Student finance for undergraduate study

Going to a conservatoire is one of the biggest investments your students can make. Do they know how much it is going to cost and what help is available? The links below will help them find the information they need.

Most students do not need to pay any tuition fees up-front, as these are covered by a Tuition Fee Loan. There are also Maintenance Grants and loans to help with living costs, such as rent, food, books, transport and entertainment. Further information can be found on Directgov. They will also need to budget for instrument-related costs, such as instrument insurance, repair and maintenance, and consumables such as reeds and strings. Fees charged vary between courses, as well as between conservatoires, so your students should check these before applying.


The cost of studying in the UK for 2012 entry

Recent changes to policy on student finance arrangements and higher education funding mean conservatoires may be delayed in planning and confirming the courses they will be offering for 2012 entry and the fees they charge.

For those home and EU students wishing to enter UK conservatoires from 1 September 2012, CUKAS Course Search is now live. Fee information for all English and Welsh conservatoires is available on Course Search - any questions about fees should be directed to the conservatoires themselves. Fee information for the Scottish conservatoire has not yet been confirmed by the Scottish government and therefore will not appear on Course Search.

It is important that, prior to submitting their application, your students are clear on exactly what they will be paying for their studies as well as the course they wish to apply for.

These timescales are all based on the information we have available to date. While we are not anticipating any significant alterations, we should make you aware they are subject to change.

Maximum annual tuition fees for 2012 entry to a typical undergraduate degree

Table 1: Based on current knowledge

Domicile of student Location of institution

 England Scotland Wales NI
England Up to £9k To be confirmed Up to £9k To be confirmed
Scotland Up to £9k No fee Up to £9k To be confirmed
Wales Up to £9k* To be confirmed Up to £9k* To be confirmed*
NI Up to £9k To be confirmed Up to £9k To be confirmed
EU Up to £9k No fee Up to £9k* To be confirmed
Other international Variable Variable Variable Variable
 

Notes:

The table above represents the maximum fee information at the current time. This table will be updated as further information becomes available.

*The Welsh Government will allow Welsh students a maximum fee loan of £3,465 plus a new fee grant to account for the balance of the actual fee charged (up to £9k) wherever they study in the UK and for EU students planning to study in Wales only. This means that the subsidy will vary dependent on what the institution charges. For example, if an institution charges £7k, the fee grant will be £3,535. Welsh domiciled students will therefore pay the same fees as other students for the course at their chosen institution, but will receive assistance from the Welsh Government towards the costs.

For more information on student finance in England, particularly around the type of financial support available, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills has launched a dedicated website: www.direct.gov.uk/yourfuture. A feature of this website is a repayment calculator which can provide you with an estimated monthly repayment figure, based on your eventual career. There are also published information sheets for full-time and part-time applicants, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

For more information on student finance in Wales, visit Student Finance Wales

National Scholarship Programme (NSP)

The National Scholarship Programme (NSP) starts in September 2012. It gives financial help to students studying in higher education in England. The scheme is designed to help students whose families' income is £25,000 or less. NSP awards are in addition to any other loans or grants students might apply for.

Awards might include help with tuition fees, subsidised accommodation, a cash bursary or other help. Awards are paid by the conservatoires. Each conservatoire has its own rules about eligibility, and what types of awards are available.

Applicants should make sure they fully understand and meet the eligibility criteria of their chosen conservatoire before they apply. NSP awards will not be available to individuals who are ordinarily resident in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Other EU nationals will only be eligible for certain types of awards.

DirectGov provides information on the funding offered by each conservatoire.

As more detail becomes available, we will publish the information on this page.

UCAS making things clearer

UCAS is going to be working closely with many in the sector, and moneysavingexpert.com, to ensure changes to student finance arrangements for 2012 entry are understood by those applying this year. For more information on the new independent taskforce for student finance communication or for an alternative source of information on student finance changes visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/students2012.


The cost of studying in the UK for 2011 entry

For 2011 entry, Course Search has specific details on tuition fees, bursaries and financial support available for each course, or they can contact the conservatoires direct.

For 2011, if your students normally live in England, then Student Finance England provides a range of financial support for students in higher education in the form of grants (which don't have to be paid back,) and loans (which do).

It's now time for your students to apply for student finance and the quickest and easiest way to do this is online at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance. They don't have to wait until they have a confirmed place, they can use their first choice of course and change it easily online at a later date.

Make sure your students do their homework before they apply and read A guide to financial support for new full-time higher education students 2011/2012

This guide will walk them through everything they need to know about what they can get and how to go about getting it.It includes information they should have to hand before beginning their application, and how to use the student finance calculator.

To find out more and to apply visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance.

For 2011 entry, if your students are studying in Scotland and already live there, they normally aren't required to pay tuition charges. Check the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website for further information.


ballet class

International and EU students

If your students are planning to study in the United Kingdom and want to attend a publicly funded conservatoire, their fee status (whether they pay full-cost fees or a subsidised fee rate) will be determined by the UK conservatoire they plan to attend. See the International and EU students page in the students' section for more information.

For 2012 entry, this will not change.

Student finance

For more detail on the types of finance and financial support available for students, the following websites provide the most up-to-date information available.

England: Student Finance England

Wales: Student Finance Wales

Scotland: Student Awards Agency for Scotland

Northern Ireland: Student Finance Northern Ireland

You can also follow Student Finance England at twitter.com/sf_england and facebook.com/SFEngland

There is help for students with disabilities known as the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) - see the students with disabilities page in the students' section on this site.

Managing money

Learning to manage money at a conservatoire requires planning. Your students will need to learn to budget and live within their means - this way they'll find it much easier to support themselves without leaving with a huge debt. Read through our Managing money section for tips and advice.

Postgraduate study

You can find information about student finance for postgraduate study in the students' section of this site.