HTC On-line - College Handbook Student Finance page

college handbook contents

Principal's Welcome

General Information

HTC Mission Statement

Staff

Academic Calendar

Student Representation

UHISA

HTC Learning Centre

IT Guidelines

Photocopying Copyright Rules

Regulations

Grievance Procedure

Library

Useful Names and Numbers

Action to be Taken in the Event of Fire

Individual Learning Account

Higher & Further Education Fees

Further
Info on Student Fees

Other Sources of Funding from SAAS

Fee Waiver Scheme for Part-Time Students

BA course handbook

QA handbook

Payment of Fees

Tuition fees for the BA (Hons) Theological Studies and the Access Course are due to be paid on the first day of each semester (see further below).

Tuition fees for the MTh and DMin programmes usually have to be paid on the opening day of the associated week-long teaching intensive for the particular module. (Details of fees can be found in Appendix III.)

BA (CertHE, DipHE)
Full-time BA students who are normally resident in Scotland and eligible for help from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will normally have tuition fees paid on their behalf. They may also be eligible for a bursary towards living expenses. Application, if not already made, may be made online at http://www.saas.gov.uk/student_support/index.htm or by downloading Form SAS3 from the website. Full information on student finance may be found in the SAAS booklet Student Support in Scotland – A Guide for Undergraduate Students (SAS4, available from the HTC Academic Officer or on the SAAS web site). This is an important document and must be kept in a safe place. It contains valuable information on the various matters affecting finance. The booklet may not, however, cover all the circumstances which may affect you, so if in doubt contact the Awards Agency. Always quote your personal reference number on any piece of correspondence. If you do not have a notification letter, or wish to make a general enquiry, the SAAS Enquiry Line number is: 0845 111 1711.

Full-time BA students who are normally resident elsewhere within the United Kingdom may be eligible for support from their Local Education Authority (LEA) or other funding body.

If you are a full-time student you may also be eligible for a student loan. The advantage of this loan is that first, it is at a low rate of interest; and second, repayments do not begin until your course is ended and you have begun employment. The regulations governing student loans are found in the SAAS booklet Student Support in Scotland – A Guide for Undergraduate Students (SAS4).

Part time BA students taking at least 3 modules per year should apply to SAAS for the Part-time Fee Grant (formerly known as ILA500) which provides up to £500 per year.

Part-time BA students taking less than 3 modules should check if they qualify for the ILA200, £200 towards the cost of your studies (see Appendix II).

Part time students may be eligible for the Fee Waiver scheme (see Appendix IV)

Open learning BA students are responsible for all their tuition fees.

You may be eligible for other funding via the SAAS in special circumstances. Please see Appendix V for details. Part time students may also be eligible for the Fee Waiver scheme (see Appendix VI)

Access Course
Please check our fees schedule for 2011/12 for current costs. All fees must be paid in full before module packs are sent out.

DMin; MTh
Tuition fees for the MTh and DMin programmes usually have to be paid on the opening day of the associated week-long teaching intensive for the particular module.

Invoicing
All students will receive an invoice for their fees regardless of who is paying them. If you have a SAAS Award letter you must give it to the Finance Officer at enrolment or by post if not attending. If another source of funding is settling your fees you need to supply confirmation in writing. If you have a problem with paying tuition fees immediately, then you can discuss that with the Finance Officer, who will do all that s/he can to help you.

Cheques should be made payable to "Highland Theological College" and should be sent to the Finance Officer.

Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax

If you have dependent children or are disabled you may be able to claim income support and housing benefit from the Benefits Agency. When these benefits are calculated, all available income is taken into account, including the student grant and full student loan, even if you do not take out a student loan.

Remember, too, that Dependant’s Grants and Lone Parent’s Grants cover a period of 52 weeks from 1st September to 31st August. The student loan facility is also intended to cover 52 weeks from the same dates, except in the final year of study.

Most full-time students are not eligible for Housing Benefit at any time during the course, including the summer vacation, but if you are a part-time student you may be able to get help with your rent. Please contact the Benefits Agency if you need further information.

Council Tax is attached to property, not to the individual. If you are a full-time student living alone or sharing a property only with other full-time students, the property is exempt and you will not have to pay council tax. If you share accommodation with adults who are not full-time students you will share liability for the council tax on that property. The amount you have to pay will depend on the value of the property and the number of adults living there.

For more information please contact the Council Tax Office.

Budgeting and Debt

Student income, from whatever source, is seldom adequate to meet needs comfortably, and it is important to be fully aware of the financial implications of full-time study. It is essential to plan a weekly budget for the year ahead.

Should you begin to experience financial difficulties, do not hesitate to approach either your Student Advisor or the Finance Officer.

Before you enter into any borrowing, credit or hire-purchase agreement you must think very carefully about how you intend to repay the money plus the interest charges. Remember, you will be making promises about payment which you must not break. Think whether you will be able to pay all the instalments, not just the first one or two. If you cannot keep up your payments you may, at the very least, have the goods you have purchased taken from you.

You may, therefore, decide that it is more sensible and cheaper to save until you can pay cash for the item you want. Remember there is no easy way to get out of debt. You must do something or your debts get worse. The sooner you face the problem, the easier it will be to solve..