Lancaster Opportunity and Access Fund
Application Guidance Notes 2020 – 2021
(EU & International)
By reading and following these notes carefully you will be able to accurately
complete your application to the fund. Please note funds are limited and an
award is not guaranteed.
The Lancaster Opportunity and Access Fund is not a source of funding and
students are expected to have made adequate provision to cover the cost of
studying at University and where applicable have already accessed their full
student finance entitlement and all other statutory support where
applicable. Postgraduate, EU and International students must be able to
provide evidence that on commencing study in any given academic year, a
minimum required provision (MRP) of funding has been met. For the
current academic year, the MRP for single students (as set by national
guidelines) is £177 per week to cover costs as detailed above. Assessments
will only be considered where evidence is supplied to indicate that this
provision has been met and when unexpected circumstances have affected
this provision, for example, if provision is usually met by parents and they
have lost their job which will have to be evidenced.
Students who have intercalated (suspended their studies) are eligible to
apply if the intercalation has been agreed on medical/health grounds or
there are extenuation personal circumstances preventing continuation of
study. Students intercalating on academic grounds, for example where
progression to the next year of study has not been met are ineligible to
apply.
Supporting Evidence Required
Undergraduate Single Students:
Evidence of funding at the start of the course (e.g Loan,
Scholarship/Studentship/Parental support
Last 3 months bank/building society statements (for all accounts
held)
Evidence of rent/mortgage (off campus only)
Undergraduate Students with partner/dependants:
Evidence of funding at the start of the course (e.g Loan,
Scholarship/Studentship/Parental support
Last 3 months bank/building society statements (for all accounts
held by you and your partner)
Evidence of rent/mortgage (off campus only)
Childcare costs (if applicable)
Council Tax (if applicable)
Car Insurance (if applicable)
Evidence of your income and partner’s income (e.g. payslips)
Postgraduate Single Students:
Evidence of funding at the start of the course (e.g Loan,
Scholarship/Studentship/Parental support
Last 3 months bank/building society statements (for all accounts
held)
Evidence of rent/mortgage (off campus only)
Postgraduate Students with partner/dependants:
Evidence of funding at the start of the course (e.g Loan
Scholarship/Studentship/Parental support
Last 3 months bank/building society statements (for all accounts
held by you and your partner)
Evidence of rent/mortgage (off campus only)
Childcare costs (if applicable)
Council Tax (if applicable)
Car Insurance (if applicable)
Evidence of your income and partner’s income (if applicable, e.g.
payslips)
IMPORTANT
Any income and expenditure costs you list which are marked with a red
asterix should be supported with evidence. The processing of your
application will be delayed or rejected if these are not provided.
Processing of your application
We aim to process your application within 3 working weeks of receiving
a completed application - incomplete applications delay the processing
of your application. If you are in immediate financial difficulty you can
seek advice/an emergency loan from us.
Tel 01524 594848 or email
[email protected] Do not wait until you have no financial support before making an
application - you do not need to be in immediate financial difficulty.
Applications can be accepted at any time throughout the academic
year.
• The end of year application deadline is end of week 29 for UG students
with the exception of final year UG students which is the end of week
26.
• The deadline for PG student applications is the end of week 50.
Personal Details
Please complete all sections
Course Details
Please complete all sections.
Bank/Building Society/Savings
Please list all accounts held for you and your partner if applicable. You
must supply 3 months bank statements for all accounts. If you hold an
account that is not in use i.e. it has a zero balance then an up-to-date mini
statement will be acceptable.
Please list Credit Cards details and the balance. You do not need to supply
bank statements for these.
Please ensure you nominate your account details on-line
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/student-and-education-services/money/funding/nominate-bank-
account/ within 3 working days of submitting the application, failure to do so
will result in any successful payment of an award being delayed.
Income and Expenditure
The assessment period is based on 39 weeks if you are a single
Undergraduate student, 43 weeks if you are a Undergraduate student with
dependents and 52 weeks if you are a Postgraduate student.
Income and expenditure costs should be given in weekly amounts and based
on the relevant assessment period as indicated above.
Unfortunately, tuition fee costs for self-funding students cannot be
considered as an item of expenditure
Composite Living Costs (CLC)
CLCs are not expenditure incurred; they are a notional amount representing
how much a student might be expected to need to live on. This includes
items such as food, household bills, clothes, entertainment, etc. These costs
are fixed and there are different costs for studying in London and elsewhere.
The sum is computed from the annual DWP applicable amounts. (Variable
costs, such as accommodation, transport and childcare are counted
separately.)
Supporting Statement
Please note that we cannot significantly help students who have simply
failed to budget or have spent irresponsibly. Where appropriate, we may
require students to attend an advice appointment. We may be able to offer
financial support to those who have a shortfall between their income and
expenditure.
Confidentiality and Date Protection
Please read carefully – all the information you supply is confidential.
Declarations
Please tick all the relevant boxes applicable to your circumstances and agree
to the terms an condition outline. Remember to sign and date your
application.
