Money@CampusLife FAQs

It is important for students to consider their financial plan before enrolling onto their course, and to ensure that they are accessing the funding and support available to them. You can use the checklist below to help with your financial plan, and please remember that Money@CampusLife are available to answer any student money related queries!

1. Contact funding provider to check what funding you are eligible for

2. Submit an application for funding if you have not done so already. Students are eligible to apply up to 9 months after the start of their course, however, this will result in a delay in receiving funding

3. Check how funding affects your benefits

4. Make a note of accommodation payment deadlines by checking my tenancy agreement or the University’s website (if in University accommodation)

5. Make a list of your income for the year e.g.

   • Maintenance funding
   • Social Work/NHS Bursary
   • Grants for dependants
   • University grants
   • Part-time work
   • Parental Contribution
   • Benefits
   • Other

6. Make a list of your expenses for the year e.g.

   • Accommodation
   • Travel
   • Food
   • Books and Equipment
   • Childcare
   • Clothing
   • Social/Leisure
   • Other

     Cost of Living in Swansea

7. Use your income and expenditure list to create a budget plan

8. Collect ID card in September for funding to be released. You will need to be enrolled in order to release your tuition fee funding and maintenance funding. Check out the enrolment pages for further info about how to enrol and payment release dates

_{*It is important to note that if you are a September 2021 cohort NHS funded students, you will not receive your first NHS Bursary payment until the end of October 2021.}

_{It is important for students to ensure that they are eligible for funding prior to enrolling on their course as students will be liable to pay a portion of their tuition fees even if they are unable to continue with their course.}  

After completing enrolment, the Student Records Office sends confirmation to our Finance Department and the Student Loans company, which triggers the first maintenance payment into your bank account within 3-5 working days and tuition fee payment to the University. As well enrolling must also ensure

If you are an Undergraduate student studying online and in person i.e. blended learning, the amount of maintenance funding you receive will depend on whether you are living elsewhere or in the parental home. Please see our Undergraduate Student Loans and Grants webpage for further information. 

If you feel you are struggling financially due to unforeseen circumstances you can apply to the Swansea University Opportunity Award or Short Term Assistance Grant for financial assistance. This is not a form of funding and cannot be used to pay tuition fees. There is no guarantee of an award, although if an award is made you will not need to pay it back. Please see here for more information on Swansea University’s hardship funds - Hardship Funds

If you have had to suspend/repeat/transfer previously and there are compelling personal reasons for you doing so, then you may be able to be granted a year’s additional funding by the discretion of Student Finance.

You would need to submit case of Compelling Personal Reasons forward to Student Finance. Please read our CPR Guide for our comprehensive guide on Compelling Personal Reasons and how to submit a case.

International students who are experiencing a delay with their sponsorship are advised to contact our offices as soon as possible for advice. You can email money.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk. If you are worried that your tuition fee payments will be delayed then it is important you get in touch with our Finance Department to discuss your circumstances, by emailing income.tuition@swansea.ac.uk

Yes, you are still able to enrol online here - Enrolment If you’re funding is not yet confirmed you can complete a direct debit mandate and this will allow you to enrol.  Please remember that you should be certain that your funding will be confirmed and available to you, as if you do enrol and you do not receive funding you will be charged a proportion of your tuition fees even if you cannot continue to study. You will also be considered to have utilised a full year of your student finance entitlement according to the Student Loans Company, even if you have not completed the year and received all of your funding.

If you withdraw from your program early (or Suspend your studies) within the first two weeks of your start date your tuition fee costs will be cancelled in full (eg. by the 1st October for 21/22 entry students commencing in September 2021) after the 1st of October the grace period ends, regardless of the date you enrol/enrolled and you will be liable for tuition fees.

However, please note that once you enrol, should you then decide to withdraw from study, your Student Finance provider will take the view that you have utilised a year of eligibility and funding.

More information about eligibility and the +1 rule is available here - Withdraw or Suspend

If you’re in receipt of a maintenance loan it’s possible that you will have received more than you’re entitled to which is classed as an overpayment and would need to be paid back to Student Finance

Please see here for further information on withdrawing or suspending your studies - Withdraw or Suspend

Whether you can transfer is determined by a number of factors, including the length and duration of the new course you’re hoping to transfer to, and how much overall student funding entitlement you have left. For example if the course you are transferring in to is shorter than the course you are currently enrolled on and/ or you have had access to student finance previously there may be some funding implications for you in subsequent years if you were to transfer courses. If you are unsure about transferring your course and the funding implications of doing so, do get in touch with us for advice and support by emailing money.campuslife@Swansea.ac.uk as soon as possible.

This should not affect your funding, although you would need to update your online application with your Student Loans Company. The quickest way to do so is via your online Student Finance account. Follow this link for further information on Student Finance for Clearing - Clearing

Swansea University has set up a payment schedule for International Undergraduate Students starting in January, your course will condensed and you will join year 2 in September 2021. You can check the payment schedule by visiting Myuni Hub webpage - January Start - International Student

Postgraduate Students have an amended payment schedule which you can find the full details of on our website by following this link - January Start - Postgraduate Students

Employment support is available through Swansea Employability Academy (SEA). To find out what support they can offer you in finding a part time job you can visit their webpage for further information - Swansea Employability Academy  

If you a full time student (studying more than 21 hours a week and more than 24 weeks a year) and living alone or in a property occupied by full time students, you should be exempt from paying council tax. You may need a Council Tax Certificate to present to the local authority and you can obtain one by emailing myunihub@swansea.ac.uk . Please see here for further information - Council Tax

If you are a part time student, or a student who lives with someone who is not a student, you may still be entitled to a 25% reduction in your Council Tax liability. Contact MyUni Hub for your certificate and then get in touch with your local council to access the discount.  

You will usually receive your first instalment of your bursary at the end of October (which is the second month of your course) and then monthly on the last working each month thereafter. 

Also as a Nursing Student accessing the NHS bursary scheme you can still apply for a reduced rate maintenance loan through student finance, please see our webpages for further information - NHS Bursaries 

Starting University can be overwhelming and you may experience all sorts of emptions. Campuslife have a dedicated welfare team who offer all kinds of different support to students. To see what support is available please take a look at their webpage - https://www.swansea.ac.uk/campuslife/welfare/

If you're receiving any loans from Student Finance then the answer is Yes - Student Finance are unable to release your loan payments if your National Insurance number hasn't been provided and verified. If your application assessment or your funding is being delayed, it may be something to do with the verification of your National Insurance number. If you're required to provide your National Insurance number or any supporting documentation to Student Finance in order to complete your assessment, please note that the process can take up to 2 weeks for them to get it verified.

If you don't know your NI number or have lost it you should call HMRC’s National Insurance registrations helpline on 0300 200 3500.

A National Insurance number doesn't need to be provided if you're only receiving grants from Student Finance, or if you're an EU student although if you are an EU student and do have a National Insurance number, then you do need to include it in your application.

Although you are a returning student you still need to apply for Student Finance each year and you also need to remember that although you had it previously you are not guaranteed it for the following year (for example you have had previous years study or have previously had to repeat a year of study  it could impact on your overall financial entitlement) therefore please ensure that your eligibility for funding is confirmed by your student finance provider before enrolling, as you  may be liable to a proportion of your tuition fees and be subject to utilising a year of funding eligibility if you need to withdraw due to lack of funding.

You would need to contact your funding body ASAP to inform them of the change to your year in industry, this is particularly important to ensure you have the correct funding for current year of study, as the Year in Industry funding rates and fees are different to a normal academic year of study.

All students are entitled to tuition fee and maintenance funding for the length of their course, +1 extra year, therefore this would depend on how many years previous study you have had. If it is just the one then that year would be classed as your +1 extra year from Student Finance and you should receive funding to cover you for your new course providing you do not suspend/repeat/transfer again. If you have had more than one year previous study then you would not have enough funding entitlement to cover the full duration of your course and will be required to self-fund your tuition fees and maintenance costs. Please see our webpage for further information   - Repeat or Transfer Studies  

Students can usually only get student finance for their first higher education qualification. If they’ve already completed a higher education course in the UK, they might not get help for a second course.

Finance is the department you would need to speak to if there are any issues with your fees being paid and you should speak to them as soon as you have any concerns. You can contact the Finance Department by emailing income@swansea.ac.uk

If you have any concerns about paying your accommodation fees you can contact the Accommodation department by emailing accommodation@swansea.ac.uk

If you are an undergraduate and in receipt of Student Finance or a NHS Bursary then your fees will be paid to the University directly from the funding body. If you are self-funding, a Postgraduate or International student you would be responsible for arranging payment of your fees and you can find further information on payment amounts and dates from our webpage - Paying Tuition Fees

If you are an Undergraduate student studying online and in person i.e. blended learning, the amount of maintenance funding you receive will depend on whether you are living elsewhere or in the parental home. Please see our Undergraduate Student Loans and Grants webpage for further information. 

You can find a list of all of our current Undergraduate fees on our webpage by following this link - Undergraduate Tuition Fees  as well as Postgraduate fees here - Postgraduate Tuition Fees

Undergraduate tuition fees for ‘Home’ students at Swansea University will remain at £9k per annum for the academic year 2021/22 whether a student opts for blended study or not.