Financial support, as detailed below, is available from a number of sources.

To provide support to students from less well off financial backgrounds, there are two main sources of non repayable grants and bursaries.

Government grants
Grants, up to a maximum of £3,265, will be available to full-time undergraduate students from lower income households. Students from Northern Ireland with a household income of less than £17,910 will receive the full, non-repayable, Government grant of £3,265 per annum. Partial grants will be payable to students where the household income is between £17,911 and £38,330.

Queen’s University bursaries
In September 2006 the University introduced new bursary schemes to give additional financial assistance to full time UK undergraduate students first registered post September 2006 from lower income families, for course-related costs.

• Institutional bursary

  The entitlement of new full-time UK undergraduate and PGCE students to Queen’s bursaries is assessed on the basis of household income. Students from families with a household income less than £17,910 will receive a bursary of £1,025, while those from families with a household income of between £17,911 and £22,910 inclusive, will receive a bursary of £515.

  Bursaries will also be available, on a pro-rata basis, to eligible students not paying the £3,070 tuition fee; ie Foundation Degree and compulsory "year out" students.

  The Queen's bursary will be paid directly to an eligible student's bank account in two equal instalments, the third week in January and the last week in March.

•  Institutional Bursary Payment Regulations

If a student is suspended for any reason he/she will not be paid a bursary while the suspension is in place.  Any bursary entitlement for the year will be paid if the suspension is lifted within the current academic year.

The first bursary instalment will be paid in January on the basis of a student’s non-verified household income, but the second instalment will be withheld until income evidence has been received by the Education and Library Board.  The University will seek to recover any overpayments by reducing or stopping the next bursary instalment.  If this is not feasible invoices will be issued for any bursary overpayments.

Bursary payments, as a result of a household income reassessment by an Education & Library Board, whether favourable or otherwise, will be adjusted for the current academic year only.

• Sport and Books bursary

  In addition to the Institutional bursary, the University will pay a £100 Sport and Books bursary. This will be available to students from households with an income of up to £32,910.

The Sport and Books bursary can be spent on the use of University sports facilities at the PEC (www.qub.ac.uk/sport), or in the Bookshop at Queen’s (www.queensbookshop.co.uk; e-mail info@queensbookshop.co.uk); or both. It will be paid to eligible students, as soon as possible following a student’s enrolment. The proposed method of payment is electronically via the student card.

Table 1 – Summary of Approximate Non-repayable Support Available 2006/07

* Actual ELB grant payable is calculated on a sliding scale

NOTE
You do not need to complete a separate application form for entitlement to a Queen’s bursary. The University will use the information submitted in your PN1/PR1 application to the ELB for fee loan and other financial support.

Please note that you MUST consent to share information by signing Section 13 of the application form PN1 for new students or Section 11 of the application form PR1 for returning students, otherwise you cannot be considered for a bursary.

Student Withdrawals
The amount of Institutional bursary paid to an eligible student, who withdraws from his/her degree course, is consistent with the University policy on tuition fee liability.

On the basis of this policy, a student who commences a course in September but:

• Withdraws before 01 December, will not be entitled to an Institutional bursary;
• Withdraws between 01 December and 28 February, will be entitled to a bursary of 50% of his/her total eligibility;
• Withdraws after the 28 February, will be entitled to the full bursary.

Additional Student Financial Support

Loans for living costs: these are available from the Student Loans Company (www.slc.co.uk) which administers student financial support to eligible students in higher education in the United Kingdom.

Student Support Fund: Queen's administers a Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) fund for students facing financial difficulties. For information contact the Financial Advisor in the Students' Union on 028 9097 1049.

Disabled Students Allowance: is available to meet additional course-related costs arising from disability. This is paid in the form of a grant which is non means-tested. Further details of support for students with disabilities can be viewed at www.qub.ac.uk/disability.

The Student Experience

Queen's is committed to providing a world-class educational experience for its students. The University will use the additional fee income it receives to maintain the highest standard of provision for its students; to encourage applications from those who can benefit most from coming to study here; and to provide additional financial support.

Other Sources of Information

• Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) - www.delni.gov.uk/studentfinance
• Students Loans Company Ltd - www.slc.co.uk
• Student Finance Northern Ireland -  - www.studentfinanceni.co.uk