Financial worries
Students use all sorts of other ways to finance their
courses... some helpful hints about student money matters are
listed below.
Other Sources of Income
To supplement Student Loans the usual sources
of finance are:
- savings from work before arriving at York St John
- parent or family contribution or short term loan
- banks and building societies - many offer free overdrafts to
students
- part-time work
- funding from charities and trusts
Savings
Students often work at weekends and in the holidays before they
start to help them save up enough money to pay some of the expenses
of being a student (tuition fees / accommodation / food / nights
out / books etc).
Bank overdrafts
Most students open a bank account before starting and negotiate
an interest free overdraft. Many of the high street banks offer
special incentives and packages to students so you should shop
around for the best deal.
You will probably find it more convenient to
arrange your student account at the branch near to your home. Your
account can then be transferred to a more convenient branch near
the campus. The banks require some form of identification and a
copy of your Financial Support Notification to prove you are a
student. If you have not received your Financial Support
Notification you should still be able to open a student account,
but they may hold back any incentive gift or overdraft facility
until you have shown them the letter.
If you are planning to take advantage of an
interest free overdraft to pay your tuition fees and/or
accommodation fees, it is advisable to have arranged your new
student account before you arrive at York St John.
Employment as a student
Many students work while studying for their degree (and still
get good grades). York is a busy thriving city with a year-round
entertainment and tourist industry. As a result there are a large
number of part-time jobs in the area and YSJ actively supports
students in finding part-time work.
The YSJ Career
Development can advise you on part-time jobs in the area
and vacation employment, as well as long-term career prospects.
There is an Employment Service vacancy board in the Careers Centre
and we have a Job Bureau with details of part-time employment
opportunities.
We strongly advise that you do not work for
more than 16 hours per week. The NUS agree that any more than that
could jeopardise your well-being as a student. For more information
about employment as a student click on the link below and read the
leaflet.
Alternative Learner Support Available
For more information on financial assistance
to support your learning, please visit www.gov.uk/grant-bursary-adult-learners
or contact 0800 100 900.
Student discounts
Being a student isn't all bad news financially
- being a member of the Students' Union gets you all sorts of
brilliant discounts on travel, cinema tickets, theatre tickets,
clothes, CDs, books etc York St
John Students' Union works with all the other local student
groups to produce a booklet containing loads of special offers for
students.
Extra help for Welsh students
If you live in Wales, you may be eligible for
the new Assembly Learning Grant which includes top-ups for mature
students and childcare. Contact your LEA or visit http://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/
or http://www.dysgu.cymru.gov.uk/
for more information.
Other
useful links
There are many websites that can provide you
with information about student funding. One website you may wish to
look at is the Student
Money site, brought to you by Hotcourses and UCAS to provide a
comprehensive guide to everything you need when planning and
organising your student finances. Student Money is made up of four
key tools: Search for Funding, Budget Planner, Loan Repayment and
Wage Predictor.
The BBC
website also has a number of pages dedicated to finance, with a
budget calculator as a link from one of the pages.
For alternative funding including support from
Charities and Trusts, check out the
Prospects Website.
After Graduation
There are many options for
graduates after study including employment, travel and future
study. Below are useful links for graduates.
DirectGov -
Student finance, loans and universities