Money Matters

Tuition fees in 2012/2013 will be £8,000 for all new undergraduates on full time courses at St Mary’s

You have to pay tuition fees for each year. There will be a slight increase in the fees for each year of your course.

You can either pay the fees directly to St Mary’s (in two instalments) but most people will choose to take out a tuition fee loan to cover all or part of the cost.

Tuition Fee Loan: If you are a Home or EU student studying for a first
degree, you can apply for a tuition fee loan for each year of your course.

You can request either the whole amount of your fees, or if you wish to
pay part of the fees yourself, you can apply for a partial loan. You pay
this back when you are working.

If you live in England and are studying for a first degree, you are eligible for the following support:

Maintenance Loan: The amount you can borrow depends on your household income and whether you are living with your parent(s) or away from home while you are studying.

• £7,675 if you live away from home and study at St Mary’s
  
• £4,375 if you intend to live with your parents and study at St Mary’s
  

Maintenance Grant: Depending on your household income, if you normally live in England and are studying for a first degree you may be eligible for this grant to help with your living/course costs. Unlike loans, this grant does not have to
be repaid.

• If your household income is less than £25,000 you will be eligible for a full grant of £3,250.
• If your household income is more than £25,000 but less than £42,600 you will be eligible for part of the grant.

If you are a part-time student studying at least the equivalent of 25% of a full-time course, you will also have access to a loan to cover the cost of your tuition.

You will begin repaying your student loan in the April after you finish your course, but only when you are earning over £21,000.

If you leave your course early you will still have to pay back the loans if you earn more than £21,000, starting in April 2016.

You repay 9% of your income above £21,000. For example, if your salary was £25,000, the 9% would only apply to £4,000 meaning you would only repay £30 per month.

If your salary falls below £21,000 your repayments stop – for example, if you take a career break or are unemployed. Repayments will start again when you earn more than £21,000.

Loan repayments will be deducted from your salary, normally through the tax system. If you have not repaid your loan after 30 years, it is written off.

As part of the new student scholarship programme, St Mary’s will be offering 86 scholarships of £3,000 to students from families with a household income under £25,000.

Your main costs as a student will be your accommodation, food, travel, entertainment, clothing and other course costs.

It is difficult to estimate how much students should budget for, as the income available to each student will vary and your priorities and interests will be different. Some may manage with a couple of T-shirts and a pair of jeans, where others may
consider a regular trip to clothes shops an essential part.

As a guide, for a first year student living in a hall of residence at St Mary’s, the biggest weekly costs could total between £201 and £282.

Hall accommodation – £96 to £162
Food/toiletries – £30
Entertainment – £40 to £50
Travel – £10 to £15
TV licence / Insurance – £5
Clothes – £10
Other course costs – £10
Laundry – £5

Students living in a house or flat share will also have to budget for utility costs (gas, electric, water rates, phone, etc) and allow extra for food and travel costs.

The range of rents for properties in Twickenham and the surrounding areas is currently between £320 and £400 per person per month.