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ABERTAY UNIVERSITY: SAAS DISCRETIONARY FUND

NOTES FOR GUIDANCE 2017/18
UK STUDENTS ONLY (EXCEPT NURSING)

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A UK STUDENT?

UK students are defined as students who meet the residency criteria for student living cost support from a UK government
student funding body i.e. SAAS or Student Finance England / Wales / Northern Ireland. They may also be defined as those who
meet the criteria for Home or RUK fee status with the exception of Nursing Students. If you are unsure if you meet this criteria
please contact the Advisory team for clarification.

WHAT IS THE DISCRETIONARY FUND?

As part of the Financial Support package available to students, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland has given money to
institutions to help provide financial assistance to students whose access to higher education might be inhibited by financial
considerations or who face financial difficulties in completing their studies. The funds are non-repayable awards. Applications
are lightly means tested with some standard rates being applied to certain expenditure types however financial and family
circumstances are taken into account. There is a maximum overall limit of award for each student and the amount awarded will
be at the discretion of the Fund Administrator. These Funds cannot be awarded to help students meet the cost of their tuition
fees.

WHAT IS THE CHILDCARE FUND?

In addition to the Discretionary Fund the Student Awards Agency for Scotland provides a Childcare Fund for UK students in
Higher Education who are in receipt of tuition fee funding. Those not eligible for tuition fee funding will still be able to apply for
childcare funding from the Discretionary Fund though awards may be restricted by an upper limit of 4000 (this can be
exceeded in exceptional circumstances). The funds are administered by the University; awards are discretionary and are based
on household income and circumstances.

HOW DO I APPLY?
Applications are available on the University intranet and may be submitted in person, by email or by post full details on
application form. Applications may be printed out and completed by hand or completed on computer. Please ensure that you
provide all relevant information about your personal and financial circumstances.

Please contact the Advisory Team if you require the application in an alternative format and this will be arranged.
If you require a printed version of the application form please request this at the SEZ Reception Desk.

HOW ARE THE AWARDS PAID?

Awards are usually paid in instalments directly into the students bank account by BACS transfer with the exception of formal
childcare costs which are paid directly to the childcare provider and awards for students in receipt of Housing Benefit which are
made as one off payments so as to limit the effect on Housing Benefit entitlement.

Awards cannot be given for tuition fees; however you can request on your application that any potential award is paid direct to
the University to cover the balance of any fees you have to pay. Similarly students may request that some or all of their award
be paid directly to the University or a 3rd party in respect of accommodation costs or rent arrears etc. If we become aware of a
debt to the University and you have not requested direct payment we may contact you to discuss this further.

WILL YOU BACKDATE MY APPLICATION?

The University considers applications on an on-going basis. Awards will be assessed from the date of receipt of the full
application and will not be backdated unless there are exceptional reasons for doing so. The number of payments you receive
will depend entirely on when your application was received in full. (See payment timetable).
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WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU REQUIRE?

Please use the checklist on the front of the application form and the guidance notes to ensure that you have provided all the
relevant evidence required. All documents submitted must be photocopies or scanned images in PDF or Word format.

Please double check that your application is completed in full and that the information presented is clear and accurate.
Failure to provide photocopies of the relevant documents will result in your form being returned to you.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN ONCE YOU RECEIVE MY APPLICATION FORM?

If your application is incomplete you will be notified and your application will be left at the SEZ reception desk for you to collect,
complete and resubmit.

If your application is complete but we have additional questions you will be contacted by email and/or requested to attend a
drop in session or appointment to speak with an Advisor.

If your application is fully complete we will process your application and you will be informed of the outcome of your application
on the next decision date.

If you believe your application was submitted in full by the relevant deadline and you have not received an email outcome by
5pm on the decision date please email sez@abertay.ac.uk.

APPLICATION DEADLINES AND PAYMENT DATES

The number of instalments you receive will be dependant on when your application was received in full. As the funds are to be
awarded on an on-going basis the following table indicates the number of instalments you would expect to receive throughout
the year.

One off payments will usually be made on the next applicable instalment date for those in receipt of Housing Benefit.

FORMAL CHILDCARE APPLICATIONS FOR TERM 1

Formal Childcare Applications should be submitted with a Discretionary Fund Application by 13th September 2017. Please see
separate Childcare Fund guidance on Formal Childcare Application for deadlines, payment dates and information. Applications
received after the deadline will be processed but will be substantially delayed.

Childcare + Discretionary Fund Applications

Guarantee Date for Applications with
Formal Childcare Costs
13 September 2017 Term 1
04 December 2017 - Term 2
11 April 2018 Term 3 (Accelerated Only)
Number of childcare instalments Decision Dates
Award emails issued by 5pm
2 04 October 2017
2 12 January 2018
1 08 May 2018

Discretionary Fund Applications Only (no Formal Childcare)

Deadline for Completed Discretionary Number of instalments Decision Dates
Fund Application & Evidence Awards emails issued by 5pm

20 September 2017 8 31 October 2017

25 October 2017 7 30 November 2017
20 November 2017 6 15 December 2017
03 January 2018 5 31 January 2018
01 February 2018 4 28 February 2018
07 March 2018 3 30 March 2018
04 April 2018 2 30 April 2018
16 April 2018 1 04 May 2018
Accelerated Degree Student Summer 31 May 2018
Instalment
PAYMENTS AND AWARD NOTIFICATIONS WILL BE ISSUED BY 5PM ON THE RELEVANT DECISION DATE.
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ELIGIBILITY

ELIGIBILITY & PRIORITY

The majority of UK students and those domiciled in the UK are entitled to apply. However International students and students in
receipt of the non-means tested Nursing Midwifery Bursary are not eligible for the SAAS Discretionary Funds. SAAS guidelines
state that priority must be given to the following groups of students:

Students with dependent children

Students who have left care or who are care experienced
Students who have caring responsibilities
Final year students
Part time students
Postgraduate students in receipt of fee support
Accelerated Degree Student

STUDENT LOANS
Guidelines issued by SAAS dictate that a student must have applied for and taken out the maximum student loan available to
them to be eligible to apply for help from the Discretionary Fund and the Childcare Fund. The only exception to this rule is when
an application is in relation to Medical or Psychological Assessment Costs for DSA.

HOUSEHOLD CONTRIBUTION
Similarly, guidelines from SAAS state that institutions must assume that any household contribution calculated as part of the
Award is made in full. Financial support cannot be given as a substitute for the lack of this support.

ATTENDANCE/GOOD ACADEMIC PROGRESSION

The Funds Manager will from time to time check to ensure that students in receipt of Discretionary Funds are continuing on
their course successfully and continue to be in attendance. Any student who fails to meet the criteria will have their award
suspended.

SUSPENSION
If you suspend your studies Discretionary Fund and Childcare Fund awards will cease with immediate effect. The amount paid at
the time of suspension will not be recovered and the total award will be adjusted to reflect this.

If you require continued support whilst on suspension please arrange an appointment with a member of staff from the Advisory
Service. In exceptional circumstances awards may be reinstated or granted to students who have suspended their studies.
Decisions are made by a panel including senior staff.

WITHDRAWAL
If you withdraw from your course or are withdrawn by the University, Discretionary Fund and Childcare Fund awards will cease
with immediate effect. The amount paid at the time of withdrawal will not be recovered and the total award will be adjusted to
reflect this.

REVIEWS AND APPEALS

If you disagree with the decision made on your application you may request a review of the decision. It may be that more
information or a face to face meeting is required in order for the Fund Administrator to fully understand your financial
situation.

If you chose to appeal the decision made on your application, your award will be looked at by a senior member of staff and will
either be upheld or reviewed in full. This could lead to the initial award being reduced or withdrawn.

EVIDENCE

ALL BANK STATEMENTS

2 months bank statements from all bank accounts that you hold in your name and where possible any joint accounts you hold
too. Joint accounts may only be provided with the consent of the joint account holder.
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We require statements from ALL bank accounts you hold including any savings accounts, online savings accounts and building
society accounts. Statements are used to verify the amount of money you currently have including any savings or capital as well
as to verify your monthly income and expenditure. We welcome students annotating bank statements to clarify income and
expenditure and isolated transfers of funds in or out of their account. We may ask for more information if there are any queries
in this area.

Acceptable forms of statements

Photocopies of statements receive by post
Clear print outs from online banking
Clear screen shots of online banking account statements presented in a Word document

Unacceptable forms of statements

Statements in an excel/spreadsheet format
Statements where the name, account number and sort code cannot be seen
Statements that are not in English
Mini Statements

SAAS/STUDENT FINANCE LETTER OF AWARD (ALL PAGES) & SLC PAYMENT SCHEDULE LETTER
Your SAAS/Student Finance Award letter is required to verify that you have taken out the maximum student loan available to
you in order to meet the key eligibility criteria for the fund.

SAAS award letters can be printed out from your online SAAS account. Go to Application Progress and scroll down the
page, there is a link to your award letter on the bottom left of the screen.

Student Loan Company payment schedules are sent to all Scottish students by post and are included within the
Student Finance Award letter online. If you do not have this for any reason, please contact the Student Loans Company
and request a copy and submit your application in the meantime with a note stating you do not have this piece of
evidence.

Student Finance England / Wales / Northern Ireland award letters can be printed out from your online account. You
must provide all pages of the award letter not just the covering page as the breakdown of your award is key to
ensuring that you are eligible to apply and failure to provide this will result in your application being delayed. On the
rare occasion that this is not included within your award letter please attend a funding drop in session or appointment
where you can log into your account with an advisor to verify that this page is not present and to discuss alternative
evidence.

PHD/Masters by Research Students are not eligible for funding from SAAS/Student Finance and may be required to
attend an appointment to confirm that they meet the residency eligibility criteria for the Discretionary & Childcare
Funds.

EVIDENCE OF TRAVEL COSTS

Evidence of travel costs are required to verify your travel expenditure and to calculate the travel section of your award if your
applicable.

For public transport, print outs from the travel providers website are preferable to copies of purchased tickets.

For students travelling by car please ensure that you complete the travel section of the application accurately, no other
evidence is required.

EVIDENCE OF ACCOMMODATION COSTS

Evidence of your liability to pay regular accommodation costs is required to verify your expenditure and to calculate the
accommodation section of your award if applicable.
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Mortgage Statement: The evidence provided must contain the following information
The property address
Your name
Your current monthly payments

Lease/Tenancy: The evidence provided must contain the following information

The property address
Your name
Your landlords name
The tenancy start date
Your current rent*
Your signature

*If you stay in Council / Housing Association property please provide your most recent rent increase letter or rent account
statement which can be requested from your landlord.

In the case of especially large lease/tenancy documents please only include the pages containing the information detailed in
the list above. If in doubt, bring the full document to a funding drop in session where the relevant pages will be identified for
you.

EVIDENCE OF DEBTS (including evidence of any rent arrears)

Evidence of debts is required to verify your monthly expenditure and to allow the Advisory Service to offer you additional
support and advice where appropriate.

If you find your debts are becoming unmanageable or you would like advice about dealing with debt, Step Change Debt Charity
offer free advice and can help you create a personal action plan. www.stepchange.org

TAX CREDIT AWARD LETTER - all pages (if you receive Tax Credits)
Your Tax Credit Award Letter is used to verify the following information:
The amount of Tax Credits you receive
The number of dependent children in your household
Single person status (if applicable)
Formal Childcare Costs
The Childcare Element of Tax Credit (for students applying for Childcare from the University)

ACADEMIC REFERENCE
Nursing, EU & International students (only)

AWARD ELEMENTS

ACCOMMODATION AND/OR TRAVEL

An Accommodation Award can be made in respect of formal housing costs. Costs considered are usually capped at 350 per
calendar month (exclusive of such charges as heating and lighting) and awards will be made as a percentage of the eligible
housing costs up to 30% for normal students and up to 40% for Accelerated Degree students. Evidence such as a tenancy
agreement/lease/rent book/mortgage statement will be required. If you do not have a mortgage or a tenancy agreement you
may not be eligible for an award under this category unless you can provide evidence of your liability to pay housing costs.
Payments made to parents or guardians will not be considered.

A Travel Award may be made where a student has to travel from out with Dundee to attend University. Part time students are
considered for help with travel costs regardless of where they are travelling from. Awards are made as a percentage of the
eligible travel costs up to 30% for normal students and up to 40% for Accelerated Degree students. Awards take into account
whether cheaper transport options are available and whether any exceptional circumstances apply to the choice of transport.
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Travel Awards may also be considered where a student is required to return to the family home on a regular basis. Students are
given the opportunity to provide details of these arrangements within the application form.

Parking costs are not reimbursed through the Discretionary Fund. Information about parking is requested within the application
in order to ascertain whether parking is an essential cost or a personal/financial choice.

Part time students are not eligible for support with Accommodation costs.

Restrictions will apply to the amount of funding available to Postgraduate applicants who are undertaking programmes solely by
research.

ACCESS AWARD
Awards made under the Access Award category bring together several types of applicants who are eligible, provided they fall
into one of the following groups, and satisfy any means tested conditions attached to the award. Awards made under this
category are intended to support course related costs such as materials, printing, equipment etc. Awards cannot be made
toward the cost of tuition fees.

UK Postgraduate Students Full & Part Time

Restrictions will apply to the amount of funding available to Postgraduate applicants who are undertaking programmes
solely by research.

UK Part Time Undergraduate Students

Restrictions will apply to the amount of funding available to Postgraduate applicants who are undertaking programmes
solely by research.

Final Year (UK Year 4)

Awards will be made to students undertaking an Honours course who have additional costs associated with the
submission of a project or expenses incurred in seeking employment.

Accelerated Degree Students

Awards are made to students undertaking an accelerated degree course and who have limited ability to generate
additional income from summer employment.

MEDICAL
Awards can be made to meet the cost of diagnostic assessments undertaken by an Educational Psychologist. Applications are
made on a separate form provided by a University SpLD Advisor.

EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
For students with exceptional circumstances such as caring responsibilities, medical conditions, difficult family circumstances or
significantly low family income, additional support may be given as an exceptional circumstances award. In calculating the family
income all sources of income will be taken into account including any salary/wage received by a partner/spouse. To be
considered for this award you must explain your circumstances within the application form where requested or you can request
to meet with an Advisory in person to discuss your circumstances.

INFORMAL CHILDCARE AWARD (Full time & Part time UK students only, except Nursing)
Students with young families who are required to make payments to friends or family members may also be eligible for
assistance from the Discretionary Fund. The contribution to the cost of this childcare will be considered on the overall family
income and will be paid direct to the student. Awards under this category are minimal.

FORMAL CHILDCARE AWARD (Full time & Part time UK students only, except Nursing)
Formal Childcare Grants can be made to UK students with young families who have to meet the costs of registered childcare
providers. See Formal Childcare Award Guidance.
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QUERIES

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Advisory staff can assist students in many ways, from advice about statutory awards and finances to personal issues. Managing
your money, especially when you do not have much is not always easy. The Advisory team are available to advise you on
planning your budget or suggest possible actions. Contact them as soon as you see a problem arising.

Support with the completion of application forms and application checking is also available by appointment or drop in.

Please contact the Advisory Service if you have any additional queries

Funding Drop In Sessions

Monday 2:00 to 3:30pm
Tuesday (term time only) 11:30 to 1:00pm
Wednesday 1:00 to 2:00pm
Thursday 3:00 to 4:30pm

Online Chat
Friday 10-12noon

Appointments
Make an appointment via SEZ Reception
Tel: 01382 308833
Email: sez@abertay.ac.uk
In Person: SEZ Reception Desk, Library

Call
Call via the SEZ Reception and ask to speak to a member of the Advisory Service
Tel: 01382 308833

Email Queries
advisory@abertay.ac.uk
It can take up to 3 weeks for the Advisory Service to respond to student emails due to the volume of enquiries received. Please
only email if your query is not urgent, in all other cases please use one of the methods above.