Student  Finance Department pending receipt of the student’s student loan.  Upon receipt of the student loan the student is required to repay the emergency loan. 

Students who have applied for an Emergency Loan are encouraged to apply to the Support Fund.

What happens if the Emergency Loan is not repaid?                                                                                      

 If an Emergency Loan is not repaid the student will be suspended from the University.  Suspension will remain in place until loan is paid in full.