Provision of Information to Students. 9.1 The University will ensure that full details of its access measures, including a detailed description of financial support arrangements, are published in future editions of our Undergraduate Prospectus, finance guides and on the web.62 Advice and information will continue to be given to students during school and college visits and at Higher Education fairs, conferences and open days.
Provision of Information to Students. 8.1 A key to the success of our initiatives to promote and safeguard fair access is the provision of clear, timely and accurate information about student finance to potential students, parents, teachers and advisers.
Provision of Information to Students. The University has a strong system of student services and support including a team of financial advisors and student counsellors. As part of current widening participation activity, provision of information to both students and parents takes place on a regular basis through information packs and open and information evenings. With the introduction of variable fees it is recognised that students need more than ever to be given clear and accurate information. The University has adopted a number of strategies, building on existing good practice, and increasing current levels of resource to ensure that prospective students are provided with the appropriate information. Additional emphasis has been placed on pre-entry guidance and the provision of both on-line and face-to-face support to enable applicants to plan how to finance their study and provide information about the level of support available through bursaries and other forms of financial assistance. The University has considerable expertise in helping students with difficulties through the Student Finance and Financial Support Section of the office of Student Affairs and through the cross-University committee where judgements are made on fee remission. Bursaries and financial support will be centrally administered through a standard set of criteria. Financial support and advice will draw on the experience of staff in gaining a rounded view of a student’s financial position and providing appropriate advice and referral systems. Specific actions for prospective students includes: • the provision of financial information, with ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ and illustrations of the cost of study for students on different types of courses, through a dedicated and interactive section of the University website and an annually updated booklet; • named financial adviser with particular responsibility for provision of fee information relating to variable fees, state support, bursaries and scholarships; • incorporation of financial and fees advice as an integral part of information provided for prospective students through open days, the website, the prospectus and other publications; • a series of talks in local schools and colleges; • inclusion of financial planning in our ‘Preparation for HE’ course which forms part of our range of outreach activity (see Annex); • an information pack sent to all full and part-time students receiving offers of places on programmes, clarifying their position in relation to fees a...
Provision of Information to Students. 15.1 The University understands the importance of providing clear, accurate and up to date information to all prospective applicants. Such detail is particularly important to those students from under-represented groups who may be more debt averse than those from ‘traditional’ backgrounds.
Provision of Information to Students. 5.1 The Institute acknowledges that the new arrangements are complicated, and that potential applicants will wish to be clear about bursary provision.
Provision of Information to Students. Clear information about HE fees at York College, and the financial assistance available students will be accessible in the College HE Prospectus, website, College and course literature, leaflets and advice through the College’s Central Learner Services, Customer Service Unit and other information advice and guidance services utilised locally, and at interview. All students receive information on payment arrangements, which include support for individual payment plans to meet individual requirements. Internal communication will ensure an accurate and consistent message is disseminated and clearly understood, which will be managed through the College Fees Policy Group.
Provision of Information to Students. The University recognises the need to expand its current financial guidance, support and administration arrangements for prospective and current students which operate as a partnership between central University services and the Students’ Union. A Bursaries and Scholarships Service (BSS) has been established to implement this undertaking. Clear, comprehensive information is produced in both printed and electronic form covering: • Total tuition costs for prospective students • Estimated study and living costs, including sample budgets • A comprehensive summary of University support including bursaries, scholarships, sponsorship and hardship funds, eligibility criteria etc. • A brief summary of state support with cross references (e.g. to DfES, AimHigher, Student Loans Company websites etc.) • References to other possible sources of income, e.g. employment (including our own outreach activities, see Section 7), charitable trusts etc. The material is illustrated with a case study and tailored versions have been created for prospective students and parents. It is integrated with current outreach and recruitment information and is used pro-actively in both central and departmental outreach, student recruitment and admissions activities. In addition to the creation of web and paper-based information materials, the BSS also provides accessible, confidential advice for individual prospective and current students through the student’s choice of medium (telephone, email, face-to face). The University has purchased the full services of the Student Loans Company (SLC) to determine the value of means-tested awards and to make payments into student bank accounts. The BSS liaises closely with the SLC in the operation of this process. In addition, the unit co-ordinates the University’s Access to Learning Fund and other sources of financial assistance.
Provision of Information to Students. The University recognises the importance of providing clear and transparent information on the financial arrangements for students. It will communicate information on fees, bursaries and scholarships to applicants and potential applicants in several different ways: • The UH web site will include student finance web pages explaining the University’s policy on tuition fees and availability and eligibility of bursaries. Where appropriate the web pages will be linked to relevant external web sites. • The University’s undergraduate prospectus will contain information explaining its policy on tuition fees, bursaries and scholarships. • A separate leaflet will be available at higher education fairs or in response to enquiries. • All University Open Days will have designated presentations and question/answer sessions on student finance. • A facility for applicants to see Student Finance staff on an individual basis will be available. • Education / Schools liaison activities – the University will continue to provide support in terms of workshops and briefings to schools, colleges and careers offices throughout the region. Information provided will include factual details and case studies.
Provision of Information to Students. Details of tuition fee levels and of the financial support available to students will be routinely published in our prospectus and on our website. For 2012/13, government guidance was not available in time for these details to be included in the printed prospectus. However, this refers prospective students to our website for further information, which will be published there as soon as OFFA approval of our proposals is received and well in advance of the start of the 2011/12 application cycle. We also plan to write directly to schools to draw attention to our fee levels and financial support package. Our Student Funding website includes a ‘funding calculator’, designed to enable students to work out the likely costs of studying at Bristol and to identify the various sources of funding (including both government and University of Bristol support) which they might be able to draw on to support themselves during their studies. Over the next few years, we also aim to widen the scope of our personal adviser scheme for widening participation applicants to ensure that targeted applicants have the opportunity to access student funding advice prior to taking up their place at the University. Information on tuition fee levels and of the financial support available to students will also be made available, in a timely manner, to UCAS and to the SLC, as they reasonably require, to populate their applicant-facing web services. Appendix One Investment of Additional Fee Income – Transition Period 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 (steady state) Outreach activities £1.86m £1.92m £1.98m £2.01m Progression/retention activities £0.53m £0.54m £0.56m £0.57m Other continuing activity (e.g. job shop; student funding advisers) £0.37m £0.39m £0.40m £0.43m Student Hardship Funding £0.25m £0.25m £0.25m £0.25m Student Finance Package £4.79m £6.30m £7.68m £8.63m TOTAL REINVESTMENT £7.8m £9.4m £10.87m £11.89m % of additional fee income 30% 32% 33% 35% Appendix Two Progress in Widening Participation to the University of Bristol WP Category Application Milestone Actual Applications 2008/09 Actual Applications 2009/10 Actual Applications 2010/11 Mature Students 11.4% 7.7% 8.4% 9.1% Students from low performing schools / colleges3 46% 30.8% 26.4% Students from Low Participation Areas2 17.7% 7.8% 14.8% 14.5% Socio-economic groups 4-7 25.2% 19.8% 13.7% 13.6% Minority ethnic students 19.1% 15.3% 14.1% 12.8% Disabled students 4.6% 4.7% 4.8% 5.6% Local students 6% 3.7% 3.6% 3.6% WP Category Intake...
Provision of Information to Students. HE programme fee information and details of the bursary will be made available to all prospective HE students throughout the information, application and recruitment process. It will clearly explain HE tuition fees and the RNN Group Access Agreement bursary scheme alongside other financial information, advice and guidance for prospective HE students. This information will be provided in a range of formats and state the annual and aggregate fees for the HE programme, bursary arrangements and other financial support available. This will allow prospective students to foresee levels of debt incurred resulting from fees by the end of the course. The information will be provided via: • The College website • Higher Education prospectus; • College HE and FE staff; • Student Support Services at the College; • HE and Higher Level Skills careers events with our local partner institutions, schools and employers; • Internal briefings to level 2 and 3 learners through progression sessions, particularly level 3 learners; • All appropriate RNN Group events for prospective/interested learners, parents, employers and external agencies; • Open Evenings for adults, HE advice sessions and HE interviews; • Engagement with employers to outline workforce development through part time HE and higher level skills.
